§ 16-J — Strategic training alliance program

§ 16-j. Strategic training alliance program. 1. Program created.\nPursuant to this section and article 24-A of the labor law there is\nhereby established within the corporation and the department of labor a\nstrategic training alliance program to identify and address employer\ndemands for skilled workers. The corporation and the department of labor\nmay cooperate with the department of economic development, the state\nuniversity of New York, the city university of New York, and the state\neducation department, in providing support within amounts available for\nthe program for training activities by an eligible applicant which is\ndefined as an employer or an employer in conjunction with a labor\norganization, a strategic alliance or network or association of\nemployers with common problems or concerns, a private industry council\nestablished pursuant to the federal job training partnership act (P.L.\n97-300) or one or more local workforce investment boards established\npursuant to the federal workforce investment act (P.L. 105-300)\nrepresenting a strategic alliance.\n 2. Project plans. (a) Project plans shall be submitted to the\ncorporation or the department of labor by applicants. The corporation\nand the department of labor shall, upon receipt of project plans,\njointly review such plans in order to assure that they are approved or\ndisapproved within the time limits set forth in paragraph (c) of this\nsubdivision.\n (b) Plans submitted pursuant to this article shall include:\n (i) documentation of the need for such training;\n (ii) the type of training and the number of individuals to be trained;\n (iii) a commitment of a cash or in-kind contribution to the cost of\nthe project;\n (iv) a commitment to first consider individuals who are unemployed,\ndislocated, or economically disadvantaged for employment in positions\ncreated as a result of training;\n (v) the identification of an eligible training provider which is\ndefined as a community college, agricultural and technical college, an\ninstitution of higher education, a local education agency, a community\nbased organization or a strategic alliance;\n (vi) the identification of specific projects to be assisted; and,\n (vii) a description of technologies to be used to disseminate the\ntraining to participating employers.\n (c) The corporation and the department of labor shall jointly approve\nor disapprove project plans within thirty days of receipt of such plans.\n 3. Assistance. (a) Assistance provided by the corporation to eligible\napplicants pursuant to the joint approval involving the department of\nlabor set forth in this article shall be used for the costs of classroom\ntraining, curriculum development, and training materials associated with\non the job training, skills upgrading, skills retraining, and basic\nskills training; and\n (b) The corporation and the department of labor shall ensure that:\n (i) not less than twenty percent of the program funds are used in\nsupport of projects that assist small businesses as defined in section\none hundred thirty-one of the economic development law; and\n (ii) not less than twenty percent of program funds are used in support\nof projects that assist strategic alliances or networks or associations\nof employers with common problems or concerns.\n (c) The corporation and the department of labor may within amounts\navailable for the program provide additional funds for regional and\nstatewide initiatives that lead to the development and implementation of\nan electronically supported training and workforce education system.\n 4. Report and evaluation. (a) The corporation and the department of\nlabor shall report to the legislature annually identifying the employers\nor alliances receiving training assistance, the type of training\nprovided, and the number of individuals trained and newly hired\nincluding those who were previously unemployed or economically\ndisadvantaged.\n (b) The corporation and the department of labor shall also provide for\nan independent evaluation of the program on or before June 1, 2002, and\nevery three years after. The cost of such evaluation shall be deemed to\nbe an eligible expense of the New York state strategic training alliance\nprogram.\n