,in the ,senate of the ,united ,states1 ,december #bj 7legislative day1 ,december #ai71 #bjah4 ,amendment3 ,that the bill from the ,house of ,representatives 7,h4,r4 #eeji7 entitled ,an ,act to direct the ,national ,science ,foundation to provide grants for research about ,,stem education approaches and the ,,stem-related workforce1 and for other purposes41 do pass with the following ,strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following3 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,innovations in ,mentoring1 ,training1 and ,apprenticeships ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,to remain competitive in the global economy1 foster greater innovation1 and provide a foundation for shared prosperity1 the ,united ,states needs a workforce with the right mix of skills to meet the diverse needs of the economy4 7#b7 ,evidence indicates that the returns on investments in technical skills in the labor market are strong when students successfully complete their education and gain credentials sought by employers4 7#c7 ,the responsibility for developing and sustaining a skilled technical workforce is fragmented across many groups1 including educators1 students1 workers1 employers1 ,federal1 ,state1 and local governments1 civic associations1 and other stakeholders4 ,such groups need to be able to coordinate and cooperate successfully with each other4 7#d7 ,coordination among students1 community colleges1 secondary and post-secondary institutions1 and employers would improve educational outcomes4 7#e7 ,promising experiments currently underway may guide innovation and reform1 but scalability of some of those experiments has not yet been tested4 7#f7 ,evidence suggests that integration of academic education1 technical skills development1 and hands-on work experience improves outcomes and return on investment for students in secondary and post-secondary education and for skilled technical workers in different career stages4 7#g7 ,outcomes show that mentoring can increase ,,stem student engagement and the rate of completion of ,,stem post-secondary degrees4 #c4 ,national ,science ,foundation ,,stem innovation and apprenticeship grants ,section #c of the ,scientific and ,advanced-,technology ,act of #aiib 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ahfb;i7 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating subsections 7d7 through 7g7 as subsections 7g7 through 7j71 respectively2 7#b7 by inserting after subsection 7c7 the following3 7d7 ,grants for associate degree programs in ,,stem fields 7#a7 ,in-demand workforce grants ,the ,director shall award grants to junior or community colleges to develop or improve associate degree or certificate programs in ,,stem fields1 with respect to the region in which the respective college is located1 and an in-demand industry sector or occupation4 7#b7 ,applications ,in considering applications for grants under paragraph 7#a71 the ,director shall prioritize-- 7,a7 applications that consist of a partnership between the applying junior or community college and individual employers or an employer consortia1 or industry or sector partnerships1 and may include a university or other organization with demonstrated expertise in academic program development2 7,b7 applications that demonstrate current and future workforce demand in occupations directly related to the proposed associate degree or certificate program2 7,c7 applications that include commitments by the partnering employers or employer consortia1 or industry or sector partnerships1 to offer apprenticeships1 internships1 or other applied learning opportunities to students enrolled in the proposed associate degree or certificate program2 7,d7 applications that include outreach plans and goals for recruiting and enrolling women and other underrepresented populations in ,,stem fields in the proposed associate degree or certificate program2 and 7,e7 applications that describe how the applying junior or community college will support the collection of information and data for purposes of evaluation of the proposed associate degree or certificate program4 7e7 ,grants for ,,stem degree applied learning opportunities 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,director shall award grants to institutions of higher education partnering with private sector employers or private sector employer consortia1 or industry or sector partnerships1 that commit to offering apprenticeships1 internships1 research opportunities1 or applied learning experiences to enrolled students in identified ,,stem baccalaureate degree programs4 7#b7 ,purposes ,awards under this subsection may be used-- 7,a7 to develop curricula and programs for apprenticeship1 internships1 research opportunities1 or applied learning experiences2 or 7,b7 to provide matching funds to incentivize partnership and participation by private sector employers and industry4 7#c7 ,applications ,in considering applications for grants under paragraph 7#a71 the ,director shall prioritize-- 7,a7 applicants that consist of a partnership between-- 7i7 the applying institution of higher education2 and 7ii7 individual employers or an employer consortia1 or industry or sector partnerships2 7,b7 applications that demonstrate current and future workforce demand in occupations directly related to the identified ,,stem fields2 7,c7 applications that include outreach plans and goals for recruiting and enrolling women and other underrepresented populations in ,,stem fields2 and 7,d7 applications that describe how the institution of higher education will support the collection and information of data for purposes of the evaluation of identified ,,stem degree programs4 7f7 ,grants for computer-based and online ,,stem education courses 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation shall award competitive grants to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations to conduct research on student outcomes and determine best practices for ,,stem education and technical skills education through distance learning or in a simulated work environment4 7#b7 ,research areas ,the research areas eligible for funding under this subsection may include-- 7,a7 post-secondary courses for technical skills