34:15E-6. School-to-apprenticeship linkage program, establishment

6. a. Each consortium which is awarded a grant from the partnership shall establish a school-to-apprenticeship linkage program for high school students, which shall include the development of the curriculum which will best prepare students to qualify for apprenticeships established under the grant, thus encouraging high school completion and increasing graduation rates. Grants may also be provided to a consortium pursuant to this section to create new linkage programs for existing apprenticeship programs. The linkage program may include workplace experience, but not in violation of applicable child labor standards, and shall not involve any reduction of the classroom time of a participating student or of academic standards. The provisions of this section shall not be construed as prohibiting nontraditional scheduling of classroom time. If the school-to-apprenticeship linkage program includes a workplace experience component:

(1) The student shall be regarded as a student learner and subject to the provisions of section 1 of P.L.1993, c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as Assembly Bill, No. 2619);

(2) The workplace experience component shall be regarded as cooperative vocational education and subject to the provisions of section 1 of P.L.1993, c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as Assembly Bill, No. 2619); and

(3) Employers participating in the consortium who hire student learners shall do so based on recommendations of the students' educational institutions which give consideration to the overall academic achievement of the students.

To the greatest extent permitted by federal law, a participating employer shall also consider the overall academic achievement of students when selecting apprentices under the grant.

b. Each school-to-apprenticeship linkage program shall include counseling, recruitment, child care for student learners who are parents and other services as are needed to maximize program participation by women and minority-group members who are economically disadvantaged individuals, have barriers to employment, or both. The objectives of these services shall include increasing the success of women in nontraditional employment and encouraging greater academic achievement among at-risk and other students.

L.1993,c.268,s.6.