ARTICLE 2. Apprenticeship Programs [3075. - 3092.]

Cal. Labor Code - LAB 2.

in effect

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3075. Section 3075.

(a) An apprenticeship program may be administered by a joint apprenticeship committee, unilateral management or labor apprenticeship committee, or an individual employer. Programs may be approved by the chief in any trade in the state or in a city or trade area, whenever the apprentice training needs justify the establishment. Where a collective bargaining agreement exists, a program shall be jointly sponsored unless either party to the agreement waives its right to representation in writing. Joint apprenticeship committees shall be composed of an equal number of employer and employee representatives. (b) For purposes of subdivision (a), the apprentice training needs in the building and construction trades and firefighter programs shall be deemed to justify the approval of a new apprenticeship program only if any of the following conditions are met: (1) There is no existing apprenticeship program approved under this chapter serving the same craft or trade and geographic area. (2) Existing apprenticeship programs approved under this chapter that serve the same craft or trade and geographic area do not have the capacity, or neglect or refuse, to dispatch sufficient apprentices to qualified employers at a public works site who have requested apprentices and are willing to abide by the applicable apprenticeship standards, as shown by a sustained pattern of unfilled requests. (3) Existing apprenticeship programs approved under this chapter that serve the same trade and geographic area have been identified by the California Apprenticeship Council as deficient in meeting their obligations under this chapter. (c) For purposes of subdivision (b), an existing apprenticeship program serves the “same craft or trade” as a proposed apprenticeship program when there would be substantial overlap in the work processes covered by the programs or when graduates of the existing program would be qualified to perform a substantial portion of the work that would be performed by graduates of the new program. (d) The chief’s decisions regarding applications for new apprenticeship programs in the building and construction trades and firefighters may be appealed by any interested party to the California Apprenticeship Council. For purposes of this section, an application for expansion of an existing program to include an additional occupation shall be considered an application for a “new apprenticeship program.” (e) The chief’s decisions regarding applications for new apprenticeship programs outside the building and construction trades and firefighters are final and not subject to administrative appeal, except as otherwise provided in this section. (f) The chief’s decisions regarding applications for new apprenticeship programs shall be posted to the division’s Internet Web site, which shall constitute the only form of notice and service. Appeals to the California Apprenticeship Council under this section must be filed within 30 days after notice of the chief’s decision. (g) The chief shall not approve a new apprenticeship program that includes a substantial number of work processes covered by a program in the building and construction trades or firefighters, or approve the amendment of apprenticeship standards to include those work processes, unless either of the following applies: (1) The program is in the building and construction trades or a firefighter program and subject to the rules and regulations of the California Apprenticeship Council. (2) The California Apprenticeship Council has granted consent to the approval of the program or the amendment to the apprenticeship standards. If no party files an objection with the chief to the approval of the proposed program or amendment alleging overlap of work processes under this subdivision, the chief shall not be required to seek the consent of the California Apprenticeship Council prior to approving the program or amendment. (h) At least 30 days before approval of a new apprenticeship program, or of an amendment to the apprenticeship standards to include new work processes, the division shall post on its Internet Web site a copy of the proposed apprenticeship standards, which shall constitute the only form of notice and service that an application on the proposed program or amendment is pending. Notwithstanding subdivision (e), the chief’s decision regarding any new apprenticeship program or amendment of the apprenticeship standards to include new work processes may be appealed to the California Apprenticeship Council if notice under this subdivision is not provided. (i) The division shall create a method on its Internet Web site for members of the public to subscribe to receive email updates when new decisions or proposed apprenticeship standards are posted pursuant to this section. (j) Only the following programs may dispatch apprentices to projects subject to prevailing wage or skilled and trained workforce requirements: (1) Programs in the building and construction trades approved before July 1, 2018. (2) Programs in the building and construction trades approved under the standard in subdivision (b).

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3075.1. Section 3075.1.

