A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT CREATING THE COMPUTER CODING STUDENT training PILOT grant PROGRAM; REQUIRING THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRY TO ADMINISTER THE training PROGRAM; PROVIDING REQUIREMENTS FOR ELIGIBLE GRANTEES; PROVIDING AN APPROPRIATION; and PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE and A TERMINATION DATE."
WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes that modern workforce needs require many employees today and in the future to understand computer sciences and to know computer coding and computer programming; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes that prospects for minors to engage in opportunities to develop the soft skills required to be effective employees continue to decline; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes that opportunities for individuals in high-wage jobs and careers related to computer science may be harder to find and participate in for tribal communities across Montana; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that students in tribal communities face additional barriers to entry into computer science-related careers, including significant populations in poverty, a lack of computer science-related opportunities to learn hard skills, and a lack of part-time employment for students to learn soft skills related to being a good employee; and
WHEREAS, a computer coding pilot training program would meet the needs of opportunity, exposure, and access to vital computer science knowledge, skills, and curriculum.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
NEW SECTION. Section 1. Computer coding student training pilot grant program. (1) There is a 2-year computer coding student training pilot grant program administered by the department of labor and industry. The purpose of the training program is to provide training and incentives to students in tribal communities to complete computer coding and computer programming courses that will prepare them for the workforce.
(2) The department shall develop a pilot training program grant application that incorporates the requirements of subsection (3) and develop criteria to award grant funds to successful applicants. The pilot training program must target Montana tribal communities that face barriers to entry for students into computer science-related employment.
(3) To be eligible for a grant, a grantee shall:
(a) introduce a training program in computer code writing for students in 9th through 12th grade in tribal communities;
(b) deliver a technology-focused computer coding training program to students in tribal communities to prepare students for in-demand technology occupations. The training program must allow participants to move through the training program at individual speeds. The grantee may use an industry-recognized curriculum or develop its own curriculum.
(c) incentivize successful coding course milestone completion by providing cash or other equivalent stipends to students. Students may be paid stipends for time spent in class receiving instruction and for participating in unpaid work-based learning opportunities.
(d) work with industry partners to develop youth apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship opportunities, internships, and other programs to be made available to students who graduate from the pilot training program; and
(e) provide students with information and exposure to computer science-related career and job opportunities, including the degrees or credentials required to be qualified for various opportunities, locations where the degrees or credentials may be obtained, and what secondary education coursework would benefit a participant who would like to pursue a computer science-related career.
(4) A grantee shall prepare a final report documenting the success, challenges, and overall impressions of the pilot training program and submit the report to the department of labor and industry before the start of the next regular legislative session.
NEW SECTION. Section 2. Appropriation. There is appropriated $300,000 from the general fund to the department of labor and industry for the biennium beginning July 1, 2021, for the purpose of the computer coding student employment pilot training program established in [section1]. The department shall provide funding for at least one student enrolled in a tribe at each of the seven Indian reservations in Montana and at least one student enrolled in the Little Shell Chippewa tribe.
NEW SECTION. Section 3. Notification to tribal governments. The secretary of state shall send a copy of [this act] to each federally recognized tribal government in Montana.
NEW SECTION. Section 4. Codification instruction. [Section 1] is intended to be codified as an integral part of Title 41, chapter 2, and the provisions of Title 41, chapter 2, apply to [section 1].
NEW SECTION. Section 5. Effective date. [This act] is effective on passage and approval.
NEW SECTION. Section 6. Termination. [This act] terminates June 30, 2023.