development for ,,stem occupations2 7,b7 improving high-school level career and technical education in ,,stem subjects2 7,c7 encouraging and sustaining interest and achievement levels in ,,stem subjects among women and other populations historically underrepresented in ,,stem studies and careers2 and 7,d7 combining computer-based and online ,,stem education and skills development with traditional mentoring and other mentoring arrangements1 apprenticeships1 internships1 and other applied learning opportunities4 2 7#c7 in subsection 7a77#c77;,a71 by striking the comma and inserting a semicolon2 7#d7 in subsection 7c77#a77;,b77iv71 by striking subsection 7f77#c7 and inserting subsection 7i77#c72 7#e7 in subsection 7h71 as redesignated-- 7,a7 in the heading1 by striking ,limitation on funding and inserting ,funding2 7,b7 by inserting 7#c7 ,limitation on funding4-- before ,to qualify and indenting appropriately2 and 7,c7 by inserting before paragraph 7#c71 as redesignated1 the following3 7#a7 ,funding ,the ,director shall allocate out of amounts made available for the ,education and ,human ,resources ,directorate-- 7,a7 up to #e1jjj1jjj to carry out the activities under subsection 7d7 for each of fiscal years #bjai through #bjbb1 subject to the availability of appropriations2 7,b7 up to #b1ejj1jjj to carry out the activities under subsection 7e7 for each of fiscal years #bjai through #bjbb1 subject to the availability of appropriations2 and 7,c7 up to #b1ejj1jjj to carry out the activities under subsection 7f7 for each of fiscal years #bjai through #bjbb1 subject to the availability of appropriations4 7#b7 ,limitation on funding ,amounts made available to carry out subsections 7d71 7e71 and 7f7 shall be derived from amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to the ,national ,science ,foundation4 2 and 7#f7 in subsection 7j71 as redesignated-- 7,a7 in paragraph 7#d71 by striking 2 and and inserting a semicolon2 7,b7 by redesignating paragraph 7#e7 as paragraph 7#g72 and 7,c7 by inserting after paragraph 7#d7 the following3 7#e7 the term in-demand industry sector or occupation has the meaning given the term in section #c of the ,workforce ,innovation and ,opportunity ,act 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #cajb72 7#f7 the term junior or community college has the meaning given the term in section #cab of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajeh72 2 and 7,d7 by adding at the end the following3 7#h7 the term region means a labor market area1 as that term is defined in section #c of the ,workforce ,innovation and ,opportunity ,act 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #cajb72 and 7#i7 the terms mathematics1 science1 engineering1 or technology or ,,stem mean science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics1 including computer science4 4 #d4 ,research on efficiency of skilled technical labor markets 7a7 ,efficiency of skilled technical labor markets ,the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation1 working through the ,directorate of ,social1 ,behavioral ,economic ,sciences1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,labor1 shall support research on labor market analysis innovations1 data and information sciences1 electronic information tools and methodologies1 and metrics4 7b7 ,skilled technical workforce 7#a7 ,review ,the ,national ,center for ,science and ,engineering ,statistics of the ,national ,science ,foundation shall consult and coordinate with other relevant ,federal statistical agencies1 including the ,institute of ,education ,sciences of the ,department of ,education1 and the ,committee on ,science1 ,technology1 ,engineering1 and ,mathematics ,education of the ,national ,science and ,technology ,council established under section #aja of the ,america ,,competes ,act of #bjaj 7,public ,law #aaa-ceh71 to explore the feasibility of expanding its surveys to include the collection of objective data on the skilled technical workforce4 7#b7 ,report ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation shall submit to ,congress a report on the progress made in expanding the ,national ,center for ,science and ,engineering ,statistics surveys to include the skilled technical workforce1 including a plan for multi-agency collaboration to improve data collection and reporting of data on the skilled technical workforce4 7#c7 ,definition of skilled technical workforce ,the term skilled technical workforce means workers with high school diplomas and two-year technical training or certifications who employ significant levels of ,,stem knowledge in their jobs4 #e4 ,evaluation and report 7a7 ,evaluation 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #b years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation shall evaluate the grant programs established under subsections 7d71 7e71 and 7f7 of section #c of the ,scientific and ,advanced-,technology ,act of #aiib 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ahfb;i71 as amended by this ,act4 7#b7 ,requirements ,in conducting the evaluation under paragraph 7#a71 the ,director shall-- 7,a7 use a common set of benchmarks and assessment tools to identify best practices and materials developed or demonstrated by the research conducted pursuant to such grants and programs under subsection 7f7 of that section2 7,b7 include an assessment of the effectiveness of the grant programs in expanding apprenticeships1 internships1 and other applied learning opportunities offered by employers in conjunction with junior or community colleges1 or institutions of higher education1 as applicable2 7,c7 assess the number of students who participated in the grant programs2 and 7,d7 assess the percentage of students participating in the grant programs who successfully complete their education programs4 7b7 ,report on evaluations ,not later than #ahj days after the date the evaluation under subsection 7a7 is complete1 the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation shall submit to ,congress and the ,secretary of ,education1 and make widely available to the public1 a report on the results of the evaluation1 including any recommendations for legislative action that could optimize the effectiveness of the grant programs4 ,secretary