New Jersey A 4773: Establishes Nuclear Energy Apprenticeship, Training, and Employment Resources Pilot Program in DOLWD; appropriates $1 million.

Bill Text

ASSEMBLY, No. 4773  
 
STATE OF NEW JERSEY 
220th LEGISLATURE 
   
INTRODUCED OCTOBER 17, 2022 
 
 
Sponsored by: 
Assemblywoman  MARILYN PIPERNO 
District 11 (Monmouth) 
Assemblywoman  KIM EULNER 
District 11 (Monmouth) 
 
 
 
 
SYNOPSIS 
 Establishes  Nuclear  Energy  Apprenticeship,  Training,  and  Employment 
Resources Pilot Program in DOLWD; appropriates $1 million.  
 
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT  
 As introduced. 
    

 
A4773 PIPERNO, EULNER 
2 
 
 
 1 
AN ACT establishing  a Nuclear  Energy Apprenticeship,  Training, 2 
and Employment Resources  Pilot  Program, supplementing Title 3 
34 of the Revised Statutes, and making an appropriation. 4 
 5 
 BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State 6 
of New Jersey: 7 
 8 
 1. a.  As used in this section: 9 
 “Department”  means  the  Department  of  Labor  and  Workforce 10 
Development. 11 
 “Eligible  applicant”  means  a  business,  labor  organization, 12 
college   or   university,   workforce   training   provider,   non-profit 13 
organization,  public  utility,  local  government  entity  or  authority, 14 
trade  organization,  or  other  entity  that  offers  or  plans  to  offer a 15 
nuclear   energy-related   apprenticeship   program   accredited   and 16 
approved  by  the  United  States  Department  of  Labor,  and  that  has 17 
partnered  with  an  industry  to  offer  or  fund  that  apprenticeship 18 
program. 19 
 “Program  participant”  or  “participant”  means  a  person  who 20 
participates  in  an  apprenticeship  program  operating  pursuant  to  the 21 
Nuclear Energy Pilot Program. 22 
 “Nuclear  Energy  Pilot  Program”  or  “program”  means  the 23 
Nuclear    Energy    Apprenticeship,    Training,    and    Employment 24 
Resources Pilot Program established pursuant to this act. 25 
 b. There   is   established   in   the   Department   of   Labor   and 26 
Workforce Development a five-year Nuclear Energy 27 
Apprenticeship,  Training,  and  Employment  Resources  (“Nuclear 28 
Energy”)  Pilot  Program,  which  shall  provide  grants  to  support 29 
funding   for   adult   apprenticeship   programs   in nuclear   energy 30 
infrastructure, nuclear  energy utilities,  and  other nuclear  energy-31 
related   sectors,   including,   but   not   limited   to,   those sectors 32 
employing radioactive waste workers, and those sectors focusing on 33 
underserved   and   underrepresented   communities.      A   grant   may 34 
extend  beyond  one  year  in duration.   To be  eligible  for a grant, the 35 
relevant apprenticeship  program  shall  be  accredited  and  approved 36 
by the United States Department of Labor, or shall be in the process 37 
of  obtaining  that  accreditation.    The Nuclear  Energy  Pilot  Program 38 
shall   be   administered   by   the   Office   of   Apprenticeship   in   the 39 
department. The  program   shall   coordinate   with   the  Center   for 40 
Workforce   Innovation   in   Construction   established   by   the   New 41 
Jersey    Community    College    Consortium    for    Workforce    and 42 
Economic  Development  as  part  of  the  New  Jersey  Pathways  to 43 
Career Opportunities Initiative.  44 
 c. To  apply  for a grant,  an eligible  applicant shall  submit a 45 
Nuclear   Energy   Pilot   Program application   to   the   Office   of 46 
Apprenticeship,  which  shall  include  documentation demonstrating 47 
that the apprenticeship program the applicant is sponsoring either is 48 

 
A4773 PIPERNO, EULNER 
3 
 
 
or will be accredited and approved by the United States Department 1 
of   Labor.      Any   organizational   sponsor   of   an   apprenticeship 2 
program,    including,    but    not    limited    to,    a    business,    labor 3 
organization,  college  or  university,  workforce  training  provider, 4 
non-profit  organization,  public  utility,  local  government  entity  or 5 
authority,   or   trade   organization,   shall   be eligible   to   receive a 6 
Nuclear Energy Pilot Program grant. 7 
 d.  No  later  than six  months  after  the  effective  date  of  this  act, 8 
the   department   shall   begin   accepting   grant   applications from 9 
eligible applicants for the Nuclear Energy Pilot Program, and initial 10 
grant  awards  shall  be  approved  and awarded  no  later  than one  year 11 
after  the  effective  date  of  this  act,  using funds  allocated  to  the 12 
program.  The department shall rank eligible applicants based upon 13 
its consideration of: 14 
 (1) each applicant’s potential to: 15 
 (a)   reach  a broad  audience  through  its  recruitment  and outreach 16 
efforts; 17 
 (b)   significantly  increase  enrollment in, and  completion  of, the 18 
apprenticeship   program by   program   participants,   including   by 19 
members of underserved and underrepresented communities; and 20 
 (c)  fill existing needs for skilled workers in the market; and 21 
 (2)  the  applicant’s  partnership  with  an  industry  for  which