Sec. 302. Innovative forest workforce development program
648 words·~3 min read·
/bill/118/s/188/is/section-302A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
In this section: The term career in forestry and fire management means a career in a field relating to forests and the restoration to the natural fire regimes of forests, including— in timber operations; as a registered professional forester; in vegetation treatment, including as a member of a hand crew, a machine operator, and in conducting prescribed fires as part of a fire restoration workforce that is capable of conducting large landscape restorative and maintenance prescribed fires; in ecological restoration, including restoration of watersheds; in wildland firefighting; and in community fire resilience, including workforce development projects.
The term forestry and fire management includes the areas of fields relating to forests described in subparagraphs
(A)through
(F)of paragraph (1). The term Secretary means the Secretary of Agriculture. The Secretary shall establish a competitive grant program— to assist in the development and utilization of innovative activities relating to workforce development in forestry and fire management and opportunities for careers in forestry and fire management; and to expand public awareness about forestry and fire management and connect individuals to careers in forestry and fire management. In awarding grants under subsection (b), the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, select nonprofit professional or service organizations, labor organizations, State agencies, community colleges, institutions of higher education, or other training and educational institutions— that have qualifications and experience— in the development of training programs and curricula relevant to the workforce needs of forestry and fire management; working in cooperation with forestry and fire management; or developing public education materials appropriate for communicating with groups of various ages and educational backgrounds; and that will address the human resources and workforce needs of forestry and fire management. Grants awarded under subsection
(b)may be used for activities such as— targeted internships, apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships, and post-secondary bridge programs for skilled forestry and fire management trades that provide— on-the-job training; skills development; test preparation for skilled trade apprenticeships; advance training in forestry and fire management relating to jobs as forest restorationists, members of hand crews, wildland firefighters, machine operators, licensed timber operators, registered professional foresters, ecologists, biologists, or workers in construction in support of resilient infrastructure, including residential buildings; or other support services to facilitate post-secondary success; education programs designed for elementary, secondary, and higher education students that— inform people about the role of forestry, vegetation management, and ecological restoration in the communities of those people; increase the awareness of opportunities for careers in forestry and fire management and exposure of students to those careers through various work-based learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom; and connect students to pathways to careers in forestry and fire management; the development of a model curriculum and related vocational programs to be adopted by community colleges, which, to the extent practicable and feasible, shall— provide professional training in implementing prescribed fire projects, including the knowledge and skills necessary to plan and implement broad-scale surface and ladder fuel treatments within the wildland-urban interface, wildlands, and urbanized areas, as appropriate; include a focus on the ecological concerns, economics, and practices necessary to improve community safety and forest resilience; and train students in— the retrofitting of houses, including the use of fire-resistant materials and the maintenance of defensible space; urban forestry; and policies or guidance relating to the management of vegetation near utility infrastructure and relevant portions of electric utility wildfire mitigation plans; regional industry and workforce development collaborations, including the coordination of candidate development, particularly in areas of high unemployment; integrated learning laboratories in secondary educational institutions that provide students with— hands-on, contextualized learning opportunities; dual enrollment credit for post-secondary education and training programs; and direct connection to industry or government employers; and leadership development, occupational training, mentoring, or cross-training programs that ensure that workers are prepared for high-level supervisory or management-level positions. There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section such sums as are necessary.