Florida Senate - 2025 SB 1094
By Senator Simon
3-01793-25 20251094__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to career planning opportunities for
3 students; amending s. 446.0915, F.S.; requiring work
4 based learning opportunities to be scheduled at times
5 and locations to maximize student access and
6 participation; amending s. 1001.43, F.S.; providing
7 that a high school’s annual career fair must provide
8 certain students the opportunity to meet and interview
9 with certain employers; amending s. 1003.4156, F.S.;
10 requiring a student’s personalized academic and career
11 plan to be reviewed annually for a certain period of
12 time and signed by certain persons; requiring such
13 plan to be revised as necessary; creating s.
14 1004.0982, F.S.; providing definitions; requiring the
15 Board of Governors and the State Board of Education to
16 adopt regulations and rules, respectively, to enable
17 certain students to earn postsecondary credit and
18 career education clock hours for certain training and
19 education acquired while an apprentice or a
20 preapprentice; providing requirements for such
21 regulations and rules; requiring the Articulation
22 Coordinating Committee to convene a workshop by a date
23 certain to develop a certain process; requiring a
24 specified office to provide administrative support to
25 the workgroup; providing for workgroup membership;
26 requiring the workgroup to provide certain
27 recommendations to the Board of Governors and the
28 State Board of Education by a date certain; requiring
29 such committee to review apprenticeship and
30 preapprenticeship programs and, annually, approve a
31 prioritized list of postsecondary course equivalencies
32 and the minimum postsecondary credit or career
33 education clock hours that must be awarded for certain
34 programs; requiring certain information to be included
35 in the statewide articulation agreement; requiring
36 state universities, Florida College System
37 institutions, and career centers to award
38 postsecondary credit or career education clock hours
39 for certain programs under certain circumstances;
40 providing that postsecondary credit and career
41 education clock hours are guaranteed to transfer to
42 other state universities, Florida College System
43 institutions, and career centers; providing an
44 effective date.
45
46 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
47
48 Section 1. Present paragraphs (g), (h), and (i) of
49 subsection (2) of section 446.0915, Florida Statutes, are
50 redesignated as paragraphs (h), (i), and (j), respectively, and
51 a new paragraph (g) is added to that subsection, to read:
52 446.0915 Work-based learning opportunities.—
53 (2) A work-based learning opportunity must meet all of the
54 following criteria:
55 (g) Be scheduled at such times and locations to maximize
56 student access and participation.
57
58 A work-based learning opportunity should prioritize paid
59 experiences, such as apprenticeship, preapprenticeship, and
60 diversified education programs.
61 Section 2. Paragraph (c) of subsection (14) of section
62 1001.43, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
63 1001.43 Supplemental powers and duties of district school
64 board.—The district school board may exercise the following
65 supplemental powers and duties as authorized by this code or
66 State Board of Education rule.
67 (14) RECOGNITION OF ACADEMIC AND CAREER ACHIEVEMENT.—
68 (c) Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, Each district
69 school board shall require each high school within its
70 jurisdiction to host an annual career fair during the school
71 year and establish a process to provide students 16 years of age
72 or older in grades 11 and 12 the opportunity to meet or
73 interview during the career fair with potential employers that
74 offer paid work experiences for students, including registered
75 preapprenticeship and apprenticeship programs during the career
76 fair. The career fair must be held on the campus of the high
77 school, except that a group of high schools in the district or a
78 group of districts may hold a joint career fair at an
79 alternative location to satisfy the requirement in this
80 paragraph. A joint career fair must be held at a location
81 located within reasonable driving distance for students at all
82 participating schools. The career fair must be held during the
83 school day and may use Florida’s online career planning and
84 work-based learning system as part of the career fair
85 activities. Alternatively, district school boards may consult
86 with local workforce development boards, advisory committees,
87 and business groups to determine free or cost-effective methods
88 to provide other career and industry networking opportunities
89 during the school day for secondary students and exposure for
90 elementary and secondary students to a representative variety of
91 industries, businesses, and careers.
92
93 District school board policies and procedures may include
94 conducting assemblies or other appropriate public events in
95 which students sign actual or ceremonial documents accepting
96 scholarships or enrollment. The district school board may
97 encourage holding such events in an assembly or gathering of the
98 entire student body as a means of making academic and career
99 success and recognition visible to all students.
100 Section 3. Paragraph (e) of subsection (1) of section
101 1003.4156, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
102 1003.4156 General requirements for middle grades
103 promotion.—
104 (1) In order for a student to be promoted to high school
105 from a school that includes middle grades 6, 7, and 8, the
106 student must successfully complete the following courses:
107 (e)1. One course in career and education planning to be
108 completed in grades 6, 7, or 8, which may be taught by any
109 member of the instructional staff. The course must be Internet
110 based, customizable to each student, and include research-based
111 assessments to assist students in determining educational and
112 career options and goals. In addition, the course must result in
113 a completed personalized academic and career plan for the
114 student, which must use, when available, Florida’s online career
115 planning and work-based learning coordination system. The course
116 must teach each student how to access and update the plan and
117 encourage the student to access and update the plan at least
118 annually as the student progresses through middle school and
119 high school. The personalized academic and career plan must
120 emphasize the importance of entrepreneurship and employability
121 skills and must include information from the Department of
122 Commerce’s economic security report under s. 445.07 and other
123 state career planning resources. The required personalized
124 academic and career plan must inform students of high school
125 graduation requirements, including a detailed explanation of the
126 requirements for earning a high school diploma designation under
127 s. 1003.4285 and the career and technical education pathway to
128 earn a standard high school diploma under s. 1003.4282(10); the
129 requirements for each scholarship in the Florida Bright Futures
130 Scholarship Program; state university and Florida College System
131 institution admission requirements; available opportunities to
132 earn college credit in high school, including Advanced Placement
133 courses; the International Baccalaureate Program; the Advanced
134 International Certificate of Education Program; dual enrollment,
135 including career dual enrollment; work-based learning
136 opportunities, including internships and preapprenticeship and
137 apprenticeship programs; and career education courses, including
138 career-themed courses and course sequences that lead to industry
139 certification pursuant to s. 1003.492 or s. 1008.44. The course
140 may be implemented as a stand-alone course or integrated into
141 another course or courses.
