Sec. 134A.007.  GRANT ELIGIBILITY.  To be eligible to receive a grant under this chapter, a public junior college, public technical institute, or nonprofit organization must:
(1)  administer one or more performance-based workforce training programs that:
(A)  lead to skill development and experiences required for employment in high demand occupations in at least one career field identified and listed as a high-growth career field by:
(i)  the commission;
(ii)  the Texas Workforce Investment Council; or
(iii)  the Tri-Agency Workforce Initiative established under Chapter 2308A, Government Code;
(B)  are developed and provided based on consultation with and input from employers who are hiring in high demand occupations;
(C)  create pathways to employment for program participants; and
(D)  are delivered through classroom-based or online instruction, work-based experiences internships, or apprenticeships, or through a combination of those methods;
(2)  demonstrate through third-party validated data successful outcomes in:
(A)  recruiting local unemployed and underemployed individuals to participate in the training program or programs;
(B)  training individuals with the skills needed to secure full-time employment paying at least a self-sufficient wage as determined under Section 2308A.012, Government Code, in the relevant job field; and
(C)  placing individuals in employment in high demand occupations;
(3)  demonstrate the ability to attract at least 40 percent of the necessary funding for training program operation from revenue streams other than state government funding; and
(4)  agree to:
(A)  collaborate with the commission, corporate partners, and nonprofit educational partners to determine the training programs to be provided using grant money;
(B)  secure support from local businesses to ensure alignment between training program offerings and in-demand skills;
(C)  collaborate with regional employers, public junior colleges, public technical institutes, or nonprofit organizations to make available developmental work-based experiences to further enhance training program participants' career readiness;
(D)  engage local entities and organizations, including local workforce development boards and community-based organizations, to assist with identifying and recruiting eligible training program participants;
(E)  provide documentation to the commission describing training program offerings, including information necessary to verify that the offerings will:
(i)  provide training that is not exclusive to a single corporate partner; and
(ii)  lead to knowledge, skills, and work-based experiences that are transferable to similar employment opportunities in high demand occupations offered by other employers; and
(F)  comply with any additional grant conditions prescribed by commission rule, including performance benchmarks established under Section 134A.008 and reporting requirements established under Section 134A.009.
Added by Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 228 (H.B. 1755), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2023.