[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9674 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9674
To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to direct the
Secretary of Labor to carry out a competitive grant program to support
community colleges and career and technical education centers in
developing immersive technology education and training programs for
workforce development, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 22, 2022
Ms. Blunt Rochester introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Education and Labor
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to direct the
Secretary of Labor to carry out a competitive grant program to support
community colleges and career and technical education centers in
developing immersive technology education and training programs for
workforce development, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Immersive Technology for the
American Workforce Act of 2022''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Rural communities have unique workforce considerations
and challenges.
(2) Almost 25 percent of Americans live in rural
communities, and while urban areas have experienced job and
population growth, rural communities face static or declining
populations and job decline.
(3) Rural communities were hit harder and recovered more
slowly than urban centers during the 2007-2008 recession and
have experienced more economic depression and decline in
college enrollment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(4) Rural communities historically have lower rates of
postsecondary education, which is a barrier to traditional
employment in industries like agriculture and manufacturing.
(5) It is estimated that by the end of 2022 over half of
all employees will require ``significant'' reskilling, which is
less expensive than replacing an individual employee.
(6) Immersive technologies are proving effective in helping
rural communities tackle these challenges.
(7) Technologically mediated training, including augmented
reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, and high-tech
simulations are increasingly valued as tools to train workers
in industries ranging from manufacturing to health care,
agriculture to construction, and clean energy to public safety.
(8) Use of immersive technology permits on-site training
and continued education, promotes efficiency, aids recruiting
as well as retention, improves communication and collaboration,
and increases safety.
(9) Immersive technologies allow workers to train directly
under the supervision and tutelage of more experienced experts
who are located outside of the local community.
(10) These technologies help workers remain well equipped
for the demands of the modern economy. As the need for
reskilling increases, so will the need for technologies which
support American workers rather than replace them.
(11) Community colleges, area career and technical
education centers, and other training providers are uniquely
positioned to support rural communities in skills development
and workforce training.
(12) People without a postsecondary credential are 4 times
more likely to have a job that can be lost to automation than
those who have one, increasing their need to learn new skills
in order to remain competitive and employable.
(13) Community colleges provide education at a lower cost,
with most graduates incurring no student debt.
(14) In addition to providing lower cost workforce
development training and skills education applicable across a
range of roles and occupations, community colleges serve as
large regional employers and critical community hubs.
(15) Offering grants to community colleges and area career
and technical education centers in rural areas to develop and
provide immersive technology training programs will help rural
communities in the short term and position them for success in
the longer term.
(16) Despite their proven value, community colleges and
area career and technical education schools bear significant
funding limitations and shortages.
(17) Providing immersive technology training programs
through community colleges can help rural communities retain
local talent, whether by providing qualification for new local
jobs or for remote employment opportunities with companies
headquartered in urban centers that are struggling to fill
jobs.
(18) Immersive technology training partnership with
community colleges and area career and technical education
schools also complements recent Federal funding for broadband
connection and physical infrastructure, the two other biggest
hurdles facing rural students and workers seeking reskilling or
upskilling.
SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION WORKFORCE
TRAINING PROGRAMS AND CAREER PATHWAYS.
Subtitle D of title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity
Act (29 U.S.C. 3221 et seq.) is amended--
(1) by redesignating section 172 as section 173; and
(2) by inserting after section 171 the following:
``SEC. 172. GRANTS FOR IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION WORKFORCE
TRAINING PROGRAMS AND CAREER PATHWAYS.
``(a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of
enactment of this section, from the amounts appropriated to carry out
this section, the Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis,
to eligible entities to carry out immersive technology education and
workforce training programs or career pathways that use immersive
technology.
``(b) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity receiving a grant under
this section shall use such grant for at least one of the following:
``(1) To develop and implement or improve an immersive
technology education and workforce training program, or a
related policy, program, or other activity that uses immersive
technology that--
``(A) facilitates the transfer of academic credits
(including for courses in the same field or program of
study) between covered community colleges and other
institutions of higher education, including other
covered community colleges; and
``(B) develops or enhances supportive services for
students enrolled in such a program or activity.
``(2) The creation or alignment of a career pathway that
provides a sequence of education and occupational training that
leads to a recognized postsecondary credential, including a
program or activity that--
``(A)(i) includes integrated education and training
that uses immersive technology; and
``(ii) is designed to increase the provision of
workforce training for students (including individuals
who are members of the Armed Forces and veterans) in
order to facilitate the entry of such students into in-
demand industry sectors or occupations; or
``(B) enables the training of instructors in the
use of immersive technology in education and workforce
training programs.
``(c) Duration of Grants.--A grant awarded under this section shall
be for a period of not more than 5 years, except that in the case of an
eligible entity that has carried out a program or activity with such a
grant that meets the criteria for satisfactory progress on performance
indicators as determined under subsection (h)(1) for the initial 5-year
grant period, the Secretary may extend the grant period for such
eligible entity by not more than 5 additional years.
``(d) Application.--An eligible entity seeking a grant under this
section shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in
such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may
require.
