SECTION 1.  Chapter 121B of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after Section 26D, the following:

Section 26E: The office of housing and economic development and the office of labor and workforce development shall establish an apprentice training program to expedite the reoccupancy of vacant units of state-assisted housing developed through funds provided under chapter 200 of the acts of 1948, chapter 667 of the acts of 1956, chapter 705 of the acts of 1966, chapter 689 of the acts of 1974 and chapter 167 of the acts of 1987 and other housing programs financed through the department of housing and community development.

The training program shall be developed by the department in consultation with representatives of local housing authorities, public housing residents, public housing industry professional organizations, organizations that represent public housing residents, and relevant state agencies.

The program shall be developed to enable public housing residents to obtain the education, job skills training, job placement assistance, and long-term follow-up leading to economic self-sufficiency;  provide public housing authorities and public housing capital assistance teams under Section 26C of Chapter 121B of the General Laws with assistance in the painting and preparation of vacant units to ready them for occupancy; and to foster the efficient use of public housing capital and maintenance funds.

The office of labor and workforce development is authorized to make grants to applicants for the purpose of providing an apprenticeship program developed under this Section.