It is the public policy of this state to encourage the utilization of apprenticeship as a form of on-the-job training, when such training is cost-effective in developing skills needed to perform public services. State and local public agencies shall make a diligent effort to establish apprenticeship programs for apprenticeable occupations in their respective work forces. In furtherance of this policy, public agencies shall take into consideration (a) the extent to which a continuous supply of trained personnel is readily available to public agencies to meet their skill requirements in the various occupations which are determined to be apprenticeable, and (b) the application of established programs in the private sector, where appropriate. Public sector apprenticeship programs should be fully compatible with affirmative action goals for the participation of minorities and women in apprenticeship programs.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3075.5. Section 3075.5.

(a) This section applies when a building and construction trades industry program applies to the Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards for approval of a new apprenticeship program or for the expansion of an existing apprenticeship program into a new occupation or geographic area. The requirements of this section are in addition to other requirements that may be imposed by statute or regulation. (b) (1) An applicant for a new or expanded apprenticeship program under subdivision (a) shall submit to the chief a written plan that sets out the number of new apprentices the applicant seeks to enroll during the next five years in the new or expanded program, new occupation, or new geographic area. The plan must include the applicant’s budget for training the new apprentices and a detailed explanation of how the applicant intends to provide sufficient funding to meet that budget. (2) The applicant shall submit to the chief a written plan providing a reasonable timetable to obtain sufficient commitments from employers to employ the new apprentices so as to ensure, to the extent feasible, consistent with the rates of employment for existing programs in good standing in the applicable trade, that the new apprentices will be employed continuously throughout the entire term of apprenticeship. (3) The applicant shall submit to the chief verifiable evidence that the applicant has obtained, or will obtain, suitable and adequate facilities to train the new apprentices. The chief, or his or her representative, shall personally inspect the facilities within six months after the final approval of the program. (4) The applicant shall submit to the chief a plan for the recruitment and selection of the new apprentices. The plan shall include advertising of the new apprenticeship opportunities within the geographic area and outreach to organizations that promote apprenticeship opportunities to women and underrepresented minorities. (c) The chief shall not approve an application that fails to meet any of the requirements of this section. If the chief does not approve an application because of its failure to comply with this section, the chief shall within 90 days provide the applicant with a detailed explanation of the deficiencies in the application and recommendations for addressing those deficiencies to obtain program approval. The applicant may submit a new or amended application to the chief within 90 days of receipt of the chief’s recommendations. The chief shall provide a detailed response to a new or amended application within 90 days of its receipt.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3075.6. Section 3075.6.

Each building and construction trades apprenticeship program shall provide to each apprentice, on at least a semiannual basis, a statement showing the number of hours of on-the-job training and related and supplemental instruction that the apprentice has acquired toward graduation, the total number of hours of on-the-job training and related and supplemental instruction that are necessary for graduation, and the apprentice’s expected graduation date.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3075.7. Section 3075.7.

Every building and construction trades industry apprenticeship program shall submit apprentice registration, change of address, graduation, and termination data to the Division of Apprenticeship Standards on a monthly basis in an electronic format acceptable to the division.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3076. Section 3076.

The function of a joint apprenticeship committee, when specific written authority is delegated by the parent organizations represented, shall be to establish work processes, wage rates, working conditions for apprentices, the number of apprentices which shall be employed in the trade under apprentice agreements, and aid in the adjustment of apprenticeship disputes in accordance with standards for apprenticeship set up by the California Apprenticeship Council for programs in the building and construction trades and for firefighters or by the Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards for other programs. Disciplinary proceedings resulting from disputes shall be duly noticed to the involved individuals.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3076.3. Section 3076.3.

