Senate committee backs bill letting Emily Griffith award applied associate degrees to apprentices

Senator Lundin presented House Bill 25‑1221 to allow Emily Griffith Technical College to award Associate of Applied Science degrees to students participating in qualified registered apprenticeship programs. Supporters said the change removes an administrative barrier that prevents apprentices who have completed industry coursework from receiving a formal associate’s degree.

Randy Johnson, executive director of Emily Griffith Technical College, said the change would directly benefit the college’s roughly 5,300 active registered apprentices — about 75% of Colorado’s apprenticeship population who receive instruction through Emily Griffith — by allowing apprentices who already earn roughly 45 college credits during their program to complete the remaining credits needed for an associate degree without additional transfer steps.

Dan Hendricks, training director for joint electrical apprenticeship programs, told the committee the degree option would strengthen recruitment and reach families who prioritize a college credential. "If I could tell students and their parents that you can work, earn money, and get your education and get a degree all at the same time with no debt," Hendricks said, "I could recruit every one of them." Supporters also cited Emily Griffith’s completion and placement rates and described the bill as aligning workforce training with academic recognition.

The committee received no opposition testimony recorded in the hearing and advanced the bill by unanimous recorded vote to the Committee of the Whole. Senator Lundin asked that the bill be placed on the consent calendar.