As used in this chapter:
(1) “Accessibility” means the design, construction, development, and maintenance of facilities, information and communication technology, programs, and services so that all people, including people with disabilities, can fully and independently use them. “Accessibility” includes the provision of accommodations and modifications to ensure equal access to employment and participation in activities for people with disabilities, the reduction or elimination of physical and attitudinal barriers to equitable opportunities, a commitment to ensuring that people with disabilities can independently access every outward-facing and internal activity or electronic space, and the pursuit of best practices such as universal design.
(2) “Advanced standing” means a process for reviewing and granting credit for prior related work experience or related technical instruction for an incoming apprentice or career seeker that allows the individual to accelerate the completion of the registered apprenticeship program.
(3) “Apprentice” means an individual who is:
(A) 16 years of age or older, except when a higher minimum age standard is otherwise fixed by law;
(B) employed to learn an apprenticeable occupation under the standards of apprenticeship established under section 1117, standards of apprenticeship, of this title; and
(C) registered with the Department.
(4) “Apprenticeable occupation” means an occupation approved by the federal Office of Apprenticeship or by the Department as an occupation that:
(A) is specified, identified, and commonly recognized throughout an industry;
(B) involves skills that are customarily learned in a practical way through a structured, systematic program of on-the-job supervised learning;
(C) involves the progressive attainment of manual, mechanical, or technical skills and knowledge that, in accordance with the industry standard for the occupation, would require the completion of a minimum of 2,000 hours or one-year of on-the-job learning to attain; and
(D) requires related technical instruction to supplement the on-the-job learning.
(5) “Apprenticeship agreement” means a written agreement, on forms approved by the Department under section 1119, registered apprentices, of this title, between an apprentice and either the apprentice’s program sponsor or an apprenticeship committee acting as agent for the program sponsor, that contains the terms and conditions of the employment and training of the apprentice.
(6) “Apprenticeship program” or “local apprenticeship training program” means a program registered with the Department or the federal Office of Apprenticeship that includes a written plan containing all terms and conditions for the qualification, recruitment, selection, employment, and training of apprentices, as minimally required under 29 C.F.R. Parts 29 and 30.
(7) “Certificate of completion” means a document issued by the Department that certifies that the named apprentice has met all the requirements set forth in an apprenticeship program.
(8) “Certificate of registration” means a document issued by the Department that certifies that the named sponsor’s apprenticeship program meets the requirements for registration under section 1115, program registration, of this title and identifies the registration status as either provisional or permanent.
(9) “Competency” means the attainment of knowledge, skills, and abilities in a subject area, as specified by an occupational skill standard and demonstrated by an appropriate written or hands-on proficiency measurement.
(10) “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Labor.
(11) “Department” means the Vermont Department of Labor.
(12) “Director” or “State Director” means the director of the Vermont Registered Apprenticeship Program.
(13) “Diversity” means the practice of including the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, cultures, and beliefs of Vermonters, including underserved communities.
(14) “Equity” means the consistent and systemic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment.
(15) “Fringe benefits” means benefits, including health insurance, retirement benefits, paid vacations and holidays, sick leave, and similar benefits that are incidents of employment.
(16) “Inclusion” means the recognition, appreciation, and use of the talents and skills of employees of all backgrounds.
(17) “Interim credential” means a credential issued by the Department, upon request of a sponsor, that certifies specific competency attainment by an apprentice.
(18) “Journey-worker” means a worker who has attained a level of skill, abilities, and competencies recognized within an industry as having mastered the skills and competencies required for the occupation. The term may also refer to a mentor, technician, specialist, or other skilled worker who has documented proficient skills and knowledge of an occupation, either through formal apprenticeship or through practical on-the-job experience and formal training, or to describe any person who has achieved recognition in the person’s profession as a “master.”
(19) “Mentor” or “supervisor” means a journey-worker who assists in a registered apprenticeship program and who works with or oversees the work of an apprentice, assigns tasks, reviews performance, and is generally someone who facilitates personal and professional growth in the apprentice by sharing the knowledge learned through years of experience on the job.
(20) “National Guideline Standards” means a template of high-quality apprenticeship program standards submitted by a labor union, trade or industry association, employer, workforce intermediary, education provider, or other organizations with national scope, which standards may be certified by the federal Office of Apprenticeship.
