Expand College Job Training Aid

Section 1. Title 7 of the education law is amended by adding a new article 130-A to read as follows:

ARTICLE 130-A

PATHWAYS FOR ACADEMIC CAREER AND EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM Section 6460. Definitions.

6461. Pathways for academic career and employment program.

§ 6460. Definitions. As used in this article: 1. "Dislocated worker" means an individual eligible for services and benefits under the federal Trade Adjustment Act of 2002, P.L. 107-210, who:

a. is a citizen or national of the United States, a lawfully admitted permanent resident alien, a lawfully admitted refugee or parolee or an individual authorized by the Attorney General to work in the United States, and who is registered for the selective service, if applicable; and

b. (1) has been laid off or terminated, is eligible for or has exhausted entitlement to unemployment compensation, and is unlikely to return to the individual's previous industry or occupation; or

(2) is in receipt of a notice of layoff or termination from employment, will be entitled to unemployment compensation at the time of layoff or termination, and is unlikely to return to the individual's previous industry or occupation; or

(3) has been laid off or terminated, or has received a termination notice, has been employed for a duration of time to sufficiently demonstrate attachment to the workforce, and is not eligible for unemployment

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD08075-01-7

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compensation due to insufficient earnings, or has performed services for an employer not covered under the unemployment compensation law, and is unlikely to return to the individual's previous industry or occupation; or

(4) has been laid off or terminated, or has received notice of layoff or termination, as a result of a permanent closure of or any substantial layoff at a plant, facility or enterprise; or

(5) was formerly self-employed and is unemployed from the individual's business; or

(6) is a displaced homemaker who has been providing unpaid services to family members in the home, has been dependent on the income of another family member and is no longer supported by that income, is unemployed or underemployed, and is experiencing difficulty in obtaining or upgrading employment.

2. "Federal poverty level" means the most recently revised poverty income guidelines published by the federal Department of Health and Human Services.

3. "Low skilled" means an adult individual who is basic skills deficient, has lower level digital literacy skills, has an education below a high school diploma, or has a low level of educational attainment that inhibits the individual's ability to compete for skilled occupations that provide opportunity for a self-sufficient wage.

4. "Underemployed" means an adult individual who is working less than thirty hours per week, or who is employed any number of hours per week in a job that is substantially below the individual's skill level and that does not lead to self-sufficiency.

5. "Unemployed" means an adult individual who is involuntarily unemployed and is actively engaged in seeking employment.

§ 6461. Pathways for academic career and employment program. 1. The pathways for academic career and employment program (PACE) is hereby established to provide funding to community colleges for the development of projects that will lead to gainful, quality, in-state employment for members of target populations by providing them with both effective academic and employment training to ensure gainful employment and customized support services.

2. Individuals included in target populations are those individuals who meet one or more of the following criteria:

a. Are deemed to be low skilled as defined in subdivision three of section sixty-four hundred sixty of this article.

b. Earn incomes at or below two hundred percent of the federal poverty level.

c. Are unemployed.

d. Are underemployed.

e. Are dislocated workers.

3. Projects eligible for funding for PACE shall be projects that:

a. further the ability of members of target populations to secure gainful, quality employment;

b. further partnerships linking community colleges to industry and nonprofit organizations; and

c. further the following program outcomes:

(1) enabling members of the target populations to:

(A) acquire and demonstrate competency in basic skills;

(B) acquire and demonstrate competency in a specified technical field;

(C) complete a specified level of postsecondary education;

(D) earn a national career readiness certificate;

(E) obtain employer-validated credentials; and/or

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(F) secure gainful employment in high-quality, local jobs; and

(2) meet economic and employment goals including but not limited to:

(A) economic and workforce development requirements in each region served by the community colleges; and

(B) needs of industry partners in areas including but not limited to the fields of information technology, health care, advanced manufacturing, transportation and logistics, and any other industry designated as in-demand by the commissioner.

4. Program components for a PACE project implemented at a community college shall:

a. include measurable and effective recruitment, assessment, and referral activities designed for the target populations;

b. integrate basic skills and work-readiness training with occupational skills training;

c. combine customized supportive and case management services with training services to help participants overcome barriers to employment; and

d. provide training services at times, locations, and through multiple, flexible modalities that are easily understood and readily accessible to the target populations. Such modalities shall support open entry, individualized learning, and flexible scheduling, and may include online remediation, learning lab and cohort learning communities, tutoring, and modularization.

