Virginia Law

The following words and terms when used in this chapter shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Administrator" means the Administrator, Office of Apprenticeship, United States Department of Labor.

"Apprentice" means a person as defined by § 40.1-120 of the Code of Virginia. All registered individuals are considered apprentices by the department until such time as they have either satisfactorily completed the apprenticeship program or have been canceled by the sponsor from the apprenticeship program.

"Apprenticeship agreement" means a written agreement between an apprentice and a program sponsor that meets the criteria as detailed in § 40.1-121 of the Code of Virginia and 16VAC20-21-50.

"Apprenticeship committee" or "committee" means those persons designated by the sponsor to administer the program. A committee may be either joint or nonjoint as follows:

1. A joint committee is composed of an equal number of representatives of the employer or employers and of the employees represented by a bona fide collective bargaining agent or agents.

2. A nonjoint committee, which may also be known as a unilateral or group nonjoint (which may include employees) committee, has employer representatives but does not have a bona fide collective bargaining agent as a participant.

"Apprenticeable occupation" means an occupation as defined by § 40.1-120 of the Code of Virginia.

"Cancellation" means the termination of the registration or approval status of a program at the request of the sponsor or termination of an apprenticeship agreement at the request of the apprentice.

"Certificate" or "certification" means documentary evidence that the department has (i) established that an individual is eligible for probationary employment as an apprentice under a registered apprenticeship program, (ii) determined that an apprentice has successfully met the requirements to receive an interim credential, or (iii) determined that an individual has successfully completed the apprenticeship.

"Certificate of registration" means the master agreement or other written indicia of an apprenticeship program registered by the department.

"CFR" means the Code of Federal Regulations.

"Commissioner" means the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry as defined by § 40.1-2 of the Code of Virginia.

"Competency" means the attainment of manual, mechanical, or technical skills and knowledge, as specified by an occupational standard and demonstrated by an appropriate written and hands-on proficiency measurement.

"Completion rate" means the percentage of an apprenticeship cohort who received a certificate of apprenticeship completion within one year of the projected completion date. An apprentice cohort is the group of individual apprentices registered to a specific program during a one year time frame, except that a cohort does not include the apprentices whose apprenticeship agreement has been canceled during the probation period.

"Construction job site" means new or renovation with an approved building permit, plan of development, contract number, or contractual agreement.

"Coordinator of apprenticeship" means the person designated by the sponsor to perform the duties outlined in the standards of apprenticeship.

"Council" means the Virginia Apprenticeship Council established pursuant to § 40.1-117 of the Code of Virginia.

"Department" means the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, which shall be the registration agency for federal purposes responsible for (i) registering voluntary programs and apprentices in and for the Commonwealth, (ii) providing technical assistance to such programs and individuals, and (iii) conducting both reviews for compliance with Chapter 6 (§ 40.1-117 et seq.) of Title 40.1 of the Code of Virginia and 29 CFR Parts 29 and 30, as well as quality assurance assessments.

"Electronic media" means media that utilize electronics or electromechanical energy for the end user (i.e., audience) to access the content, and includes but is not limited to electronic storage media, transmission media, the Internet, extranet, lease lines, dial-up lines, private networks, and the physical movement of removable/transportable electronic media or interactive distance learning.

"Employer" means an employer as defined by § 40.1-120 of the Code of Virginia.

"Federal purposes" includes (i) any federal contract, grant, agreement or arrangement dealing with apprenticeship and (ii) any federal financial or other assistance, benefit, privilege, contribution, allowance, exemption, preference, or right pertaining to apprenticeship.

"Interim credential" means a credential issued by the department, upon request of the appropriate sponsor, as certification of the competency attainment by an apprentice.

"Journeyworker" means a worker who has attained a level of skill, abilities, and competencies recognized within an industry as having mastered the skills and competencies required for the occupation. Use of this term may also refer to a mentor, technician, specialist, or other skilled worker who has documented sufficient skills and knowledge of an occupation, either through formal apprenticeship or through practical on-the-job experience and formal training.

"Nonconstruction job site" means the physical area within the walls where services are offered. This is the location that is identified on the license issued by the licensing board or the political locality.

"Program" means a written plan for apprenticeship conducted or sponsored by an employer, an association of employers, a joint apprenticeship committee, or an organization of employees that contains all terms and conditions for qualification, recruitment, selection, employment, and training of apprentices, as required under Chapter 6 (§ 40.1-117 et seq.) of Title 40.1 of the Code of Virginia and 29 CFR Parts 29 and 30, including but not limited to the requirement for a written apprenticeship agreement.

"Provisional registration" means the one-year initial provisional approval of newly registered programs that meets the required standards for program registration after which program approval may be made permanent, continued as provisional, or rescinded following a review by the department.

"Quality assurance assessment" means a comprehensive review conducted by the department regarding all aspects of an apprenticeship program's performance, including but not limited to determining if (i) apprentices are receiving on-the-job learning in all phases of the apprenticeable occupation, scheduled wage increases consistent with the registered standards, and related instruction through appropriate curriculum and delivery systems and (ii) the department is receiving notification of all new registrations, cancellations, and completions as required in this chapter.

"Registration agency" means the department that is the recognized state apprenticeship agency that has responsibility for registering apprenticeship programs and apprentices, providing technical assistance, and conducting reviews for compliance with 29 CFR Parts 29 and 30 and quality assurance assessments.

"Registration of an apprenticeship agreement" means the acceptance and recording of an apprenticeship agreement by the department as evidence of the apprentice's participation in a particular registered program.

"Registration of an apprenticeship program" means the acceptance, recordation, or approval by the department as meeting the basic standards and requirements for approval of such program for federal purposes. Approval is evidenced by a certificate of registration or other written indicia.

"Related instruction" means an organized and systematic form of instruction designed to provide the apprentice with the knowledge of the theoretical subjects related to the apprentice's occupation. Such instruction may be given in a classroom, through occupational or industrial courses, or by correspondence courses of equivalent value, electronic media, or other forms of self-study approved by the Apprenticeship Council with the input of the department and the Virginia Community College System.

"Sponsor" means any person, employer, association of employers, joint apprenticeship committee, organization of employees, or other organization under whose auspices a program is operated or is in the process of registration or approval.

"Supervision of apprentices" means direction and oversight of apprentices by any supervisor, foreman, journeyworker, or highly skilled mentor who may be counted as a direct supervisor of an apprentice as long as he is of the same trade or occupation as the apprentice.

"Technical assistance" means guidance provided by department staff in the development, revision, amendment, or processing of a potential or current program sponsor's standards of apprenticeship, apprenticeship agreements, or advice or consultation with a program sponsor to further compliance with this chapter or guidance from the USDOL Office of Apprenticeship to the department on how to remedy nonconformity with 29 CFR Part 29.

"Transfer" means a shift of registration of an apprenticeship agreement from one program to another or from one employer within a program to another employer within that same program, where there is agreement between the apprentice and the affected apprenticeship committees or program sponsors.

"Virginia State Plan for Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship" means the plan adopted by the Virginia Apprenticeship Council on September 28, 1971, for the purpose of providing equal employment opportunity in apprenticeship and that has been approved by the United States Department of Labor as meeting the requirements of 29 CFR Part 30.

"USDOL" means the United States Department of Labor.

"Work processes" means a defined industry-specific skill set that must be mastered by the apprentice in the work environment during the term of the employed apprenticeship.