15 USC 3723 – STEM apprenticeship programs
(a) In general
The Secretary of Commerce may carry out a grant program to identify the need for skilled science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (referred to in this section as “STEM”) workers and to expand STEM apprenticeship programs.
(b) Eligible recipient defined
Terms Used In 15 USC 3723
- Federal laboratory: means any laboratory, any federally funded research and development center, or any center established under section 3705 or 3707 of this title that is owned, leased, or otherwise used by a Federal agency and funded by the Federal Government, whether operated by the Government or by a contractor. See 15 USC 3703
- Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
- Secretary: means the Secretary of Commerce. See 15 USC 3703
- State: means a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any other territory or possession of the United States. See 1 USC 7
In this section, the term “eligible recipient” means—
(1) a State;
(2) an Indian tribe;
(3) a city or other political subdivision of a State;
(4) an entity that—
(A) is a nonprofit organization, an institution of higher education, a public-private partnership, a science or research park, a Federal laboratory, or an economic development organization or similar entity; and
(B) has an application that is supported by a State, a political subdivision of a State, or a native organization; or
(5) a consortium of any of the entities described in paragraphs (1) through (5).
(c) Needs assessment grants
The Secretary of Commerce may provide a grant to an eligible recipient to conduct a needs assessment to identify—
(1) the unmet need of a region’s employer base for skilled STEM workers;
(2) the potential of STEM apprenticeships to address the unmet need described in paragraph (1); and
(3) any barriers to addressing the unmet need described in paragraph (1).
(d) Apprenticeship expansion grants
The Secretary of Commerce may provide a grant to an eligible recipient that has conducted a needs assessment as described in subsection (c)(1) to develop infrastructure to expand STEM apprenticeship programs.