(a)
Notwithstanding any provision of this code or the Labor Code to the contrary, the school district, county superintendent of schools, or any school administered by the State Department of Education, under whose supervision work experience education, cooperative vocational education, or community classrooms, as defined by regulations adopted by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, or a job shadowing experience, as defined in subdivision (b), or student apprenticeship programs registered by the Division of Apprenticeship Standards of the Department of Industrial Relations for registered student apprentices, are provided, shall be considered the employer under Division 4 (commencing with Section 3200) of the Labor Code of persons receiving this training unless the persons during the training are being paid a cash wage or salary by a private employer, except in the case of registered student apprentices, when the school district, county superintendent of schools, or any school administered by the State Department of Education elects to provide workers’ compensation insurance, or unless the person or firm under whom the persons are receiving work experience or occupational training elects to provide workers’ compensation insurance. A registered student apprentice is a registered apprentice who is (1) at least 16 years of age, (2) a full-time high school student in the 10th, 11th, or 12th grade, and (3) in an apprenticeship program for registered student apprentices registered with the Division of Apprenticeship Standards. An apprentice, while attending related and supplemental instruction classes, shall be considered to be in the employ of the apprentice’s employer and not subject to this section, unless the apprentice is unemployed. Whenever this work experience education, cooperative vocational education, community classroom education, or job shadowing, or student apprenticeship program registered by the Division of Apprenticeship Standards for registered student apprentices, is under the supervision of a regional occupational center or program operated by two or more school districts pursuant to Section 52301, the district of residence of the persons receiving the training shall be deemed the employer for the purposes of this section.
(b)
For purposes of this section, “job shadowing experience” means a visit to a workplace for the purpose of career exploration for no less than three hours and no more than 25 hours in one semester, intersession, or summer school session.