A. The Commissioner, with the advice and guidance of the Council, shall be responsible for administering the provisions of this article.
1. Approve, if approval is in the best interests of the apprentice, any apprenticeship agreement that meets the standards established under this article;
2. Terminate or cancel any apprenticeship agreement in accordance with the provisions of such agreement;
3. Keep a record of apprenticeship agreements and their disposition;
4. Issue certificates of completion upon the completion of the apprenticeship;
5. Initiate deregistration proceedings when an apprenticeship program is not conducted, operated, and administered in accordance with the registered provisions, except that deregistration proceedings for violation of equal opportunity requirements shall be processed in accordance with the provisions of the Virginia State Plan for Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship;
6. Establish policies governing the provision of apprenticeship-related instruction delivered by state and local public education agencies and provide for the administration and supervision of related and supplemental instruction for apprentices; and
7. Perform such other duties as are necessary to carry out the intent of this article.
C. Any apprenticeship program designed to prepare individuals to engage in a career as a tradesman shall be a program of registered apprenticeships that meet or exceed the U.S. Department of Labor standards for registered apprenticeships, and such program shall meet or exceed the standards that were in place with the Apprenticeship Division of the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry as of January 31, 2023. As used in this subsection, “tradesman” means an individual engaged in the electrical, plumbing and heating, ventilation and air conditioning, carpentry, pipe fitting, boiler making, iron working, steel working, painting, or welding profession.
D. No state agency or locality shall sponsor, recognize, or establish any apprenticeship program designed to prepare individuals to engage in a career as a tradesman unless such apprenticeship program meets the requirements established in subsection C.