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Committee approves Education and Workforce Strategy Act; designates TCSG as state apprenticeship agency
Summary
The House education committee approved an ECS substitute for HB13O2 that renames GOSA to the Governor's Office of Education and Workforce Strategy, consolidates state and federal workforce planning, and designates the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) as the state apprenticeship agency effective Jan. 1, 2027; sponsor and partners said language changes preserve apprenticeship autonomy.
Floor leader (Speaker 6) presented HB13O2 (LC492730, ECS substitute) as the Education and Workforce Strategy Act and described the measure as part of Governor Kemp's workforce package. "This legislation…designating the governor's office of student achievement, so GOSA, as the lead coordinator to bring together the agencies that have participated in the governor's workforce strategy team," the sponsor said.
The substitute would rename the Governor's Office of Student Achievement to the Governor's Office of Education and Workforce Strategy and make that office the lead coordinator for the state's consolidated workforce plan, which would incorporate federal WIOA and Perkins plans and be updated on the same schedule as federal cycles.
On apprenticeship policy, the sponsor said the substitute designates the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) as the state apprenticeship agency and adds language consistent with relevant federal regulations (the substitute references part 29 of applicable federal rules). The sponsor emphasized the effective date for the TCSG designation is set to Jan. 1, 2027 to allow partners time to prepare and said the substitute replaces language that had implied a transfer of responsibilities with a requirement to report so that existing apprenticeship sponsors retain operational autonomy.
Members pressed for clarity about whether the change would affect classroom curriculum, early grades, or program autonomy. The sponsor and representatives from the Technical College System (TCSG) responded that the bill is coordination‑focused—"We're not creating a new state agency," the sponsor said—and that day‑to‑day program delivery and curriculum remain with the agencies that currently carry out the work.
The committee debated a motion to table the bill so members could review structural authority and scope; the motion to table failed after a hand count, and the committee subsequently approved the substitute. The sponsor committed to additional briefings and follow‑up conversations with members who requested more detail.
HB13O2 now advances from committee for consideration in the next legislative stage.
