(1) DEFINITIONS.
(a) Completer Certificate – a credential issued by the Georgia Department of Education that certifies that a student has mastered skills at levels recognized by industry and has completed all the requirements of the Youth Apprenticeship Program.
(b) School-based learning – academic and occupational objectives directly linked to skill standards contained in a program of study that leads to a Completer Certificate.
(c) Skill Standards – academic and occupational standards validated by industry that prepared students for employment in a broad occupational cluster or an industry sector.
(d) Training Plan – work-site performance objectives linked directly to skill standards.
(e) Work-based mentor – an employee or individual approved by the employer and school who possesses the skills and knowledge that the student must master and whose responsibilities are to instruct the apprentice, evaluate his or her performance and work in consultation with the youth apprenticeship coordinator.
(f) Youth apprenticeship – a category of Work-Based Learning that integrates school-based learning and a training plan coordinated with business, industry and labor that facilitates the transition from secondary to postsecondary education by providing the apprentice the opportunity to earn a high school diploma, post secondary credential/diploma and a completer certificate.
(2) REQUIREMENTS.
(a) Each local board of education or apprenticeship consortium receiving grant funds for a Youth Apprenticeship Program shall have a youth apprenticeship coordinator who shall participate in training provided by the Georgia Department of Education.
(b) Each Youth Apprenticeship Program site shall be approved by the Georgia Department of Education.
(c) Each local board of education or apprenticeship consortium receiving grant funds for a Youth Apprenticeship Program shall require the following:
1. A detailed training agreement and training plan that is jointly developed by the school, business/industry, student and parent. This plan shall specify the skill standards to be mastered in the work environment and the progression of skills the student must acquire to earn credit. This plan shall also specify the criteria to be used to evaluate student performance.
2. A minimum of one unit of credit must be earned by the student in a related career pathway prior to student placement on the job site.
3. A minimum of 720 hours of on-the-job skill training must be completed by students enrolled in the Youth Apprenticeship Program (YAP) for awarding of the Completer Certificate.
4. Assigned mentors both on the job and at the school shall be involved in evaluation of the student’s performance.
5. Instruction and necessary remediation in the pathway related to the work site placement shall be provided as needed.
6. A broad range of activities shall be focused on skills related to the student’s career pathway.
7. Development and use of recruitment materials shall be developed jointly by the school system and business community.
8. Adherence to the standards shall be required as outlined in the Georgia Work-Based Learning Manual.
(d) Grant applications will be evaluated by a review team, and grants will be awarded on a competitive basis to local boards of education or apprenticeship consortia that meet the criteria identified in the grant application.
1. Competitive grant applications must be submitted to the Georgia Department of Education no later than May each year.
2. Grant applications must identify occupational clusters(s), postsecondary partner(s) and industry/business sponsor(s).
3. Grant applications must address apprenticeship criteria cited in paragraph (2)(c).