(21) “National Program Standards of Apprenticeship” or “National Program Standards” (NPS) are programs that are registered by the federal Office of Apprenticeship on a national basis and that consist of occupational standards that any Vermont employer may sign on to or under which any individual may be apprenticed.
(22) “Nontraditional apprenticeship population” means a group of individuals, such as individuals from the same gender, race, or ethnicity, the members of which comprise fewer than 25 percent of the program participants in an apprenticeable occupation.
(23) “Nontraditional apprenticeship industry or occupation” refers to an industry sector or occupation that represents fewer than 10 percent of apprenticeable occupations or the programs under the national apprenticeship system.
(24) “Office of Apprenticeship” means the part of the U. S. Department of Labor responsible for the National Apprenticeship System and the implementing regulations.
(25) “Pre-apprentice” means a participant in a registered pre-apprenticeship program.
(26) “Pre-apprenticeship program” means a training model or program that prepares individuals for acceptance into an apprenticeship program and that is registered by the Department as provided in section 1123 of this chapter, pre-apprenticeship program, or, as applicable, the federal Office of Apprenticeship.
(27) “Provisional registration” or “provisional approval” means a temporary approval status granted to newly registered programs that lasts one year and is followed by an evaluation to determine whether it will:
(A) qualify for permanent recognition;
(B) maintain provisional status until more information is available to make a complete program assessment; or
(C) commence the process for deregistration.
(28) “Quality assurance assessment” means a comprehensive review conducted by the Department regarding all aspects of an apprenticeship program’s performance, including determining whether:
(A) apprentices are receiving on-the-job training consistent with the schedule outlined in the registered standards for the apprenticeship program;
(B) scheduled wage increases are consistent with the registered standards for the apprenticeship program;
(C) related technical instruction through the appropriate curriculum and delivery systems is compliant with any relevant federal and State standards; and
(D) the Department is receiving notification of all new apprentices in a registered apprenticeship program, apprentices who leave a registered apprenticeship program, and apprentices who complete the registered apprenticeship program within 45 business days of those changes.
(29) “Registration agency” means the Vermont Department of Labor acting as the designated State Apprenticeship Agency, which may also be referred to as the “Vermont Registered Apprenticeship Program.”
(30) “Related technical instruction” or “related instruction” means an organized and systematic form of instruction, concurrent with on-the-job training, designed to provide an apprentice with the knowledge of the theoretical and technical subjects related to the apprentice’s occupation. Such instruction may be accomplished through classroom, occupational, or industrial courses, or by correspondence courses of equivalent value, electronic media, or other forms of self-study approved by the Department.
(31) “Sponsor” means an employer, a joint labor-management organization, a trade association, a professional association, a labor organization, an education and training provider, or a qualified intermediary that is applying to register, administer, and operate an apprenticeship program.
(32) “State Apprenticeship Agency” means the Vermont Department of Labor as the federally designated apprenticeship agency and may also refer to the “Vermont Registered Apprenticeship Program.”
(33) “Underserved communities” means the populations sharing a particular characteristic, as well as geographic communities, who have been systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life. This term includes individuals who belong to communities of color, such as Black and African American, Hispanic and Latino, Native American, Alaskan Native and Indigenous, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, and North African persons. It also includes individuals who belong to communities that face discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, gender non-conforming, and non-binary (LGBTQ+ persons); persons who face discrimination based on pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions; parents; and caregivers. It also includes individuals who belong to communities that face discrimination based on their religion and disability; first-generation professionals or first-generation college students; individuals with limited English proficiency; immigrants; individuals who belong to communities that may face employment barriers based on older age or former incarceration; persons who live in rural areas; veterans and military spouses; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty, discrimination, or inequality. Individuals may belong to more than one underserved community and face intersecting barriers.
(34) “Vermont Apprenticeship Advisory Board” or “Board” means the entity created in section 1114, Vermont Apprenticeship Advisory Board, of this title and described as a “State Apprenticeship Council” in 29 C.F.R. Part 29 that supports Vermont’s registered apprenticeship system.
(35) “Youth apprentice” means a participant, 16 or 17 years of age, in a youth apprenticeship program.
(36) “Youth apprenticeship program” means a program registered by the Department as provided in section 1124, youth apprenticeship programs, of this title or, as applicable, by the federal Office of Apprenticeship. (Added 2023, No. 55, § 1, eff. July 1, 2023; amended 2023, No. 85 (Adj. Sess.), § 159, eff. July 1, 2024.)