§ 3723. STEM apprenticeship programs

• (a) The Secretary of Commerce may carry out a grant program to identify the need for skilled science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (referred to in this section as “STEM”) workers and to expand STEM apprenticeship programs.
• (b) In this section, the term “eligible recipient” means—
  • (1) a State;
  • (2) an Indian tribe;
  • (3) a city or other political subdivision of a State;
  • (4) an entity that—
    • (A) is a nonprofit organization, an institution of higher education, a public-private partnership, a science or research park, a Federal laboratory, or an economic development organization or similar entity; and
    • (B) has an application that is supported by a State, a political subdivision of a State, or a native organization; or
  • (5) a consortium of any of the entities described in paragraphs (1) through (5).
• (c) The Secretary of Commerce may provide a grant to an eligible recipient to conduct a needs assessment to identify—
  • (1) the unmet need of a region’s employer base for skilled STEM workers;
  • (2) the potential of STEM apprenticeships to address the unmet need described in paragraph (1); and
  • (3) any barriers to addressing the unmet need described in paragraph (1).
• (d) The Secretary of Commerce may provide a grant to an eligible recipient that has conducted a needs assessment as described in subsection (c)(1) to develop infrastructure to expand STEM apprenticeship programs.