5. Each community college receiving funding for PACE shall develop a pipeline program in order to better serve the academic, training, and employment needs of the target populations. A pipeline program shall have the following goals:

a. to strengthen partnerships with community-based organizations and industry representatives;

b. to improve and simplify the identification, recruitment, and assessment of qualified participants;

c. to conduct and manage an outreach, recruitment, and intake process, along with accompanying support services, reflecting sensitivity to the time and financial constraints and remediation needs of the target populations;

d. to conduct orientations for qualified participants to describe regional labor market opportunities, employer partners, and program requirements and expectations;

e. to describe the concepts of the project implemented with funds from PACE and the embedded educational and support resources available through such project;

f. to outline the basic skills participants will learn and describe the credentials participants will earn;

g. to describe success milestones and ways in which temporal and instructional barriers have been minimized or eliminated; and

h. to review how individualized and customized service strategies for participants will be developed and provided.

6. Each community college receiving funding for PACE shall develop a career pathway and bridge curriculum development program in order to better serve the academic, training, and employment needs of the target populations. A career pathways and bridge curriculum development program shall have the following goals:

a. the articulation of courses and modules, the mapping of programs within career pathways, and the establishment of bridges between credit and noncredit programs;

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b. the integration and contextualization of basic skills education and skills training. This process shall provide for seamless progressions between adult basic education and general education development programs and continuing education and credit certificate, diploma, and degree programs; and

c. the development of career pathways that support the attainment of industry-recognized credentials, diplomas, and degrees through stackable, modularized program delivery.

§ 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 669-h to read as follows:

§ 669-h. Gap tuition assistance program. 1. The gap tuition assistance program is hereby established to provide funding to community colleges for need-based tuition assistance to enable applicants to complete continuing education certificate training programs for in-demand occupations.

2. a. Eligibility for tuition assistance shall be based on financial need. Applicants may be found eligible for partial or total tuition assistance. Tuition assistance shall not be approved when the community college receiving the application determines that funding for an applicant's participation in an eligible certificate program is available from any other public or private funding source. Criteria to determine financial need shall include but not be limited to:

(1) the applicant's family income for the twelve months prior to the date of application;

(2) the applicant's family size; and

(3) the applicant's county of residence.

b. An applicant for tuition assistance under this section shall provide to the gap tuition assistance coordinator at the community college receiving the application documentation of all sources of income.

c. Eligibility for tuition assistance under this chapter shall be limited to individuals earning incomes at or below two hundred percent of the federal poverty level as defined by the most recently revised poverty income guidelines published by the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

3. An applicant for tuition assistance under this chapter must have a demonstrated capacity to achieve the following outcomes:

a. the ability to complete an eligible certificate program;

b. the ability to enter a postsecondary certificate, diploma, or degree program for credit;

c. the ability to gain full-time employment; and

d. the ability to maintain full-time employment over a period of time.

4. The community college receiving the application shall only approve an applicant for tuition assistance under this section if the community college determines the applicant is likely to succeed in achieving the outcomes described in subdivision three of this section after considering factors including but not limited to:

a. barriers that may prevent an applicant from completing the certificate program; and

b. barriers that may prevent an applicant from gaining employment in an in-demand occupation.

5. a. Only an applicant eligible to work in the United States shall be approved for tuition assistance under this chapter.

b. An application shall be valid for six months from the date of signature on the application.

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c. An applicant shall not be approved for tuition assistance under this section for more than one eligible certificate program.

d. Eligibility for tuition assistance under this chapter shall not be construed to guarantee enrollment in any community college certificate program.

6. a. Costs of a certificate program eligible for coverage by gap tuition assistance shall include but are not limited to the following:

(1) tuition;

(2) direct training costs;

(3) required books and equipment; and

(4) fees, including but not limited to fees for industry testing services and background check testing services.

b. For the purposes of this chapter, "eligible certificate program" means a program meeting all of the following criteria:

(1) The program is not offered for credit, but is aligned with a certificate, diploma, or degree for credit, and does at least one of the following:

(A) offers a nationally, locally, or state-recognized certificate;

(B) offers preparation for a professional examination or licensure;

(C) provides endorsement for an existing credential or license;

(D) represents recognized skill standards defined by an industrial sector; or

(E) offers a similar credential or training in connection with the pathways for academic career and employment program established pursuant to section sixty-four hundred sixty-one of this chapter; and

(2) the program offers training or a credential in an in-demand occupation. For the purposes of this chapter, "in-demand occupation" includes occupations in information technology, health care, advanced manufacturing, transportation and logistics, and any other industry designated as in-demand by the commissioner.