Adds to existing law to establish the Idaho Promise Mentor Program.

This legislation establishes authorizes and creates the Idaho Promise mentor program in the Office of the Idaho State Board of Education. Under the program, volunteer mentors will help Idaho high school graduates, veterans, and other adults overcome financial and other barriers to earning postsecondary apprentice and other job training certificates, and associate degrees. These career-ready credentials will qualify students for vacant, good paying Idaho jobs which currently go begging. Filling just 7,000 vacant STEM jobs will raise $24 million instatetaxes, farmorethanthecostofthislegislation. Thementorswilldeveloprelationshipswithmenteesand their families to identify credential options, and to help them overcome barriers to enrollment and completion of career-ready programs. The mentors will be available to recently graduated high school seniors during the critical summer months when they do not have access to high school counselors and have not yet connected with postsecondary program advisors. Current data show about 2,600 graduating high school seniors plan to enroll in postsecondary programs each year but do not do so. The mentors will assist mentees apply for Pell grantsandothersourcesoffunding. Manywhodonotnowapplybecausetheyassumepostsecondaryprograms are beyond their reach will learn that this is not the case.