Student Apprenticeship Act of 2020

Student Apprenticeship Act of 2020

This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to award grants to certain partnerships to enable the development and implementation of a postsecondary apprenticeship program.

An eligible partnership must consist of (1) at least one institution of higher education, (2) at least one individual employer, and (3) a workforce intermediary (an entity that demonstrates expertise in fostering partnerships in order to support postsecondary apprenticeship programs). Such partnership may also include other entities such as a state agency responsible for administering career and technical education, a labor organization, or an economic development agency.

ED must not provide a grant to a partnership seeking to establish an apprenticeship in construction trades.

A partnership that receives a grant must use the funds to develop and implement a postsecondary apprenticeship program in a high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand industry sector or occupation. Additionally, an apprenticeship shall qualify as a work-study program through which a student apprentice is eligible for federal financial assistance.