(20 ILCS 605/605-415)
Sec. 605-415. Job Training and Economic Development Grant Program.
(a) Legislative findings. The General Assembly finds that:
(1) Despite the large number of unemployed job
seekers, many employers are having difficulty matching the skills they require with the skills of workers; a similar problem exists in industries where overall employment may not be expanding but there is an acute need for skilled workers in particular occupations.
(2) The State of Illinois should foster local
economic development by linking the job training of unemployed disadvantaged citizens with the workforce needs of local business and industry.
(3) Employers often need assistance in developing
training resources that will provide work opportunities for disadvantaged populations.
(b) Definitions. As used in this Section:
"Community based provider" means a not-for-profit organization, with local boards of directors, that directly provides job training services.
"Disadvantaged persons" has the same meaning as in Titles II-A and II-C of the federal Job Training Partnership Act.
"Training partners" means a community-based provider and one or more employers who have established training and placement linkages.
(c) From funds appropriated for that purpose, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall administer a Job Training and Economic Development Grant Program. The Director shall make grants to community-based providers. The grants shall be made to support the following:
(1) Partnerships between community-based providers
and employers for the customized training of existing low-skilled, low-wage employees and newly hired disadvantaged persons.
(2) Partnerships between community-based providers
and employers to develop and operate training programs that link the work force needs of local industry with the job training of disadvantaged persons.
(d) For projects created under paragraph (1) of subsection (c):
(1) The Department shall give a priority to projects
that include an in-kind match by an employer in partnership with a community-based provider and projects that use instructional materials and training instructors directly used in the specific industry sector of the partnership employer.
(2) The partnership employer must be an active
participant in the curriculum development and train primarily disadvantaged populations.
(e) For projects created under paragraph (2) of subsection (c):
(1) Community based organizations shall assess the
employment barriers and needs of local residents and work in partnership with local economic development organizations to identify the priority workforce needs of the local industry.
(2) Training partners (that is, community-based
organizations and employers) shall work together to design programs with maximum benefits to local disadvantaged persons and local employers.
(3) Employers must be involved in identifying
specific skill-training needs, planning curriculum, assisting in training activities, providing job opportunities, and coordinating job retention for people hired after training through this program and follow-up support.
(4) The community-based organizations shall serve
disadvantaged persons, including welfare recipients.
(f) The Department shall adopt rules for the grant program and shall create a competitive application procedure for those grants to be awarded beginning in fiscal year 1998. Grants shall be based on a performance based contracting system. Each grant shall be based on the cost of providing the training services and the goals negotiated and made a part of the contract between the Department and the training partners. The goals shall include the number of people to be trained, the number who stay in the program, the number who complete the program, the number who enter employment, their wages, and the number who retain employment. The level of success in achieving employment, wage, and retention goals shall be a primary consideration for determining contract renewals and subsequent funding levels. In setting the goals, due consideration shall be given to the education, work experience, and job readiness of the trainees; their barriers to employment; and the local job market. Periodic payments under the contracts shall be based on the degree to which the relevant negotiated goals have been met during the payment period.
(Source: P.A. 94-793, eff. 5-19-06.)
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Last modified: February 18, 2015