#aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #eeji ,,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 purposes4 #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 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation shall award competitive grants to eligible entities in accordance with this section4 7b7 ,coordination ,in carrying out this section1 the ,director shall consult and cooperate with the programs and policies of other relevant ,federal agencies to avoid duplication with1 and enhance the effectiveness of1 the provision of grants under this section4 7c7 ,grants for associate degree programs in ,,stem fields 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation shall award competitive grants to community colleges to develop or improve associate or certificate programs in ,,stem fields in1 with respect to the region in which the respective college is located1 an in-demand industry sector or occupation 7as defined in section #c7bc77 of the ,workforce ,innovation and ,opportunity ,act 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #cajb7bc7774 7#b7 ,application ,in considering applications for grants under paragraph 7#a71 the ,director shall prioritize-- 7,a7 applicants that consist of a partnership between the applying 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 internships or other applied learning opportunities to students enrolled in the proposed associate degree program2 7,d7 applications that include outreach plans and goals for recruiting and enrolling women and other historically underrepresented individuals in ,,stem studies and careers in the proposed associate degree program2 and 7,e7 applications that describe how the applying community college will support the collection of information and data for purposes of evaluation of the proposed associate degree program4 7#c7 ,funding ,the ,national ,science ,foundation shall devote not less than #bj1jjj1jjj to awards described in this subsection1 which shall include not less than #e1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjah through #bjba1 subject to the availability of appropriations1 to come from amounts made available for the ,education and ,human ,resources ,directorate4 ,this subsection shall be carried out using funds otherwise appropriated by law after the date of enactment of this ,act4 7d7 ,grants for ,,stem degree applied learning opportunities 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation shall award competitive grants to institutions of higher education partnering with employers or employer consortia1 or industry or sector partnerships1 that commit to offering apprenticeships1 internships1 research opportunities1 or applied learning experiences to enrolled university students in identified ,,stem baccalaureate degree programs4 7#b7 ,application ,in considering applications for grants under paragraph 7#a71 the ,director shall prioritize-- 7,a7 applicants that consist of a partnership between-- 7,i7 the applying university2 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 selected ,,stem fields2 7,c7 applications that include outreach plans and goals for recruiting and enrolling women and other populations historically underrepresented in ,,stem2 and 7,d7 applications that describe how the university will support the collection and information of data for purposes of the evaluation of identified ,,stem degree programs4 7#c7 ,funding ,the ,national ,science ,foundation shall devote not less than #aj1jjj1jjj to awards described in this subsection1 which shall include not less than #b1ejj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjah through #bjba1 subject to the availability of appropriations1 to come from amounts made available for the ,education and ,human ,resources ,directorate4 ,this subsection shall be carried out using funds otherwise appropriated by law after the date of enactment of this ,act4 7e7 ,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 7#c7 ,funding ,the ,national ,science ,foundation shall devote not less than #aj1jjj1jjj to awards described in this subsection1 which shall include not less than #b1ejj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjah through #bjba1 subject to the availability of appropriations1 to come from amounts made available for the ,education and ,human ,resources ,directorate4 ,this subsection shall be carried out using funds otherwise appropriated by law after the date of enactment of this ,act4 #d4 ,research on efficiency of skilled technical labor markets 7a7 ,efficiency of skilled technical labor markets ,the ,directorate of ,social1 ,behavioral ,economic ,sciences of the ,national ,science ,foundation1 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 ,comparison of ,united ,states workforce 7#a7 ,research ,the ,national ,science ,foundation shall commission research that compares and contrasts skilled technical workforce development between ,states and regions within the ,united ,states and other developed countries1 including the diversity of skilled technical and professional workforces1 to the extent feasible4 7#b7 ,report ,not later than #c years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation shall submit to ,congress a report on the results of the study under paragraph 7#a74 7c7 ,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 ,institution of ,education ,science1 and the ,committee on ,science1 ,technology1 ,engineering1 and ,mathematics ,education1 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 containing the progress made in expanding the ,national ,center for ,science and ,engineering ,statistics surveys to include the skilled technical workforce4 ,such report shall include a plan for multi-agency collaboration in order to effect data collection and reporting of data on the skilled technical workforce4 #e4 ,spending limitation ,no additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this ,act and the amendments made by this ,act1 and this ,act and such amendments shall be carried out using amounts otherwise available for such purpose4 #f4 ,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 grants and programs provided under 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 programs2 7,b7 include an assessment of the effectiveness of the grant programs established under this ,act in expanding apprenticeships1 internships1 and other applied learning opportunities offered by employers in conjunction with community colleges and institutions of higher education2 7,c7 assess the number of students who participated in programs established under or pursuant to this ,act2 7,d7 assess the percentage of students participating in programs established under or pursuant to this ,act who successfully complete their education program2 and 7,e7 assess the median earnings of students who have completed a program with respect to which a grant was awarded under section #c7;c71 as of the date that is two calendar quarters after completing the program1 as practicable4 7b7 ,report on evaluations ,not later than #ahj days after the completion of the evaluation under subsection 7a71 the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation shall submit to ,congress and make widely available to the public a report that includes-- 7#a7 the results of the evaluation2 and 7#b7 any recommendations for legislative action that could optimize the effectiveness of the grants and programs under this ,act4 7c7 ,consultation ,in carrying out this section1 the ,director of the ,foundation shall consult the programs and policies of other relevant ,federal agencies to avoid duplication with1 and enhance the effectiveness of1 the grants and programs under this ,act4 7d7 ,submission to ,secretary of ,education ,on the date on which the report is submitted under subsection 7b71 the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation shall also submit to the ,secretary of ,education a copy of the report4 #g4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,,stem ,the term ,,stem means science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics1 including computer science4 7#b7 ,community college ,the term community college has the meaning given the term junior and community college in section #cab of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajeh74 7#c7 ,region ,the term region means a labor market area1 as such term is defined in section #c of the ,workforce ,innovation and ,opportunity ,act 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #cajb74 7#d7 ,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 ,passed the ,house of ,representatives ,september #be1 #bjah4;,clerk4