``(e) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the
Secretary shall give priority to any eligible entity that--
``(1) is working with, or in carrying out a program or
activity to be funded with such a grant plans to work with, an
industry or sector partnership that prioritizes the hiring of
individuals who have obtained a recognized postsecondary
credential as a result of the program or activity; or
``(2) submits an application under subsection (d) that
demonstrates--
``(A) alignment with--
``(i) the State plan under section 102 or
103 of a State in which the eligible entity
will be carrying out a program or activity to
be funded with such a grant;
``(ii) the local plan under section 108 of
a local area in which such a program or
activity will be carried out; or
``(iii) the State plan under section 122 of
the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical
Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2342) with
respect to a State in which such a program or
activity will be carried out;
``(B) with quantitative data and evidence, the
extent to which the program or activity to be funded by
such a grant will meet the needs of employers;
``(C) how such a program or activity will target a
specific in-demand industry sector or occupation which
has a skills gap;
``(D) how such a program or activity will retrain
workers from an industry sector that is experiencing
decreasing employment;
``(E) how such a program or activity will target
individuals with barriers to employment;
``(F) how such a program or activity will serve an
area of substantial unemployment (as defined in section
132(b)(1)(B)); or
``(G) how such a program or activity will serve a
rural area.
``(f) Reports.--
``(1) Report to the secretary.--Each eligible entity
receiving a grant under this section shall submit to the
Secretary a report for each year of the grant period for such
grant that includes a description of each program and activity
funded under the grant, including--
``(A) the levels of performance achieved for each
indicator of performance under section 116(b)(2)(A)(i),
disaggregated by age, race or ethnicity, gender,
barrier to employment, and income of the participants
of such program or activity; and
``(B) in a case of an eligible entity that worked
with an industry or sector partnership in carrying out
such a program or activity, the role of such
partnership in carrying out the program or activity.
``(2) Report to congress.--Not later than 1 year after the
first grant is awarded under this section and biennially
thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report
that includes a summary of the information submitted under
paragraph (1) for the most recent 2-year period.
``(g) Evaluation.--The Secretary shall reserve not less than 1
percent and not more than 5 percent of any amounts made available for
each fiscal year to conduct a rigorous, independent evaluation of the
programs and activities carried out under this section.
``(h) Satisfactory Progress.--
``(1) Determination of criteria.--The Secretary, in
coordination with the Secretary of Education, shall determine
the criteria for satisfactory progress on the indicators of
performance under section 116(b)(2)(A)(i) for programs and
activities funded by grants awarded to eligible entities under
this section.
``(2) Cessation of funds.--The Secretary may not provide
funds to any eligible entity under a grant under this section
after the third year of the grant period unless each program
and activity carried out by the eligible entity with the grant
has met the criteria for satisfactory progress for the first 3
years of such grant period, as determined under paragraph (1).
``(i) Best Practices.--The Secretary, in coordination with the
Secretary of Education and each eligible entity that receives funds
under grants awarded under this section after the third year of the
grant periods for such grants, shall--
``(1) establish best practices for using immersive
technology in workforce training and education programs; and
``(2) publish such best practices on a publicly available
website of the Department of Labor.
``(j) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Covered community college.--The term `covered
community college' means--
``(A) a public institution of higher education (as
defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act
(20 U.S.C. 1001(a)), at which--
``(i) the highest degree awarded is an
associate degree; or
``(ii) an associate degree is the most
frequently awarded degree;
``(B) a branch campus of a 4-year public
institution of higher education (as defined in section
101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1001)), if, at such branch campus--
``(i) the highest degree awarded is an
associate degree; or
``(ii) an associate degree is the most
frequently awarded degree;
``(C) a 2-year Tribal College or University (as
defined in section 316(b)(3) of the Higher Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)(3))); or
``(D) a degree-granting Tribal College or
University (as defined in section 316(b)(3) of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)(3)))
at which--
``(i) the highest degree awarded is an
associate degree; or
``(ii) an associate degree is the most
frequently awarded degree.
``(2) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means--
``(A) a community college;
``(B) an area career and technical education
school;
``(C) a postsecondary vocational institution (as
defined in section 102(c) of the Higher Education Act
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002(c))); or
``(D) a consortium of such colleges, schools, or
institutions.
``(3) Immersive technology.--The term `immersive
technology' means tools, including virtual reality and
augmented reality, that integrate the physical environment with
digital content to support user engagement.
``(4) Rural.--The term `rural' means all populations,
housing, and territories not included within an urban area, in
which an urban area is defined as any gathered populations,
housing, and territories that meets or exceeds 50,000 or more
people, or is comprised of clusters consisting of at least
2,500 gathered populations, housing, and territory but less
than 50,000 people.''.
SEC. 4. CONFORMING AMENDMENT.
The table of contents for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity
Act (29 U.S.C. 3101) is amended by striking the item relating to
section 172 and inserting the following:
``Sec. 172. Grants for immersive technology and education workforce
training programs and career pathways.
``Sec. 173. Authorization of appropriations.''.
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