1. a. There is established, in the Department of Labor and Workforce Development and under the direction of the State Employment and Training Commission as part of the commission’s responsibilities pursuant to subsection d. of section 9 of P.L.1989, c.293 (C. 34:15C-6), the New Jersey Pathways Leading Apprentices to a College Education, or “NJ PLACE”, program. The purpose of the program is to facilitate cooperation between appropriate State agencies, employer organizations, labor organizations, schools, and two-year and four-year institutions of higher education to enter into agreements to provide college credit in connection with apprenticeship programs and permit the work of apprentices in those programs to be credited towards two-year and four-year college degrees. To implement its purpose, the program shall continue the current process of negotiations between county colleges and other institutions of higher education, employer organizations, labor organizations and State agencies which has resulted in the establishment of an associate in applied science in technical studies degree program into which credits are transferred for the time spent by apprentices in classroom and non-classroom apprenticeship training and education. While most of these existing articulation agreements establishing transfer credits are between county colleges and construction trade apprenticeships, the NJ PLACE program shall work to facilitate agreements involving additional apprenticeship programs outside, as well as inside, of the construction industry and involving four-year, as well as two-year, college degrees.

b. The NJ PLACE program shall coordinate its efforts to promote apprenticeship programs and related higher education with the efforts of the “Youth Transitions to Work Partnership Act,” created pursuant to P.L.1993, c.268 (C. 34:15E-1 et al.) and consortia of businesses, business organizations, labor organizations and educational institutions funded by that partnership to link newly established and existing apprenticeship programs with secondary schools and institutions of higher education to provide effective transitions for high school graduates into those programs.

c. The State Employment and Training Commission is authorized to obtain, accept and utilize resources for the NJ PLACE program as may be, or may become, available from appropriate State, federal and non-governmental sources of funding for employment, training and educational purposes, including the Workforce Development Partnership Fund created pursuant to section 9 of P.L.1992, c.43 (C. 34:15D-9), the “Supplemental Workforce Fund for Basic Skills” established pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2001, c.152 (C. 34:15D-21), or funds available pursuant to the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, Pub.L.105-220 (29 U.S.C. § 2801 et seq.).

d. For the purposes of this section, “apprenticeship program” means a registered apprenticeship program providing to each trainee combined classroom and on-the-job training under the direct and close supervision of a highly skilled worker in an occupation recognized as an apprenticeable trade, registered by the Office of Apprenticeship of the U.S. Department of Labor, and meeting the standards established by the office.

L.2009, c.200, s.1.