Enacts the "learning for work act"; establishes the youth apprenticeship program and the enhanced regents professional diploma; appropriates moneys therefor.
This bill, titled the “learning for work act,” creates a new statewide youth apprenticeship program for students beginning in grade 11 or 12. The program would combine classroom instruction with mentored on-the-job training in approved occupational areas, and it would be coordinated through local partnerships made up of school districts, public agencies, colleges, nonprofits, businesses, and other participants recognized by the Department of Labor. The bill also directs state agencies to help administer the program, authorizes the department to approve occupations, and allows existing adult apprenticeship programs to grant credit for successful completion of a youth apprenticeship.
The bill also establishes an enhanced Regents professional diploma under the Education Law. That diploma would recognize students who complete technical assessments, a work-skills employability profile, work-based learning, and all requirements for a Regents diploma. The diploma could include occupational designations reflecting a student’s training and skills, and the youth apprenticeship program would count as an eligible work-based learning experience. Students entering ninth grade in the 2025-2026 school year and later would be eligible to earn this diploma.
In addition, the bill creates a youth apprenticeship tax credit for employers that participate in the program. The credit would be $1,500 per apprentice sponsored, and it would apply to both corporate and personal income tax provisions. The bill also appropriates up to $5 million to the Department of Labor to support implementation through grants funded under federal workforce programs, with local partnerships able to receive grants of up to $1,000 per apprentice and required to provide matching funds of at least 25 percent.
The bill’s impact on state law would be significant across labor, education, and tax statutes. It adds a new article to the Labor Law, a new section to the Education Law, and new tax credit provisions in the Tax Law. It would expand the state’s role in structured career and technical education, create new administrative responsibilities for the Department of Labor and Board of Regents, and provide financial incentives for employers and local partnerships to participate in apprenticeship training for high school students.
Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, there is no documented public debate in the available materials. Based on the bill text, the overall policy tone is strongly supportive of workforce training, career readiness, and alternatives to the traditional four-year college pathway. The main potential points of contention are likely to be the cost of the appropriation and tax credit, the administrative burden on schools and employers, and whether the program’s outcome targets and matching-fund requirements are realistic for local partnerships and participating businesses.
The bill would amend the Labor Law, Education Law, and Tax Law to create a new youth apprenticeship framework, establish an enhanced Regents professional diploma, and authorize a new employer tax credit. It would also appropriate up to $5 million to the Department of Labor for implementation. These changes would affect school districts, students, employers, local workforce partnerships, and state agencies responsible for labor, education, and taxation.
No committee discussion or vote history is provided, so there is no recorded legislative sentiment in the available context. The bill’s findings and structure indicate a favorable view of apprenticeship-based career preparation, student employability, and reducing reliance on traditional college pathways. The proposal appears designed to appeal to supporters of workforce development and career and technical education.
The text itself suggests several likely areas of concern: the fiscal impact of the $5 million appropriation and the employer tax credit, the requirement that local partnerships provide matching funds, and the feasibility of achieving the stated outcomes that 80 percent of participants earn the enhanced diploma and 50 percent receive job offers. Another possible point of contention is whether the program duplicates or complicates existing apprenticeship and education pathways, especially for schools, employers, and state agencies that would need to coordinate implementation.