Apprenticeships on public works projects.

Existing law provides for apprenticeship programs within the Division of Apprenticeship Standards, which is within the Department of Industrial Relations. Existing law requires an apprentice employed on a public works project to be paid the prevailing rate of per diem wages for apprentices in the trade to which he or she is registered. Existing law requires a contractor who employs apprentices on a public works project to contribute specific funds to the California Apprenticeship Council that are used by the council to fund grants to approved apprenticeship programs for the purpose of training apprentices and pay certain expenses of the Department of Industrial Relations. This bill would require an apprenticeship program, to be eligible to receive grant funds from the council, to agree to keep adequate records that document the expenditure of those grant funds and make all records available to the department so that the department is able to verify that grant funds were used solely for training apprentices. The bill would also require the department to verify that grants made by the council are used solely for training apprentices. The bill would prohibit an apprenticeship program that is unable to demonstrate how grant funds are expended or an apprenticeship program that is found to be using grant funds for purposes other than training apprentices from being eligible to receive any future grant from the council under these provisions and would authorize the department to initiate the process to rescind the registration of the apprenticeship program.