Committee approves measure to expand apprenticeship sponsors, letting associations apply on employers' behalf
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Summary
Senate Bill 180 would broaden who may serve as apprenticeship sponsors for a high‑demand apprenticeship program and allow trade associations or similar groups to act for employer sponsors; the committee advanced the bill after testimony from trade associations and the Technical College System of Georgia.
The Georgia Senate Higher Education Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 180 (LC 492206), which would alter administration of the state's high‑demand apprenticeship program to permit apprenticeship sponsors such as trade associations to participate and to broaden pathways for apprenticeships in high‑demand fields.
Senator Dixon, the bill's sponsor, said the ADAP program, initially created in 2022, incentivizes apprenticeship sponsors to establish or grow registered apprenticeship programs in Georgia and that the bill aims to expand providers and apprenticeship opportunities in sectors including construction and electrical trades.
Witnesses from trade associations described existing registered apprenticeship models and urged clarity in the bill’s language. Niall Dawson, executive director of the Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC), told the committee the IEC operates a U.S. Department of Labor registered program with roughly 1,200 current apprentices, 300 contractor members and about 8 applications per day. "They are in classroom, but they're earning a full time wage, paying taxes from day 1," Dawson said. Brett Hume of the Southeastern Carpenters Regional Council raised concerns about how practical on‑the‑job training would be ensured if a trade association served as the sponsor without a defined employer partner.
Representatives of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) explained the program's current administration: employers apply, TCSG verifies registration and the funds support individual apprentices hired by the employers. TCSG confirmed the program has funded roughly 200–250 apprenticeships per year with a funding amount of about $1.2 million and said recent statutory changes reduced the per‑apprentice payment in order to support more participants.
Committee members asked how caps on apprentices per employer would operate if an association applied on behalf of multiple employers; sponsors said the cap could be managed by allowing an apprenticeship sponsor to apply on behalf of its contractor members while preserving per‑employer limits. Supporters argued the change would help meet a reported shortage of skilled trades workers across the state.
The committee recorded a motion to pass the bill; the motion carried with one recorded opposition (Senator Moore).