Program sponsors shall establish selection procedures which specify minimum requirements for formal education or equivalency, physical examination, if any, subject matter of written tests and oral interviews, and any other criteria pertinent to the selection process; shall specify the relative weights of all factors which determine selection to an apprenticeship program; shall submit in writing to the chief an official statement of each selection procedure including the filing date and location of the program sponsor; shall make a copy of the selection procedures available to each applicant; shall provide in writing to each applicant not selected an official explanation setting forth the reason or reasons for the nonselection, copies of which shall be retained as a public record in the files of the program sponsor for a period of five years; and shall implement affirmative action programs for minorities and women in accordance with the rules, regulations, and guidelines of the California Apprenticeship Council for programs in the building and construction trades and for firefighters or of the Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards for other programs.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3076.5. Section 3076.5.

A program sponsor may provide in its selection procedures for an additional 10 points credit in the selection of veteran applicants for apprenticeship. “Veteran,” as used in this section, means a veteran who has served in the armed forces of this country for at least 181 consecutive days since January 31, 1955, and who has been discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable, but does not include any person who served only in auxiliary or reserve components of the armed forces whose services therein did not exempt him or her from the operation of the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 (54 Stat. 885).

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3077. Section 3077.

The term “apprentice” as used in this chapter, means a person at least 16 years of age who has entered into a written agreement, in this chapter called an “apprentice agreement,” with an employer or program sponsor. The term of apprenticeship for each apprenticeable occupation shall be approved by the chief in accordance with the standards set forth in Section 3078.5.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3077.5. Section 3077.5.

A program sponsor administering an apprenticeship program under this chapter shall not provide a maximum age for apprentices.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3078. Section 3078.

Every apprentice agreement entered into under this chapter shall directly, or by reference, contain: (a) The names of the contracting parties. (b) The date of birth of the apprentice. (c) A statement of the trade, craft, or business which the apprentice is to be taught, and the time at which the apprenticeship will begin and end. (d) A statement showing the number of hours to be spent by the apprentice in work and the learning objectives to be accomplished through related and supplemental instruction, except as otherwise provided under Section 3074. In no case shall the combined weekly hours of work and required related and supplemental instruction of the apprentice exceed the maximum number of hours of work prescribed by law for a person of the age of the apprentice. (e) A statement setting forth a schedule of the processes in the trade or industry divisions in which the apprentice is to be taught and the approximate time to be spent at each process. (f) A statement of the graduated scale of wages to be paid the apprentice and whether the required schooltime shall be compensated. (g) A statement providing for a period of probation during which time the apprentice agreement may be terminated by the program sponsor at the request in writing of either party, and providing that after the probationary period the apprentice agreement may be terminated by the administrator by mutual agreement of all parties thereto, or canceled by the administrator for good and sufficient reason. The period of probation shall be reasonable in relation to the full apprenticeship term, with full credit given for such period toward completion of the apprenticeship, and in no event shall exceed the shorter of 25 percent of the length of the program or one year. (h) A provision that all controversies or differences concerning the apprentice agreement which cannot be adjusted locally, or which are not covered by collective bargaining agreement, shall be submitted to the administrator for determination as provided for in Section 3081. (i) A provision that an employer who is unable to fulfill his or her obligation under the apprentice agreement may, with approval of the administrator, transfer the contract to any other employer if the apprentice consents and the other employer agrees to assume the obligation of the apprentice agreement. (j) Such additional terms and conditions as may be prescribed or approved by the California Apprenticeship Council or by the Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards, in consultation with the Interagency Apprenticeship Advisory Committee, not inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter. (k) A clause providing that there shall be no liability on the part of the other contracting party for an injury sustained by an apprentice engaged in schoolwork at a time when the employment of the apprentice has been temporarily or permanently terminated.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3078.5. Section 3078.5.

