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1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section | ||||||
5 | 2-3.173 and by changing Section 27-22.05 as follows: | ||||||
6 | (105 ILCS 5/2-3.173 new) | ||||||
7 | Sec. 2-3.173. Registered apprenticeship program. | ||||||
8 | (a) In this Section, "registered apprenticeship program" | ||||||
9 | means an industry-based occupational training program of study | ||||||
10 | with standards reviewed and approved by the United States | ||||||
11 | Department of Labor that meets each of the following | ||||||
12 | characteristics: | ||||||
13 | (1) Apprentices in the program are at all times | ||||||
14 | employed by a company participating in the program. | ||||||
15 | (2) The program features a structured combination of | ||||||
16 | on-the-job learning supported by related technical | ||||||
17 | classroom instruction, met either by a high school or a | ||||||
18 | public community college. | ||||||
19 | (3) Apprentices in the program are paid a training wage | ||||||
20 | of not less than the State minimum wage, which escalates | ||||||
21 | throughout the life of the apprenticeship, and employment | ||||||
22 | is continued with the company following conclusion of the | ||||||
23 | apprenticeship for a period of not less than 2 years. |
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1 | (4) Apprentices in the program earn an | ||||||
2 | industry-related occupational skills certificate and a | ||||||
3 | high school diploma. | ||||||
4 | (5) Apprentices in the program may earn postsecondary | ||||||
5 | credit toward a certificate or degree, as applicable. | ||||||
6 | "Registered apprenticeship program" does not include an | ||||||
7 | apprenticeship program related to construction, as defined | ||||||
8 | under the Employee Classification Act. | ||||||
9 | (b) No later than 6 months after the effective date of this | ||||||
10 | amendatory Act of the 100th General Assembly, the State Board | ||||||
11 | of Education shall initiate a rulemaking proceeding to adopt | ||||||
12 | rules as may be necessary to allow students of any high school | ||||||
13 | in this State who are 16 years of age or older to participate | ||||||
14 | in registered apprenticeship programs. The rules shall include | ||||||
15 | the waiver of all non-academic requirements mandated for | ||||||
16 | graduation from a high school under this Code that would | ||||||
17 | otherwise prohibit or prevent a student from participating in a | ||||||
18 | registered apprenticeship program.
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19 | (105 ILCS 5/27-22.05)
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20 | Sec. 27-22.05. Required course substitute. Notwithstanding | ||||||
21 | any other
provision of this Article or this Code, a school | ||||||
22 | board that maintains any of
grades 9 through 12 is authorized | ||||||
23 | to adopt a policy under which
a student who is enrolled in any | ||||||
24 | of those grades
may satisfy one or more high school course or | ||||||
25 | graduation requirements,
including , but not limited to , any |
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1 | requirements under Sections 27-6 and 27-22, by successfully | ||||||
2 | completing a registered apprenticeship program under rules | ||||||
3 | adopted by the State Board of Education under Section 2-3.173 | ||||||
4 | of this Code, or by
substituting for and successfully | ||||||
5 | completing in place of the high school course
or graduation | ||||||
6 | requirement a related vocational or technical education | ||||||
7 | course.
A vocational or technical education course shall not | ||||||
8 | qualify as a related
vocational or technical education course | ||||||
9 | within the meaning of this Section
unless it contains at least | ||||||
10 | 50% of the content of the required course or
graduation | ||||||
11 | requirement for which it is substituted, as determined by the | ||||||
12 | State
Board of Education in accordance with standards that it | ||||||
13 | shall adopt and
uniformly apply for purposes of this Section. | ||||||
14 | No vocational or technical
education course may be substituted | ||||||
15 | for a required course or graduation
requirement under any | ||||||
16 | policy adopted by a school board as authorized in this
Section | ||||||
17 | unless the pupil's parent or guardian first
requests the | ||||||
18 | substitution and approves it in writing on forms that the | ||||||
19 | school
district makes available for purposes of this Section.
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20 | (Source: P.A. 88-269.)
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21 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
22 | becoming law.
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