CTE committee adopts apprenticeship policy, forwards it to AIB for final approval

The Career and Technical Education committee voted to adopt a proposed apprenticeship policy that defines how a "high‑school level" registered apprenticeship will count toward Maryland's Blueprint goal that 45% of students complete a postsecondary pathway. Chair Myra Norton moved to adopt the measure and the committee approved it, sending the draft to the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) for final review.

Rachel, a CTE committee staff presenter, said the draft treats registered apprenticeship as "the gold standard" and sets a proposed minimum for high‑school completion: 144 hours of related instruction and at least 250 hours of on‑the‑job training completed before a student graduates high school, with further training expected after graduation according to an employer's state‑approved apprenticeship program. The policy references registration through the Maryland Apprenticeship and Training Council and aims to expand employer engagement statewide.

Committee members pressed staff on scale and capacity, noting state projections of roughly 70,000 high‑school graduates in coming years and estimating that meeting the 45% goal would require roughly 15,000 students in the registered‑apprenticeship pathway. Rachel and other staff acknowledged current high‑school‑age participation in registered apprenticeship is very low (on the order of the teens for active registered apprentices today) and said expansion will require phased implementation, employer recruitment strategies and new data systems.

Members discussed regulatory obstacles—such as age limits or occupational licensing that can prevent some students from meeting on‑site OJT requirements—and staff pointed to a provision in the draft policy allowing employers or program staff to request exceptions by sending a letter of justification to the CTE committee and MSDE for consideration. The committee also asked staff to coordinate with the Governor's Workforce Development Board's September 18 meeting, where Secretary Portia Wu's team will present a recruitment strategy for employers.

The committee approved the policy and directed staff to carry forward implementation planning, data‑tracking requirements and additional guidance for local education agencies and partners before the policy goes into practice. The AIB will review and either approve the measure for implementation or provide further feedback.