(a) The term of apprenticeship may be measured either through the completion of the industry standard for hours of on-the-job learning and related and supplemental instruction, attainment of competency, or a hybrid blend of the time-based and competency-based approaches. However, programs in the building and construction trades and for firefighters shall use the time-based approach. (1) The time-based approach measures skill acquisition through the individual apprentice’s completion of at least 144 hours of related and supplemental instruction and 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning as described in a work process schedule. (2) The competency-based approach measures skill acquisition through the individual apprentice’s successful demonstration of acquired skills and knowledge, as verified by the program sponsor. Programs utilizing this approach shall require apprentices to complete no less than six months of an on-the-job learning component of registered apprenticeship. The program standards shall address how on-the-job learning will be integrated into the program, describe competencies, meet industry-recognized standards or certifications, and identify an appropriate means of testing and evaluation for such competencies. (3) The hybrid approach measures the individual apprentice’s skill acquisition through a combination of specified minimum number of hours of on-the-job learning and the successful demonstration of competency as described in a work process schedule. Programs utilizing this approach shall require apprentices to complete no less than six months of an on-the-job learning component of registered apprenticeship. (4) Term measures shall be set forth in the program standards and shall be subject to approval by the Division of Apprenticeship Standards based on the appropriateness of the measures for the apprenticeable occupations to which they apply. (b) Programs utilizing the competency-based or hybrid approach and that issue interim credentials must identify each type or stage for issuing an interim credential, demonstrate how the credentials link to the components of the apprenticeable occupation, and establish a process for assessing an apprentice’s demonstration of competency associated with the particular interim credential. Interim credentials may only be issued for recognized components of an apprenticeable occupation and specifically link the credentials to the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with those components.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3079. Section 3079.

Every apprentice agreement under this chapter shall be approved by the local joint apprenticeship committee or the parties to a collective bargaining agreement, or by the administrator where there is no collective bargaining agreement or joint committee, a copy of which shall be filed with the Division of Apprenticeship Standards. Every apprentice agreement shall be signed by the employer, or his or her agent, or by a program sponsor, as provided in Section 3080, and by the apprentice, and if the apprentice is a minor, by the minor’s parent or guardian. Where a minor enters into an apprentice agreement under this chapter for a period of training extending into his or her majority, the apprentice agreement shall likewise be binding for such a period as may be covered during the apprentice’s majority.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3080. Section 3080.

(a) For the purpose of providing greater diversity of training or continuity of employment, any apprentice agreement made under this chapter may in the discretion of the California Apprenticeship Council for programs in the building and construction trades and for firefighters or of the Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards for other programs, be signed by an association of employers or an organization of employees instead of by an individual employer. In that case, the apprentice agreement shall expressly provide that the association of employers or organization of employees does not assume the obligation of an employer but agrees to use its best endeavors to procure employment and training for an apprentice with one or more employers who will accept full responsibility, as herein provided, for all the terms and conditions of employment and training set forth in the agreement between the apprentice and employer association or employee organization during the period of the apprentice’s employment. The apprentice agreement shall also expressly provide for the transfer of the apprentice, subject to the approval of the California Apprenticeship Council for programs in the building and construction trades and for firefighters or of the Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards for other programs, to an employer or employers who shall sign a written agreement with the apprentice, and if the apprentice is a minor, with the apprentice’s parent or guardian, as specified in Section 3079, contracting to employ the apprentice for the whole or a definite part of the total period of apprenticeship under the terms and conditions of employment and training set forth in the apprentice agreement. (b) All apprenticeship programs with more than one employer or an association of employers shall include provisions sufficient to ensure meaningful representation of the interests of apprentices in the management of the program.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3080.5. Section 3080.5.

An apprentice registered in an approved apprenticeship program in any of the building and construction trades shall be employed only as an apprentice when performing any construction work for an employer that is a party, individually or through an employer association, to any apprenticeship agreement or standards covering that individual.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3081. Section 3081.

Upon the complaint of any interested person or upon his or her own initiative, the administrator may investigate to determine if there has been a violation of the terms of an apprentice agreement, made under this chapter, and he or she may hold hearings, inquiries, and other proceedings necessary to such investigations and determinations. The parties to such agreement shall be given a fair and impartial hearing, after reasonable notice thereof. All such hearings, investigations, and determinations shall be made under authority of reasonable rules and procedures prescribed by the California Apprenticeship Council for programs in the building and construction trades and for firefighters or by the Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards for other programs.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3082. Section 3082.

