(1) The center in collaboration with the talent ready board shall partner with private businesses and the State Board of Education to create a pilot program for apprenticeships that begin in grade 11 and grade 12.

(2) The elements of an apprentice program described in this part may include: (a) partnering with private businesses to offer apprentice positions to high school students; (b) the center soliciting participation from businesses in various sectors, such as advanced manufacturing, information technology, financial services, business operations, and health care; (c) the center in partnership with the State Board of Education soliciting the participation of local education agencies and students; (d) students selected for apprentice positions spending part of the students' week learning at school and part of the week learning at a job with a private business; (e) the center in partnership with the State Board of Education collaborating with private businesses to ensure that offered apprenticeships provide career competencies and stackable credentials so that the skills apprentices are developing prepare them for the job market; (f) the center in partnership with the State Board of Education ensuring that apprenticeship training meets competency-based standards described in Section 53E-4-204, such that the apprentices can graduate from high school in the traditional amount of time; (g) the center in partnership with the State Board of Education ensuring that students participating in an apprentice program as described in this section are counted as full-day equivalent pupils of the local education agency the student attends for purposes of state funding; (h) the center providing an intermediary role between the systems of business and education, recruiting students for apprenticeships, and ensuring apprentice work and school schedules are optimized; (i) participating private businesses: (i) paying wages, providing meaningful work experience, and providing nationally-recognized certifications to apprentices; and (ii) offering full-time positions or subsidized higher education opportunities to apprentices after successful completion of apprenticeships; and (j) researching and implementing innovations and best practices from other jurisdictions.

(a) partnering with private businesses to offer apprentice positions to high school students;

(b) the center soliciting participation from businesses in various sectors, such as advanced manufacturing, information technology, financial services, business operations, and health care;

(c) the center in partnership with the State Board of Education soliciting the participation of local education agencies and students;

(d) students selected for apprentice positions spending part of the students' week learning at school and part of the week learning at a job with a private business;

(e) the center in partnership with the State Board of Education collaborating with private businesses to ensure that offered apprenticeships provide career competencies and stackable credentials so that the skills apprentices are developing prepare them for the job market;

(f) the center in partnership with the State Board of Education ensuring that apprenticeship training meets competency-based standards described in Section 53E-4-204, such that the apprentices can graduate from high school in the traditional amount of time;

(g) the center in partnership with the State Board of Education ensuring that students participating in an apprentice program as described in this section are counted as full-day equivalent pupils of the local education agency the student attends for purposes of state funding;

(h) the center providing an intermediary role between the systems of business and education, recruiting students for apprenticeships, and ensuring apprentice work and school schedules are optimized;

(i) participating private businesses: (i) paying wages, providing meaningful work experience, and providing nationally-recognized certifications to apprentices; and (ii) offering full-time positions or subsidized higher education opportunities to apprentices after successful completion of apprenticeships; and

(i) paying wages, providing meaningful work experience, and providing nationally-recognized certifications to apprentices; and

(ii) offering full-time positions or subsidized higher education opportunities to apprentices after successful completion of apprenticeships; and

(j) researching and implementing innovations and best practices from other jurisdictions.