Relating to the development of a state information technology apprenticeship credential offered by public junior colleges or public technical institutes to address shortages in the state information resources workforce.

Contracts

• Apprenticeship Agreements: If your firm hosts apprentices while working on a state contract, you must execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the partnering Junior College.
• IP & Confidentiality: Standard employment contracts are insufficient for student apprentices. You must draft specific IP assignment clauses and NDAs ensuring that work product created during the "educational" apprenticeship remains company property, not student or college property.

Hiring/Training

• Job Description Alignment: State agencies will now accept an Associate Degree + Apprenticeship Credential for roles previously requiring a Bachelor's degree. To avoid losing talent to the public sector, you must review internal hiring matrices for IT Support and Network Admin roles to match this new baseline.
• Mentorship Allocation: If participating as a host site, Project Managers must allocate senior staff time for mandatory "journey-level" mentorship, as strictly administrative work will not satisfy credential requirements.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

• Competency Tracking: Host sites must document the apprentice's mastery of specific technical competencies defined in the MOU to ensure the student receives credit.
• Donation Agreements: If providing funding to a state agency for these programs, execute a formal Gift Agreement detailing workforce development outcomes to ensure funds are restricted to this purpose.

Fees & Costs

• No New Fees: There are no mandatory fees for businesses.
• Optional Costs: Agencies may solicit donations to fund the program. Host sites bear the internal cost of mentorship and potential paid stipends for apprentices.