California Creative Workforce Act of 2021.

Existing law establishes the California Workforce Development Board, which assists the Governor in the development, oversight, and continuous improvement of California's workforce investment system. The board reports to the Secretary of the Labor and Workforce Development Agency. Existing law creates various workforce development programs, including the Breaking Barriers to Employment Initiative and the Social Entrepreneurs for Economic Development Initiative. Existing law establishes an Arts Council in state government to, among other things, promote the employment of artists and those skilled in crafts in both the public and private sector. This bill would enact the California Creative Workforce Act of 2021, to be operative upon appropriation by the Legislature of sufficient funding for its purposes. The purpose of the act would be to establish creative arts workforce development as a state priority and to promote employment and "earn and learn," as defined, job training opportunities for creative workers, among other things. The bill would require the Arts Council, in collaboration with the California Workforce Development Board, to design the program pursuant to specified objectives. The bill would require the council to consult with local government, community nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions, among others, in this effort. The bill would require the council to adopt criteria, guidelines, and policies for the program, which would be exempt from the Administrative Procedure Act, and would make this information available to the public. The bill would require the Arts Council, in consultation with the California Workforce Development Board, to oversee and administer the grant program, to be operated and implemented locally or regionally by program grantees. The bill would require the council to specify and set aside funds to be awarded to grantees for earn and learn job training employment opportunities for students who have enrolled or completed a program in the arts, low-income or unemployed creative workers, and others with demonstrated interest in creative work in their communities. Among other things, the bill would require job training employment opportunities for a creative worker to be for no less than 12 months and no more than 24 months and to pay a living wage. The bill would also require the council to specify and set aside funds to be awarded to grantees to create equitable opportunities for career exploration and participation in creative work for individuals and communities who have faced barriers to participation and employment in creative work for specified reasons. The bill would require the council, in consultation with the board, to develop and implement a plan for grant program evaluation and to specify the data to be collected to evaluate program efficacy. The bill would make conforming changes in provisions relating to the council.