§ 16-j. Strategic training alliance program. 1. Program created.
Pursuant to this section and article 24-A of the labor law there is
hereby established within the corporation and the department of labor a
strategic training alliance program to identify and address employer
demands for skilled workers. The corporation and the department of labor
may cooperate with the department of economic development, the state
university of New York, the city university of New York, and the state
education department, in providing support within amounts available for
the program for training activities by an eligible applicant which is
defined as an employer or an employer in conjunction with a labor
organization, a strategic alliance or network or association of
employers with common problems or concerns, a private industry council
established pursuant to the federal job training partnership act (P.L.
97-300) or one or more local workforce investment boards established
pursuant to the federal workforce investment act (P.L. 105-300)
representing a strategic alliance.

2. Project plans. (a) Project plans shall be submitted to the
corporation or the department of labor by applicants. The corporation
and the department of labor shall, upon receipt of project plans,
jointly review such plans in order to assure that they are approved or
disapproved within the time limits set forth in paragraph (c) of this
subdivision.

(b) Plans submitted pursuant to this article shall include:

(i) documentation of the need for such training;

(ii) the type of training and the number of individuals to be trained;

(iii) a commitment of a cash or in-kind contribution to the cost of
the project;

(iv) a commitment to first consider individuals who are unemployed,
dislocated, or economically disadvantaged for employment in positions
created as a result of training;

(v) the identification of an eligible training provider which is
defined as a community college, agricultural and technical college, an
institution of higher education, a local education agency, a community
based organization or a strategic alliance;

(vi) the identification of specific projects to be assisted; and,

(vii) a description of technologies to be used to disseminate the
training to participating employers.

(c) The corporation and the department of labor shall jointly approve
or disapprove project plans within thirty days of receipt of such plans.

3. Assistance. (a) Assistance provided by the corporation to eligible
applicants pursuant to the joint approval involving the department of
labor set forth in this article shall be used for the costs of classroom
training, curriculum development, and training materials associated with
on the job training, skills upgrading, skills retraining, and basic
skills training; and

(b) The corporation and the department of labor shall ensure that:

(i) not less than twenty percent of the program funds are used in
support of projects that assist small businesses as defined in section
one hundred thirty-one of the economic development law; and

(ii) not less than twenty percent of program funds are used in support
of projects that assist strategic alliances or networks or associations
of employers with common problems or concerns.

(c) The corporation and the department of labor may within amounts
available for the program provide additional funds for regional and
statewide initiatives that lead to the development and implementation of
an electronically supported training and workforce education system.

4. Report and evaluation. (a) The corporation and the department of
labor shall report to the legislature annually identifying the employers
or alliances receiving training assistance, the type of training
provided, and the number of individuals trained and newly hired
including those who were previously unemployed or economically
disadvantaged.

(b) The corporation and the department of labor shall also provide for
an independent evaluation of the program on or before June 1, 2002, and
every three years after. The cost of such evaluation shall be deemed to
be an eligible expense of the New York state strategic training alliance
program.