48-1302. Terms, defined.

937 words·~4 min read·/ne/chapter-48/48-1302

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

For purposes of the Nebraska Registered Apprenticeship Act, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1)Apprentice means a worker who is at least sixteen years of age and who is employed to learn an apprenticeable occupation under standards of apprenticeship fulfilling the requirements of 29 C.F.R. 29.5, as such regulation existed on January 1, 2026;

(2)Apprenticeable occupation means an occupation that is specified by industry and to which all of the following apply:

(a)The occupation involves skills that are customarily learned in a practical way through a structured, systematic program of on-the-job supervised learning;

(b)The occupation is clearly identified and commonly recognized throughout an industry;

(c)The occupation involves the progressive attainment of manual, mechanical, or technical skills and knowledge which, in accordance with the industry standard for the occupation, would require the completion of at least two thousand hours of on-the-job learning to attain; and

(d)The occupation requires related instruction to supplement the on-the-job learning;

(3)Apprenticeship agreement means a written agreement, accepted and recorded by the Nebraska Office of Registered Apprenticeship, between an apprentice and an apprenticeship sponsor that contains the terms and conditions of the apprentice's employment and training consistent with 29 C.F.R. part 29, as such regulations existed on January 1, 2026, and the Nebraska Registered Apprenticeship Act;

(4)Apprenticeship program means a program registered with the United States Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship, or the Nebraska Office of Registered Apprenticeship that includes terms and conditions for the qualification, recruitment, selection, employment, and training of apprentices, including the requirement for a written apprenticeship agreement;

(5)Apprenticeship sponsor means an entity operating an apprenticeship program or an entity in whose name an apprenticeship program is being operated, which entity is registered with or approved by the United States Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship, or the Nebraska Office of Registered Apprenticeship;

(6)Cancellation means the termination of the registration of a quality pre-apprenticeship program or apprenticeship program at the request of the apprenticeship sponsor, or the termination of an apprenticeship agreement at the request of the apprentice;

(7)Commissioner means the Commissioner of Labor;

(8)Department means the Nebraska Department of Labor;

(9)Employee organization means

(a)any labor union,

(b)any organization of any kind, or any agency or employee representation committee, association, group, or plan, in which employees participate and which exists for the purpose, in whole or in part, of dealing with employers concerning an employee benefit plan or other matters incidental to employment relationships, and

(c)any employees' beneficiary association organized for the purpose, in whole or in part, of establishing an employee benefit plan;

(10)Employer means a person or organization employing an apprentice, whether or not such person or organization is a party to an apprenticeship agreement with the apprentice;

(11)Employer organization means a collective organization of manufacturers, retailers, or other employers of wage labor which seeks to coordinate the behavior of its member companies in matters of mutual interest;

(12)Expansion of an existing apprenticeship program means adding a new occupation or a new employer to an existing apprenticeship program;

(13)Large apprenticeship program means an apprenticeship program with more than three hundred fifty active apprentices;

(14)On-the-job training means training provided by an employer to which all of the following apply:

(a)The training is provided to a paid apprentice who is engaged in productive work in an occupation, and the work provides knowledge or skills essential to the full and adequate performance of the occupation; and

(b)The training is limited in duration as appropriate to the occupation for which the apprentice is being trained, based on the content of the training, the apprentice's prior work experience, and the apprentice's service strategy, as appropriate;

(15)Public member means a member of the Nebraska Apprenticeship Council who is not representing an employer organization or employee organization and who is familiar with apprenticeable occupations;

(16)Quality pre-apprenticeship program means a program or set of strategies, registered by the Nebraska Office of Registered Apprenticeship, including basic skills training, academic skills remediation, or introduction to the industry, that is designed to prepare individuals for entry into an apprenticeship program;

(17)Registered apprenticeship program means a program to which all of the following apply:

(a)The program has been accepted and recorded by the Nebraska Office of Registered Apprenticeship or registered with the United States Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship;

(b)The program includes all of the following:

(i)Employer participation in accordance with 29 C.F.R. 29.5, as such regulation existed on January 1, 2026;

(ii)On-the-job training;

(iii)Related training instruction;

(iv)Paid work experience; and

(v)Receipt of a portable state or nationally recognized credential; and

(c)The program is for the recruitment, selection, employment, and training of apprentices and is developed pursuant to 29 C.F.R. part 29, as such regulations existed on January 1, 2026, and any rules and regulations adopted and promulgated pursuant to the Nebraska Registered Apprenticeship Act;

(18)Registration agency means the state agency that is responsible for registering apprenticeship programs and apprentices, providing technical assistance, and conducting reviews for compliance with federal law;

(19)Related training instruction means an organized and systematic form of instruction, other than on-the-job training, to which all of the following apply:

(a)The instruction is designed to provide an apprentice with knowledge of the subjects related to the apprentice's occupation; and

(b)The instruction is given in a classroom, through occupational or industrial courses, through correspondence or online courses, or through other forms of self-study; and

(20)Small apprenticeship program means an apprenticeship program with three hundred fifty or fewer active apprentices.