The Iowa Skilled Workforce Act aims to enhance apprenticeship programs and career training by introducing new definitions and provisions related to apprenticeship sponsors and intermediary sponsors. Notably, the bill defines "intermediary sponsor" as entities that provide apprenticeship training to multiple employers and "partner employer" as those who train employees through an intermediary sponsor. It clarifies the responsibilities of apprenticeship sponsors and employers, allowing intermediary sponsors to approve partner employers based on compliance with established standards. Additionally, the Act establishes a Career Training Physical Expansion Program to provide financial assistance for constructing new facilities to increase the capacity of community colleges and apprenticeship programs in high-demand fields.

The bill also modifies the responsibilities of the workforce development board, requiring it to create and update a list of high-demand jobs every five years in collaboration with community colleges. It changes the criteria for identifying high-demand jobs by replacing the minimum entry-level wage requirement with a competitive wage standard. Furthermore, the scholarship eligibility criteria are revised to shift from a fixed student aid index to a financial need assessment defined by the college student aid commission. The Act streamlines reporting requirements for the commission and sets new qualifications for career and technical secondary authorizations, emphasizing relevant experience and ethics training.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 84D.2, 84D.4, 84D.7, 105.18, 84E.2, 84E.4, 84E.3, 8.33, 96.5, 84A.12, 256.228, 256.146