PRINTER'S NO. 540
No. 523 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY SCHWARTZ, MELLOW, WAGNER, COSTA, LAVALLE, STOUT,
BODACK, KUKOVICH, MUSTO, KASUNIC, TARTAGLIONE, HUGHES,
O'PAKE, WOZNIAK, WILLIAMS AND STACK, FEBRUARY 15, 2001
REFERRED TO LABOR AND INDUSTRY, FEBRUARY 15, 2001
AN ACT
1 Authorizing grants to community colleges for the establishment
2 and expansion of centers for work force development;
3 providing for the powers and duties of the Department of
4 Education; and making an appropriation.
5 The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
6 (1) Employers in Pennsylvania and across the country
7 often cite the availability of a skilled work force as a
8 critical element of business growth.
9 (2) A leading factor in business site selection
10 decisions is the availability of employee training and
11 retraining opportunities.
12 (3) In other regions of the country, community colleges
13 have emerged as the single most important resource for work
14 force training, and the quality and affordability of their
15 programs make them a popular provider for work force
16 training.
17 (4) Small-sized and medium-sized employers often find
18 that providing work force training in-house is too expensive
1 or inefficient.
2 (5) Pennsylvania's small-sized and medium-sized
3 employers can benefit tremendously from access to affordable
4 high quality work force development at community colleges.
5 (6) While Pennsylvania community colleges have responded
6 to employer needs for work force training, community colleges
7 frequently lack the capacity to sustain or expand their
8 response to employer-specific training needs.
9 (7) Pennsylvania can improve its ability to attract new
10 businesses to this Commonwealth and better assist existing
11 businesses to expand or remain competitive if community
12 colleges have a greater role in providing the specific work
13 force training needs of individual businesses.
14 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
15 hereby enacts as follows:
16 Section 1. Short title.
17 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Centers for
18 Work Force Development and Grants Act.
19 Section 2. Definitions.
20 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
21 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
22 context clearly indicates otherwise:
23 "Center for work force developments." An initiative by a
24 Pennsylvania community college to establish or expand its
25 response to individual employer needs for work force training.
26 "Department." The Department of Education of the
27 Commonwealth.
28 Section 3. Grants.
29 The department shall provide grants to community colleges for
30 the purpose of assisting in the establishment or expansion of
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1 centers for work force development.
2 Section 4. Eligibility.
3 To be eligible for a grant under this act a community college
4 must:
5 (1) Submit to the department a five-year strategic plan
6 for the center for work force development that identifies:
7 (i) Organizational procedures to identify and meet
8 work force development needs in the region.
9 (ii) Strategies for increased program outreach to
10 private sector employers.
11 (iii) Resources required to meet objectives.
12 (iv) Plans for how the center for work force
13 development will become financially self-sustaining.
14 (v) The relationship of the center for work force
15 development and the community college's overall
16 organizational structure.
17 (2) Present to the department a plan for evaluating
18 activities to be supported by grant funds.
19 (3) Establish an advisory panel for the center for work
20 force development comprised of representatives of the
21 business and economic development community from the region
22 served by the community college.
23 Section 5. Terms of grant.
24 Grants awarded under this act shall be for five years. Grant
25 awards to grant recipients shall be reduced by 20% each year.
26 The maximum annual grant award to any one community college
27 shall be:
28 $250,000 for fiscal year 2001-2002
29 $200,000 for fiscal year 2002-2003
30 $160,000 for fiscal year 2003-2004
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1 $128,000 for fiscal year 2004-2005
2 $102,000 for fiscal year 2005-2006.
3 Section 6. Use of funds.
4 A community college may use funds received under this act for
5 activities related to the establishment or expansion of a center
6 for work force development, including, but not limited to:
7 (1) Marketing and outreach to private sector employers.
8 (2) Purchase or upgrade of technology, including
9 computers, software and network connections.
10 (3) Curriculum development.
11 (4) Instructional materials.
12 (5) Facility or equipment purchase, lease or renovation.
13 (6) Collaboration with other community colleges, area
14 vocational-technical schools and other providers of work
15 force training to enhance work force training programs for
16 employers and to avoid program duplication.
17 Section 7. Rules and regulations.
18 The department may promulgate any rules and regulations
19 necessary for the implementation of this act.
20 Section 8. Appropriation.
21 The sum of $3,750,000 is hereby appropriated to the
22 Department of Education for the issuance of grants under this
23 act for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2001.
24 Section 9. Effective date.
25 This act shall take effect as follows:
26 (1) Section 8 shall take effect July 1, 2001.
27 (2) The remainder of this act shall take effect
28 immediately.
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