142 2. Beginning when a student enters high school, the
143 student’s personalized academic and career plan must be reviewed
144 annually until the student graduates. The student’s personalized
145 academic and career plan must be revised as necessary to
146 identify courses the student needs to take each year until the
147 student has completed all required core courses for his or her
148 plan. After completion of the annual review, the personalized
149 academic and career plan must be signed by the student; the
150 student’s parent, legal guardian, or person standing in loco
151 parentis to the student; and a school counselor.
152 Section 4. Section 1004.0982, Florida Statutes, is created
153 to read:
154 1004.0982 Postsecondary credit and career education clock
155 hours for apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs.—
156 (1) As used in this section, the term:
157 (a) “Apprentice” has the same meaning as in s. 446.021(2).
158 (b) “Apprenticeship program” has the same meaning as in s.
159 446.021(6).
160 (c) “Preapprentice” has the same meaning as in s.
161 446.021(1).
162 (d) “Preapprenticeship program” has the same meaning as in
163 s. 446.021(5).
164 (2) The Board of Governors shall adopt regulations and the
165 State Board of Education shall adopt rules that enable students
166 pursuing nontraditional pathways to earn a bachelor’s degree or
167 certificate through uniform postsecondary credit and career
168 education clock hours across all Florida public postsecondary
169 educational institutions for college-level training and
170 education acquired while an apprentice or a preapprentice. The
171 regulations and rules must include procedures for credential
172 evaluation and the uniform award of postsecondary credit or
173 career education clock hours, including, but not limited to,
174 equivalency and alignment of apprenticeship and
175 preapprenticeship programs with appropriate postsecondary
176 courses and course descriptions.
177 (3)(a) The Articulation Coordinating Committee shall
178 convene a workgroup by September 1, 2025, to develop a process
179 for prioritizing and determining postsecondary course
180 equivalencies and the minimum postsecondary credit or career
181 education clock hours that must be awarded for apprenticeship or
182 preapprenticeship programs.
183 (b) The Office of K-20 Articulation shall provide
184 administrative support to the workgroup.
185 (4) The workgroup shall be composed of the following
186 members:
187 (a) The chair of the Articulation Coordinating Committee,
188 or his or her designee, who shall serve as the chair of the
189 workgroup.
190 (b) Four members representing academic affairs
191 administrators and faculty from state universities, appointed by
192 the chair of the Board of Governors.
193 (c) Four members representing academic affairs
194 administrators and faculty from Florida College System
195 institutions, appointed by the chair of the State Board of
196 Education.
197 (d) Four members representing faculty from career centers,
198 appointed by the chair of the State Board of Education.
199 (e) One member representing an apprenticeship sponsor, as
200 described in s. 446.071, appointed by the President of the
201 Senate.
202 (f) One member representing an apprenticeship sponsor, as
203 described in s. 446.071, appointed by the Speaker of the House
204 of Representatives.
205 (g) The director of the State Apprenticeship Advisory
206 Council.
207 (5) The workgroup shall provide recommendations to the
208 Board of Governors and the State Board of Education by March 1,
209 2026, for approval at the next meeting of each board to allow
210 for adequate public notice.
211 (6) Upon approval of the workgroup’s recommendations by the
212 Board of Governors and the State Board of Education, the
213 Articulation Coordinating Committee shall review the
214 apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs to determine
215 postsecondary course equivalencies and the minimum postsecondary
216 credit or career education clock hours that must be awarded for
217 such programs in accordance with the approved process.
218 (7) Within 1 year after the approval of the workgroup’s
219 recommendations under subsection (5), the Articulation
220 Coordinating Committee shall approve a prioritized list of
221 postsecondary course equivalencies and the minimum postsecondary
222 credit or career education clock hours that must be awarded for
223 apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs. The Board of
224 Governors and the State Board of Education shall timely adopt
225 the list approved by the Articulation Coordinating Committee at
226 the next meeting of each board to allow for adequate public
227 notice. The Articulation Coordinating Committee must update the
228 list annually. For the purpose of statewide application,
229 postsecondary course equivalencies and the minimum postsecondary
230 credit or career education clock hours that must be awarded for
231 apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs must be delineated
232 by the Board of Governors and the State Board of Education in
233 the statewide articulation agreement required under s.
234 1007.23(1).
235 (8) State universities, Florida College System
236 institutions, and career centers must award postsecondary credit
237 or career education clock hours for apprenticeship and
238 preapprenticeship programs based on the list adopted by the
239 Board of Governors and the State Board of Education under
240 subsection (7) if the postsecondary credit or career education
241 clock hours are applicable toward the student’s degree or
242 certificate. State universities, Florida College System
243 institutions, and career centers may award additional
244 postsecondary credit or career education clock hours if
245 appropriate. Postsecondary credit or career education clock
246 hours awarded in accordance with minimum postsecondary credit
247 and career education clock hour requirements, respectively, are
248 guaranteed to transfer to other state universities, Florida
249 College System institutions, and career centers.
250 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.