Sec. 6. Utilization of industry-approved certification assessments and standards to improve education and training program performance
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The Secretary of Commerce, in cooperation with the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Education, and the heads of other relevant Federal agencies and industry partners, shall take such actions as may be necessary to ensure that industry-approved certification assessments and standards are established and available to providers of education and training programs in manufacturing and information technology not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act in order to improve the performance of training programs and to ensure that individuals who complete such training have the skills necessary to enter high-skill, high-demand occupations in manufacturing and information technology.
To ensure that education and training providers have access to industry-approved certification assessments and standards pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary of Commerce shall— create an initial list of high-skill, high-demand manufacturing and information technology occupations where academically accredited degrees are not required for job entrance; catalogue existing current, industry-approved training and education program standards that have accompanying objective certification assessments, which may be the products of Federal agencies, State agencies, local workforce investment boards, community and technical colleges, apprenticeships, industry associations, or localized industry formations within or across States or education organizations, or any other institution the Secretary considers appropriate; identify industry-approved training and education program standards that do not have a certification assessment to measure the competency of those completing training, and where such assessments do not exist, work with relevant Federal agencies, State agencies, education and training organizations, and representatives of affected industries and industry-approved skills standards accrediting bodies to create objective certification assessments for industries that have substantial current or future employment, as determined by the Secretary; identify training and education programs that do not implement industry-approved standards and accompanying certification assessments, and where neither standards nor assessments exist, work with relevant Federal agencies, State agencies, education and training organizations, and representatives of the affected industries and industry-approved skills standards accrediting bodies to create industry-recognized standards and objective certification assessments for industries that have substantial current or future employment, as determined by the Secretary; include within the catalogue required by paragraph
(2)any training or education program standards or certification assessments created under paragraph
(3)or (4); and not less frequently than once every 3 years, review the catalogue required by paragraph
(2)to ensure training and education programs and accompanying certification assessments are current and continue to have industry-approval, and in any case in which training and education programs have lost industry-approval, work with the effected industries, related Federal agencies, and education and training organizations— to identify existing standards and assessments that are appropriate; or to create them. The Secretary shall evaluate the assessments and standards described in subsection
(a)by assessing— how accurately the assessments described in such subsection measure the competency of workers who have completed education and training programs described in such subsection; and the satisfaction of manufacturing and information technology companies with the quality of such assessments and standards. In evaluating assessments and standards under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall work with relevant agencies and industry organizations to collect the following data: The number of students taking each occupational assessment annually. The number of students demonstrating competency on each assessment on the first, second, or third attempt, annually. The number of assessed students employed in the occupation for which they were trained. Not less frequently than once each year, the Secretary shall carry out a survey, through an existing annual industry survey if practicable, of a sample of manufacturing and information technology firms to assess— satisfaction with the assessments and standards described in subsection (a); and labor shortages by each high-skill, high-demand occupation. Not less frequently than once each year, the Secretary shall publish the results of the evaluations carried out under paragraph
(1)and the surveys carried out under paragraph (3). In publishing such results, the Secretary shall disaggregate data by State and where possible by county, State and local workforce investment board, and training or education provider. In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary shall establish a Department of Commerce Certification of Excellence that the Secretary shall make available to education and training providers that use the assessments and standards described in such subsection and who show strong evidence of success in placing students in the occupations for which they were trained. If the Secretary establishes a seal or indicator under this subsection, the Secretary shall establish a process for revocation of the seal if the quality of the assessment is not maintained. In carrying out this section, the Secretary may collaborate with relevant Federal agencies to issue awards to providers of training and education programs described in subsection
(a)to encourage innovative and promising practices for the purpose of developing, improving, and implementing the most successful methods for addressing the education and training needs of participants in career and technical education programs, including through existing programs at such agencies.