(A) As used in this section:
(1) "Eligible student" means a student who is enrolled in a public or private institution and is pursuing a qualifying degree, certification, or license.
(2) "In-demand job" means a job that is determined to be in demand in this state and its regions under section 6301.11 of the Revised Code.
(3) "Public or private institution" means any of the following:
(a) A state institution of higher education, as defined in section 3345.011 of the Revised Code;
(b) A private, nonprofit institution in this state holding a certificate of authorization pursuant to Chapter 1713. of the Revised Code;
(c) An Ohio technical center that provides adult technical education services as recognized by the chancellor of higher education.
(4) "Qualifying degree, certification, or license" means a degree, certification, or license that is required to qualify an individual for an in-demand job.
(B) The workforce grant program is hereby established. Under the program, the chancellor of higher education shall award grants to eligible students.
(C)
(1) A grant shall be awarded to an eligible student for the period of time the student takes to complete a qualifying degree, certification, or license. On an annual basis, the maximum amount of a grant that may be awarded to an eligible student shall be five thousand dollars. The grant shall not exceed seventy-five per cent of the cost of tuition during an academic year in which the student is receiving the grant. The greatest portion of the grant shall be distributed to the student as the student is completing the academic program and seeking an in-demand job.
(2) No public or private institution shall use grant moneys dispersed under the program to underwrite a tuition increase imposed on students attending the institution.
(D) The chancellor shall adopt rules regarding the operations of the grant program, including all of the following:
(1) Application procedures;
(2) The method for selecting grant recipients that shall include both of the following:
(a) An assessment of an applicant's need for financial aid, including sources of income and other financial aid the applicant has been awarded;
(b) An analysis of whether the degree, certification, or license that is being pursued by an applicant is a qualifying degree, certification, or license.
(3) Milestones that must be attained by a grant recipient in order to continue to receive a grant under this section, including spending thirty to ninety days in a workplace where the degree, certification, or license that is being pursued by the grant recipient is required for employment or participating in a cooperative or internship program in a workplace where the degree, certification, or license that is being pursued by the grant recipient is required for employment;
(4) Other requirements that must be completed by a grant recipient, including both of the following:
(a) The completion of curriculum that includes skills needed by employers;
(b) The completion of counseling regarding the proper management of student loans and how to minimize the amount of student loan debt.
(5) The method for determining the distribution of a grant to a grant recipient, including both of the following:
(a) The amount of each disbursement;
(b) The schedule for making disbursements to a grant recipient.
(6) Establishing a procedure for a public or private institution to take disciplinary action against a student who fails to continue in an academic program leading to a qualifying degree, certification, or license after receiving a grant, including determining appropriate reimbursements.
(E) The department of higher education, in consultation with the department of education, shall establish a procedure for training and outreach for school counselors to allow them to distribute information to high school students in this state regarding the jobs that are determined to be in-demand jobs and the educational requirements for employment in those jobs.
(F) The department of higher education shall solicit proposals to coordinate and conduct the statewide promotion of the workforce grant program through a request for proposals. The department shall advertise its intent to request proposals in a newspaper of general circulation in the state once a week for two consecutive weeks before a date specified by the board as the date on which it will begin accepting proposals. The notices shall contain a general description of the subject of the proposed agreement and the location where the request for proposals may be obtained. The request for proposals shall include the following information:
(1) Instructions concerning the submission of proposals;
(2) Information regarding communications, including how to contact persons to whom questions concerning a proposal may be directed;
(3) A description of the performance criteria that will be used to evaluate a proposal;
(4) The relative importance of each evaluation criterion;
(5) Any terms or conditions of the proposed contract.
After the date specified for receiving proposals, the department shall evaluate submitted proposals. The department may discuss a respondent's proposal with that respondent to clarify or revise a proposal or the terms of the agreement. After reviewing the proposals, the department may enter into a written agreement with one of the respondents to administer the statewide promotion of the program.
(G) The chancellor, in consultation with the governor's office of workforce transformation and the departments of job and family services and taxation, shall do all of the following:
(1) Develop a methodology for collecting all of the following information:
(a) The total number of grants awarded to eligible students;
(b) The total grant amount awarded to each grant recipient;
(c) The job field and occupation a grant recipient holds twelve months following the completion of a program;
(d) The income level of each grant recipient.
(2) Perform a cost-benefit analysis comparing the costs of the program against the earnings generated by grant recipients based on the information collected in division (G)(1) of this section.
(3) Submit a report to the governor and the general assembly describing the results of the analysis required under division (G) of this section not later than December 31, 2018.
Repealed by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 340, §125.10, eff. 12/31/2019.
Added by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 340, §101.01, eff. 12/22/2015.
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