,,ii #aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #cehc ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,october #aa1 #bjah,mr4 ,heller introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,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 training and gain credentials sought by employers4 7#c7 ,the responsibility for developing and sustaining a skilled technical workforce is fragmented across many groups1 including educators2 students2 workers2 employers2 ,federal1 ,state1 and local governments2 labor organizations2 and civic associations4 ,such groups need to be able to coordinate and cooperate successfully with each other4 7#d7 ,coordination among students1 community colleges1 secondary and postsecondary 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 training1 and hands-on work experience improves outcomes and return on investment for students in secondary and postsecondary 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 postsecondary degrees4 #c4 ,national ,science ,foundation ,,stem innovation and apprenticeship grants 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation 7referred to in this ,act as the ,director7 shall award competitive grants to eligible applicants 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 shall award competitive grants to community colleges to develop or improve associate degree and certificate programs in ,,stem fields in which there is significant workforce demand in the region of the community college receiving the award and a need to strengthen the global competitiveness of affected companies4 7#b7 ,application ,in considering applications for grants under paragraph 7#a71 the ,director shall consider-- 7,a7 applicants that consist of a partnership between the applying community college and individual employers or an employer consortia1 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 consortia to offer apprenticeships1 internships1 or other applied learning opportunities to students enrolled in the proposed associate degree program2 and 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 program4 7d7 ,grants for ,,stem degree applied learning opportunities 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,director shall award competitive grants to universities partnering with employers or employer consortia that commit to offering apprenticeships1 internships1 research opportunities1 or applied learning experiences to enrolled university students in identified #d-year ,,stem degree programs4 7#b7 ,application ,in considering applications for grants under paragraph 7#a71 the ,director shall consider-- 7,a7 applicants that consist of a partnership between-- 7i7 the applying university2 and 7ii7 individual employers or an employer consortia2 7,b7 applications that demonstrate current and future workforce demand in occupations directly related to selected ,,stem fields2 and 7,c7 applications that include outreach plans and goals for recruiting and enrolling women and other populations historically underrepresented in ,,stem4 7e7 ,grants for computer-,based and online ,,stem education courses 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,director shall award competitive grants to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations to conduct research on student outcomes and determine best practices and scalability of computer-based and online courses for technical skills training4 7#b7 ,research areas ,the research areas eligible for funding under this subsection may include-- 7,a7 postsecondary courses for technical training for ,,stem occupations2 7,b7 improving high-school level vocational training 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 training with traditional mentoring and other mentoring arrangements1 apprenticeships1 internships1 and other applied learning opportunities4 #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 that improves the efficiency of skilled technical labor markets in the ,united ,states1 including 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 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 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 agencies 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 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 ,evaluation and report 7a7 ,evaluation 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #b years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,director shall evaluate the grants and programs provided under this ,act4 7#b7 ,requirements ,in conducting the evaluation under paragraph 7#a71 the ,director shall 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 programs4 7b7 ,report on evaluations ,not later than #ahj days after the completion of the evaluation under subsection 7a71 the ,director 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 administrative and legislative action that could optimize the effectiveness of the grants and programs under this ,act4 7c7 ,consultation ,in carrying out this section1 the ,director 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 #f4 ,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 or community college in section #cab of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajeh74 7#c7 ,institution of higher education ,the term institution of higher education has the meaning given such term in section #aja7;a7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja7;a774 7#d7 ,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#e7 ,skilled technical workforce ,the term skilled technical workforce means workers with high school diplomas and #b-year technical training or certifications who employ significant levels of ,,stem knowledge in their jobs4 7#f7 ,university ,the term university means a #d-year institution of higher education1 as defined in section #aja7;a7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja7;a774