Current through all regulations passed and filed through September 16, 2024
(A)
Administrative
responsibility for equal opportunity. Each registered apprenticeship program is
required to provide equal opportunity in apprenticeship, regardless of race,
color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy and gender
identity), sexual orientation, age over forty years, genetic information,
Hispanic ethnicity, or disability. The program's authorized representative is
responsible and accountable for ensuring equal opportunity in registered
apprenticeship, and for developing and implementing the affirmative action plan
prescribed in rules in Chapter 5101:11-6 of the Administrative Code in the case
of a program with five or more apprentices. This individual will have the
resources, support of, and access to the sponsor leadership to ensure effective
implementation. This individual is responsible for:
(1)
Monitoring all
registered apprenticeship activity to ensure compliance with the
nondiscrimination and affirmative action obligations required by rules under
division 5101:11 of the Administrative Code;
(2)
Working with
program personnel and all appropriate personnel of the employer(s)participating
in the program, to ensure their full cooperation in achieving compliance with
rules under division 5101:11 of the Administrative Code;
(3)
Maintaining
records required by rules under division 5101:11 of the Administrative Code;
and
(4)
Generating and submitting reports as may be required by
the council office.
(B)
Program activity.
In compliance with equal opportunity requirements under rules in division
5101:11 of the Administrative Code, each program is to take at minimum the
following steps:
(1)
Internal dissemination of equal opportunity policy. The
program will inform each of its apprentices and apprenticeship applicants, as
well as the appropriate personnel of the participating employer(s), and all
personnel of the sponsor organization, about the program's obligations
concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action. In addition, the sponsor
will have all individuals connected with the administration or operation of the
program, to take the necessary action to help meet these obligations. A
sponsor, at a minimum, is required to:
(a)
Publish the equal
opportunity pledge required under rule
5101:11-5-01
of the Administrative Code, through all appropriate communications outlets of
the program and of its participating employer(s), such that it is accessible to
all apprentices and applicants for apprenticeship. These outlets include but
aren't limited to apprentice and employee handbooks, policy manuals,
newsletters, and other appropriate publications; apprenticeship opportunity
announcements; bulletin boards; and various electronic media.
(b)
Conduct
orientation and periodic information sessions for its apprentices,
journeyworkers involved in the program, all program personnel, appropriate
personnel of the participating employer(s), and other individuals connected
with the administration or operation of the program, to ensure that they
understand the requirements under this chapter of the Administrative Code and
all the ways in which they are expected to contribute to
compliance.
(2)
Universal outreach and recruitment. The sponsor will
implement measures to ensure that its outreach and recruitment efforts extend
to all persons available for apprenticeship who live within the sponsor's
recruitment area, without regard to race, sex, Hispanic ethnicity, disability,
color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age over forty years, or
genetic information. In furtherance of this requirement, the sponsor
will:
(a)
Develop and update annually a list of current recruitment sources that will
generate referrals from all demographic groups within the relevant recruitment
area. Examples of relevant recruitment sources include, but aren't limited to:
the public workforce system's local job centers and local workforce development
boards; community-based organizations; community colleges; vocational, career
and technical schools; pre-apprenticeship programs; and federally funded youth
job-training programs such as "YouthBuild" and "Job Corps" or their
successors;
(b)
Identify a contact person, mailing address, telephone
number, and email address for each recruitment source; and
(c)
Provide
recruitment sources advance notice of apprenticeship openings so that the
recruitment sources can notify and refer candidates. Such notification is to
include documentation of the sponsor's equal opportunity pledge specified in
this paragraph. Programs that accept applications only at specified intervals
will disseminate such information at least thirty days in advance of the
earliest date for application at each interval. Programs that adopt this
strategy and that customarily take applications throughout the year, will
disseminate the information regularly, but not less than
semiannually.
(3)
Maintaining workplace free from harassment,
intimidation, and retaliation. The sponsor will develop and implement
procedures to ensure that its apprentices are not harassed because of their
race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age over forty
years, genetic information, Hispanic ethnicity, or disability and to ensure
that its workplace is free from intimidation and retaliation as prohibited by
paragraph (E) of rule
5101:11-8-01 of the
Administrative Code. To ensure an environment in which all apprentices feel
safe, welcomed, and treated fairly, the sponsor will:
(a)
Communicate to
all personnel that harassing conduct will not be tolerated;
(b)
Provide
anti-harassment training to all individuals connected with the administration
or operation of the apprenticeship program, including all apprentices and
journeyworkers who regularly work with apprentices. This training will not be a
mere transmittal of information, but will require meaningful participation by
trainees, such as attending a training session in person or completing an
interactive training online. The training content is to include, at a minimum,
communication of the following:
(i)
That harassing conduct will not be
tolerated;
(ii)
The definition of harassment and the types of conduct
that constitute unlawful harassment on the basis of race, color, religion,
national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age over forty years, genetic
information, disability or Hispanic ethnicity; and
(iii)
The right to
file a harassment complaint under rule
5101:11-7-02 of the
Administrative Code.
(c)
Make all
facilities and apprenticeship activities available without regard to Hispanic
ethnicity, race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age
over forty years, genetic information, or disability; except that if the
sponsor provides restrooms or changing facilities, they will, if so requested
by the user(s), be separated in such a way as to ensure privacy between the
sexes;
(d)
Ensure that the program's complaint procedure under
rule
5101:11-7-02 of the
Administrative Code adequately addresses complaints of harassment,
intimidation, and retaliation.
Replaces: 5101:11-5-02