(a) The Department shall carry out the purposes of this chapter and its duties and powers shall include, but shall not be limited to:
(1) Establishing standards for apprenticeship in conformity with this chapter and applicable statutes and regulations of the federal government;
(2) Adopting such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the intent and purpose of this chapter;
(3) Compiling such data on population and employment trends, industrial production, vocational and industrial education and job requirements as may be deemed necessary to carry out the intent and purpose of this chapter;
(4) Studying the effectiveness of apprenticeship programs and making recommendations in accordance with such programs for their improvement and to terminate, cancel or modify any apprenticeship programs in accordance with such programs;
(5) Maintaining close liaison with the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training, the United States Department of Labor and such other agencies which carry on programs closely related to the purposes of this chapter;
(6) Conducting studies, surveys and investigations of the special problems of retraining or training unemployed or employed persons to improve or modernize work skills and make appropriate recommendations to cooperating agencies described above, local community organizations and local school boards;
(7) Acting as a convening agency in local communities to bring together local representatives of employee organizations, employers, educational agencies and industrial development agencies in order to promote closer local cooperation in establishing better apprenticeship and other training programs including programs for employed persons who wish to improve and modernize their work skills;
(8) Encouragement and promotion of the standards established in accordance with this chapter and with the basic standards of the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training, United States Department of Labor;
(9) Bringing about the settlement of differences arising out of apprenticeship programs and agreements when the differences cannot be adjusted locally or in accordance with established trade procedure;
(10) Supervision of the execution of agreements and the maintenance of standards;
(11) Registration of apprenticeship programs and agreements;
(12) Keeping a record of apprenticeship agreements and programs and, upon performance thereunder, issuing certificates of completion of apprenticeship;
(13) Encouragement of liaison and cooperation between all private, state and federal agencies concerned with apprenticeship, trade and industrial training;
(14) Promotion of public awareness of apprenticeship and other occupational training;
(15) Keeping a record of the progress of apprenticeship and training programs initiated in accordance with this chapter; and
(16) Performing such other duties as may be necessary to give full effect to this chapter.
(b) No action affecting the status of a program shall be taken by the Department of Labor until an attempt has been made to bring the employees and employer together to settle the problem in conformity with the standards of the Department of Labor.