(a) The provisions of this chapter shall have no application to those individuals who are apprenticed by the commissioner of corrections pursuant to sections 242.43 and 242.44 .
(b) Nothing in this chapter or any apprenticeship agreement operates to invalidate:
(1) any apprenticeship provision in any collective bargaining agreement between employers and employees establishing higher apprenticeship standards; or
(2) any special provision for veterans, people of color, individuals with a disability, or women, in the standards, apprentice qualifications, or operation of the program or in the apprenticeship agreement which is not otherwise prohibited by law.