(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, minority persons, or women, in the standards, apprentice qualifications, or operation of the program or in the apprenticeship agreement which is not otherwise prohibited by law.