(a) The determination of the administrator shall be in writing and sent by regular mail to the parties’ last known addresses, with proof of service in accordance with Sections 1013a and 2015.5 of the Code of Civil Procedure. (b) For complaints involving programs in the building and construction trades and for firefighters, the determination shall be filed with the California Apprenticeship Council. Any person aggrieved by the determination or action of the administrator may appeal therefrom to the council, which shall review the entire record and may hold a hearing thereon after due notice to the interested parties. If no appeal is filed with the council within 10 days from the date the parties are given notification of the determination, in accordance with subdivision (a), the determination shall become the final order of the council. (c) For complaints involving any other program, the determination of the administrator shall be final.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3083. Section 3083.

All findings of fact in a final determination or decision issued pursuant to Section 3082 shall be conclusive if supported by substantial evidence, and all orders and decisions shall be prima facie lawful and reasonable.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3084. Section 3084.

Any party to an apprentice agreement aggrieved by final order, determination, or decision of the council issued pursuant to Section 3082, may maintain appropriate proceedings in the courts on questions of law. The final order, determination, or decision shall be conclusive if the proceeding is not filed within 30 days after the date the aggrieved party is given notification of the order, determination, or decision.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3084.5. Section 3084.5.

In any case in which a person or persons have willfully violated any of the laws, regulations, or orders governing apprenticeship programs, funding provided to apprenticeship programs and associated entities, applicants for apprenticeship, or apprentices registered under this chapter, the Division of Apprenticeship Standards may obtain in a court of competent jurisdiction, an injunction against any further violations of any such laws, regulations, or orders by such person or persons. The division shall be awarded reasonable attorney’s fees and costs in seeking an injunction.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3085. Section 3085.

No person shall institute any action for the enforcement of any apprentice agreement, or damages for the breach of any apprentice agreement, made under this chapter, unless all administrative remedies provided by this chapter have first been exhausted.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3086. Section 3086.

Nothing in this chapter or in any apprentice agreement approved under this chapter shall operate to invalidate any apprenticeship provision in any collective bargaining agreement between employers and employees setting up higher apprenticeship standards.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3088. Section 3088.

If any provision of this chapter or the application thereof to any person or circumstances is held invalid, the remainder of the chapter and the application of such provision to other persons and circumstances, shall not be affected thereby.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3089. Section 3089.

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Shelley-Maloney Apprentice Labor Standards Act of 1939, as amended.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3090. Section 3090.

The Division of Apprenticeship Standards shall investigate, approve or reject applications from establishments for apprenticeship and other on-the-job training, and for that purpose, may cooperate, or contract with, and receive reimbursements from the appropriate agencies of the Federal Government.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3091. Section 3091.

Acceptance of an application for entrance into an apprenticeship training program shall not be predicated on the payment of any fee. Reasonable costs for expense incurred may be charged after an applicant has been accepted into the program.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3091.5. Section 3091.5.

Pursuant to Section 16370 of the Government Code, there is hereby authorized in the State Treasury a Special Deposit Fund Account, which shall consist of moneys collected from the sale of instructional material to persons enrolled in any apprenticeship training program under this chapter. All of the moneys collected are hereby appropriated without regard to fiscal year for the support of the Department of Education to be used for the development and production of apprenticeship instructional material.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 3092. Section 3092.

A successful graduate of a training program in a particular apprenticeable occupation of a vocational education program meeting the standards of the California State Plan for Vocational Education may receive credit toward a term of apprenticeship if the program is jointly established and approved by a school district, a county superintendent of schools, a public entity conducting a regional occupational center or program, or a private postsecondary vocational school accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency recognized by the United States Office of Education and the program sponsor of the particular apprenticeable occupation.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026