HB2768

Effective September 1, 2025, HB2768 allows a state agency to partner with a public junior college district or public technical institute to offer a state information-technology apprenticeship credential. Participation is optional, not a requirement that every agency or college open a program. Final law

A program must receive Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approval, develop skills for a journey- or senior-level state IT position, and include a one-year apprenticeship with a relevant state agency, an organization working on a statutorily defined major information-resources project, or a qualifying regional security center. The one year refers to the apprenticeship component, not necessarily the total time needed to earn the associated degree and credential.

The apprenticeship may be registered with the U.S. Department of Labor or be an industry-recognized program offered by the participating public college/institute. The latter must meet industry academic and workforce standards while allowing flexibility in classroom and on-the-job hours, credential competencies and goals set by the employer partner and faculty. The bill does not require every program to use the federal registration route.

The Department of Information Resources must update its own career ladder so an associate degree plus this credential can substitute for a four-year bachelor’s degree. Separately, the State Auditor’s classification officer must review the statewide job-classification plan to determine where that substitution is appropriate and revise relevant job descriptions. This is not an automatic waiver of every bachelor’s-degree requirement across state government, and it does not guarantee anyone a job, promotion or salary.

If tuition and available college funds do not fully cover a program, a participating state agency may use money available for that purpose and solicit or accept public or private gifts, grants and donations. The act does not itself appropriate a new funding amount or promise tuition-free participation. Agreements under the existing junior-college authority must also address costs exceeding comparable in-district tuition and fees. College agreement provision

Cross-reference note: HB2768 names regional network security centers under former Section 2059.202. Separate HB150 moved and renamed that authority as Section 2063.602, regional security operations centers under the Texas Cyber Command, also effective September 1, 2025. That separate transfer should not be mistaken for a change made by HB2768. Current center authority; HB150, Section 18