(a) The Commissioner of Education, in collaboration with the Board of Regents for Higher Education, shall establish the Connecticut Apprenticeship and Education Committee to coordinate and identify (1) potential preapprenticeship and apprenticeship training program integration, and (2) leveraged funding identification of career technical education programs within high schools and programs within higher education institutions for careers in various industries. Such committee shall include, but not be limited to, (A) representatives from the Department of Economic and Community Development, the Labor Department, the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, the Connecticut Manufacturers Collaborative, the Technical Education and Career System, the advanced manufacturing centers at the regional community-technical colleges, independent institutions of higher education in the state that offer training in the field of manufacturing, the Office of Workforce Strategy, companies and employee organizations that represent manufacturing workers, and (B) teachers, guidance counselors, school counselors, principals and superintendents.

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(b) The committee established pursuant to subsection (a) of this section may, in such committee’s discretion, report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to commerce, higher education and workforce development and labor and public employees an analysis of whether current apprenticeship training programs available to Connecticut residents are meeting workforce needs. The committee shall consult with members of the manufacturing industry when producing such report. In addition to consulting with manufacturing industries, the committee shall consult with members of insurance, health care, financial technology, biotechnology, STEM, construction trades and hospitality industries and any other appropriate industry to coordinate and identify potential modern preapprenticeship and apprenticeship training programs and shall review and consider European apprenticeship training programs when producing such report.

(c) The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the committee established pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, shall introduce middle school and high school students, their parents or guardians, guidance counselors and school counselors to careers in the industries described in subsection (b) of this section. The commissioner may enter into partnerships with one or more private sector entities to further the goals of this subsection.

(d) The Department of Education, in consultation with representatives from the industries described in subsection (b) of this section, shall develop a best practices guide to help local and regional boards of education to incorporate relationships with the industries described in subsection (b) of this section in their middle school and high school curricula.