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Assembly committee hears bill to require annual apprenticeship fairs in schools
Summary
A bill requiring California school districts to host an annual apprenticeship fair drew support from construction trade groups and limited opposition from school administrators who said the mandate may not fit all districts and could include very young students.
Assemblymember Davies, the bill's author, told the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee that AB 296 would require each school or district to host an apprenticeship fair at least once during a school year. "AB 296 is a simple measure to ensure that at least once during a school year, a school or district shall host an apprenticeship fair," Assemblymember Davies said.
The measure, aimed at increasing student access to registered apprenticeship programs, would allow districts flexibility in how they run events and would permit schools to partner with programs outside the county if none exist locally. The bill also allows districts to award one hour of community service credit to students who attend a college, career or apprenticeship fair when community service is otherwise required for graduation.
Supporters included Melanie Perrin of the Associated General Contractors of California, who said the construction industry faces a shortage of qualified workers and that apprenticeship fairs help expose students to career paths that do not require a four‑year degree. "Construction careers have the ability to transform lives," Perrin said. Representatives of the California State Pipe Trades Council, National Electrical Contractors Association, Sheet Metal and Plumbing trades also testified in support.
The California School Administrators, representing about 18,000 administrators, testified in respectful opposition. Their representative said the association supports apprenticeships but objected to a statewide mandate requiring separate apprenticeship fairs for every school district, noting the bill would apply to elementary districts with students as young as transitional kindergarten. The witness said existing law already requires districts holding career and college fairs to notify apprenticeship programs in the county and warned AB 296 could create duplicative, siloed efforts and reduce coordination with local career‑education planning.
Assemblymember Davies said staff and stakeholders negotiated changes to allow cross‑county participation where no local program exists and indicated willingness to limit the bill to grades 9–12, if that amendment were adopted.
The committee moved the measure forward to the Education Committee for further consideration.
