California’s state apprenticeship council no longer has authority to approve state apprenticeship programs with any federal funding, following a Jan. 31 decision by the U.S. Dept. of Labor that upheld a similar ruling by an administrative law judge. All projects in California receiving federal funds now must seek DOL approval.
A DOL review board agreed with the 2005 decision that the state’s apprenticeship laws did not conform with federal law. It said the “needs test” set by a 1999 California law limits competition among apprenticeship programs and apprentice training opportunities. The law requires sponsors of a new program to demonstrate need based on specific criteria in order to obtain council approval.