The Legislature hereby finds and declares that work experience education is an integral part of the total educational process of pupils, and that work experience education can provide opportunities for pupils to acquire lifelong employability skills, as well as opportunities for pupils to develop general and specific occupational skills.
The Legislature recognizes that there is a need to provide for the review of work experience education programs offered by school districts offering these programs at least once every three years, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this article to establish a mechanism for the review and improvement of work experience education programs offered in the public schools to ensure that pupils receive high quality instruction. It is further the intent of the Legislature to establish a system whereby school districts and county offices of education may form consortia for purposes of conducting quality reviews of work experience education programs and for the sharing of information, resources, and technical assistance.