(a) The Secretary or the Secretary's designee shall direct the Partnership
for Workforce Quality Program.
(b) The Secretary shall provide training assistance under the Program only
at the specific request of an employer or group of employers.
(c) (1) Except as provided in paragraphs (2), (3), (4), and (5) of this
subsection, the Secretary shall establish eligibility criteria and
priorities for assistance under the Partnership for Workforce Quality
Program.
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1) of this subsection, an
employer receiving assistance under the Program:
(i) Shall be a Maryland employer that operates under the provisions of
Title 8 of the Labor and Employment Article;
(ii) Shall request training assistance for job specific skills;
(iii) Shall request training assistance for Maryland-based employees who are
covered under the provisions of Title 8 of the Labor and Employment
Article; and
(iv) Shall request training assistance to upgrade or retrain existing
employees.
(3) (i) Not less than 60 percent of all funds available shall be reserved for
Maryland employers with 150 or fewer Maryland-based employees.
(ii) Not more than 20 percent of all funds available may be provided to
Maryland employers with more than 500 Maryland-based employees,
provided that the employers:
1. Are primarily engaged in manufacturing or in a technology-based
business;
2. Agree to increase their purchases of goods produced in Maryland and
services from Maryland-based suppliers; and
3. Agree to provide the workforce training to a certain number, as
determined by the program, of employees of smaller employers that shall
supply goods or services to the employer receiving the grant.
(4) No single Maryland employer shall receive more than $200,000 within a
year.
(5) Priority shall be given to Maryland employers who are:
(i) Manufacturers; or
(ii) Threatened by the pressures of increased foreign or domestic
competition.
(d) (1) The Secretary shall utilize local advisory groups such as private
industry councils, and joint apprenticeship committees, to identify
employers in need of assistance.
(2) Business assistance services provided by the Program shall:
(i) Determine whether the employer's specific needs are best met by
training, by other types of assistance, or by a combination of
services;
(ii) Identify the availability of existing training programs which could be
adapted to meet the employer's needs;
(iii) Identify the resources the business can provide to support the
training, including facilities, materials, and equipment;
(iv) Identify or develop appropriate curricula; and
(v) Determine the most cost effective approach to meeting the employer's
training needs.
(e) The Secretary may award grants for job specific training assistance to
a qualified business, union sponsored training program, community
college, private career school, trade association, or State-accredited
training agency.
(f) All training must be approved by the employer of those being trained.
(g) Under the Partnership for Workforce Quality Program, job specific
training may not exceed one year.
(h) (1) The Partnership for Workforce Quality Program may not contribute more
than 50 percent of direct training costs for job specific training
assistance.
(2) The Partnership for Workforce Quality Program may provide business
assistance services under subsection (d)(2) of this section at no cost
to the employer.
(i) (1) Partnership for Workforce Quality Program funds may be used for those
costs associated with the direct delivery of instruction such as
curriculum development, course materials, and instructor's salary and
expenses for training.
(2) Program funds may not be used for the cost of capital equipment for an
employer or the cost of trainee wages.
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