,,ii  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #bdjc  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,may #bb1 #bjad
 ,mr4 ,warner 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,pryor1
 and ,mr4 ,begich7 introduced the       
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,health1 
,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions  ,a   
,,bill  ,to ensure that programs of     
training services under the ,workforce  
,investment ,act of #aiih make better   
use of participants' prior learning so  
as to better assist the participants in 
obtaining degrees and other recognized  
postsecondary credentials1 and for other
 purposes4  #a4 ,short title  ,this ,act
 may be cited as the ,leverage ,prior   
,skills ,act4  #b4 ,findings2 purpose   
7a7 ,findings ,congress finds the       
following3 7#a7 ,a recognized           
postsecondary credential is key to an   
individual's self-sufficiency and upward
 mobility1 and to higher levels of      
family well-being4  7#b7 ,jobseekers    
often come to programs providing        

training services with skills acquired  
through noncredit employment and        
training programs1 such as corporate or 
military training programs1             
workplace-based learning programs1      
volunteer activities1 and other         
activities4  7#c7 ,workforce investment 
systems do not take into account prior  
learning4 ,workers and students who have
 persisted through demanding noncredit  
employment and training programs often  
have to repeat courses when they attempt
 to earn a recognized postsecondary     
credential through a workforce          
investment system1 wasting both money   
and time4  7#d7 ,at a time when         
unemployment remains relatively high1   
training services should be geared to   
allow participants to quickly achieve   
recognized postsecondary credentials    
that lead directly to employment4  7b7  
,purpose ,the purpose of this ,act is to
 encourage ,states and local boards to  
develop competency-based workforce      
investment systems1 to validate learning

 through noncredit employment and       
training programs and to award          
recognized postsecondary credentials4   
#c4 ,eligible providers ,section #abb of
 the ,workforce ,investment ,act of     
#aiih 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #bhdb7 is amended--
 7#a7 in subsection 7b77#b77;,d7-- 7,a7 
in clause 7ii71 by striking and at the  
end2  7,b7 in clause 7iii71 by striking 
the period and inserting 2 and2 and     
7,c7 by adding at the end the following3
  7iv7 if the provider proposes to      
provide a program of training services  
that leads to a recognized postsecondary
 credential1 shall include in the       
application information on the quality  
of the services that lead to the        
credential4  2 and  7#b7 in subsection  
7c77#e77;,a71 by inserting the          
information described in subsection     
7b77#b77;,d77iv7 7for a program         
described in that subsection7 and after 
submit4  #d4 ,competency-based learning 
,section #acd7;a77#b77;,b7 of the       
,workforce ,investment ,act of #aiih    

7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #bhfd7;a77#b77;,b77 is   
amended-- 7#a7 in clause 7v71 by        
striking and at the end2  7#b7 in clause
 7iv71 by striking the period and       
inserting 2 and2 and  7#c7 by adding at 
the end the following3  7vii7           
identifying and implementing a process  
by which local boards will enter into   
contracts with providers of training    
services under subsection 7d77#d71 or   
identify providers as eligible providers
 of training services under section     
#abb1 only if the providers involved    
agree to-- 7,i7 use direct assessments  
to assess1 to the extent practical1 the 
prior learning of the participants in   
noncredit employment and training       
programs2 and  7,,ii7 take that prior   
learning into account1 to the extent    
practical1 when determining whether such
 a participant has earned credit hours  
or made progress toward earning a degree
 from at an institution of higher       
education1 or has earned or made        
progress towards earning a recognized   

postsecondary credential4  4