(a) There is established within the Department of Commerce the Trade Jobs for Success (TJS) initiative. The Department of Commerce shall lead the TJS initiative in cooperation with the Community Colleges System Office.
(b) There is created in the Department of Commerce a special, nonreverting fund called the Trade Jobs for Success Fund (Fund). The Fund shall be used to implement the TJS initiative. The Department of Commerce shall develop guidelines for administration of the TJS initiative and the Fund. An advisory council shall assist the Secretary of Commerce in the administration of the Fund. The members of the advisory council shall include:
(1) The Assistant Secretary of Commerce in charge of the Division of Employment Security or that officer's designee.
(2) The President of the Community Colleges System or that officer's designee.
(3) The State Auditor or that officer's designee.
(4) A representative of a statewide association to further the interests of business and industry in North Carolina designated by the Secretary of Commerce.
(c) At a minimum, the Trade Jobs for Success initiative shall include the following programmatic components:
(1) Displaced workers participating in the TJS initiative shall receive (i) on-the-job training to learn new job skills and (ii) educational assistance or remedial education specifically designed to help displaced workers qualify for new jobs.
(2) Displaced workers participating in the TJS initiative shall not lose their eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits while they are in the program and may receive wage supplements, as appropriate.
(3) In-State relocation assistance, in appropriate instances, where participating individuals must relocate to work for participating employers.
(4) Mentoring, both on and off the job, shall be provided to participants in a dignified manner through telephone assistance and other appropriate means.
(5) Financial assistance and other incentives may be provided to participating employers who provide jobs to participating displaced workers to help defray the costs of providing the on-the-job training opportunities.
(6) Work provided by participating employers as part of the TJS initiative must be full-time employment. Wages paid shall not be less than the hourly entry-level wage normally paid by the employer.
(7) Staff of the Division of the Employment Security, in conjunction with other appropriate staff of the Department of Commerce, shall match participating displaced workers to the most suitable employer.
(8) Local Employment Security offices operated by the Division of Employment Security and community colleges shall enter into partnership agreements with local chambers of commerce, and other appropriate organizations, that would encourage employer participation in the TJS initiative.
(9) Tracking of participating individuals and businesses by the Department of Commerce to assure program integrity and effectiveness and the compilation of data to generate the reports necessary to evaluate the success of the TJS initiative.
(10) Coordination and integration of existing programs in the Department of Commerce, the Division of Employment Security, and the North Carolina Community College System in a manner that maximizes the flexibility of these agencies to effectively assist participating individuals and businesses. (2004-124, s. 13.7A(d); 2011-401, s. 1.8.)
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Last modified: March 23, 2014