PA 07-20—sSB 1285

Education Committee

AN ACT CONCERNING THE CONNECTICUT CAREER CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

SUMMARY: This act updates the Connecticut Career Certificate Program to reflect existing practice and federal funding requirements. Under the program, the education commissioner awards career certificates to high school and postsecondary school students who successfully complete school-to-career programs approved by the education and labor commissioners. The school-to-career programs must consist of school- and work-based instruction and connecting activities that coordinate the two.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2007

CHANGES TO CONFORM TO PRACTICE AND FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS

Program Grants

The act eliminates the education commissioner's authority to award program grants to local and regional boards of education and the vocational-technical school system. It changes the focus of the grants from supporting development and implementation of career certificate programs to developing the educators administering the programs.

Regional School-to-Career Partnerships

The act eliminates a requirement that the education commissioner establish regional school-to-career partnerships to review and comment on the career certificate programs in their regions. Under prior law, partnerships had to include, at least, educators; students; and representatives of school boards, postsecondary institutions, regional workforce development boards, business and industry, and labor organizations.

Other Changes

The act:

1. requires the school-based instruction for the programs to include instruction in workplace safety awareness,

2. organizes the program under the 16 federally recognized career clusters and requires the education commissioner to keep a list of those clusters instead of the eight state-recognized clusters, and

3. requires the commissioner to maintain a list of clusters that are projected occupation growth areas in Connecticut identified by the Labor Department's labor market projections.

The act designates the programs as “career pathway” programs.

STATE LABOR LAWS

The act explicitly requires that student employment under a career certificate program comply with the state minimum wage law and with the law prohibiting minors under ages 16 and 18 from doing certain types of work. It also requires the terms of the student's compensation to comply with state labor laws governing employment of minors, presumably the state minimum and overtime wage laws.

BACKGROUND

Federally Recognized Career Clusters

The federal Department of Education's Office of Vocational and Adult Education recognizes the following career clusters:

1. agriculture, food, and natural resources;

2. architecture and construction;

3. arts, audio-visual technology, and communications;

4. business, management, and administration;

5. education and training;

6. finance;

7. government and public administration;

8. health science;

9. hospitality and tourism;

10. human services;

11. information technology;

12. law, public safety, and security;

13. manufacturing;

14. marketing, sales, and service;

15. science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; and

16. transportation, distribution, and logistics.

OLR Tracking: JSL: SS: PF: TS