Saturday, 06 September 2008 07:54 pm
Breaking News..

AB 973 lowers entry barrier into career technical fields for students in California



6/21/2007
For Immediate Release
CONTACT: Jeff Caligiuri
(916) 319-2032

Sacramento – Assembly Bill 973, authored by Assemblymember Jean Fuller (R-Bakersfield), passed the Senate Education Committee yesterday with unanimous support. AB 973 helps students who have taken career technical education courses put the skills they’ve learned to use.

Assembly Bill 973 waives all of the initial fees -- including certification, licensing and examination fees -- for high school students and recent high school graduates seeking state certification or licensure. In order for the fees to be waived, an applicant must complete the career technical education courses necessary to prepare them for a license or certificate at a regional occupational center or program (ROC/P).

“These fees are a barrier to young people wanting to enter the workforce,” stated Fuller. “Removing this barrier will make it easier for students to receive licenses or certificates that allow them to take the marketable skills they’ve learned in the classroom directly into the workplace.”


Many high schools currently offer career technical education courses in addition to the academic courses that students are required to take. In many instances, these courses can prepare students for licensure or certification in a specific job area. However, most of these licenses or certificates require an application and, in many cases, a test. Currently, all applicants must pay initial fees for entry into these fields. Such fees can keep students with limited resources from seeking licensure or certification. Waiving these initial fees for students for up to a year after their high school graduation will motivate students to obtain certification soon after they complete the training.

“I am pleased that the Senate Education Committee recognized the importance of this measure. AB 973 will lower the entry barrier into career technical fields for students in California. This legislation will help increase the number of young professionals in California, and I’m excited to see the measure moving forward,” stated Kern High School District Trustee Joel Heinrichs.

###