Section 15F: Community college workforce training incentive program
Section 15F. It is hereby declared to be the policy of the commonwealth to encourage public community college training opportunities in order to promote workforce development, minimize the shortage of skilled workers and raise economic opportunity through a matching incentive grant program to be known as the community college workforce training incentive program. Subject to appropriation, the board of higher education shall establish guidelines for the distribution of community college workforce training incentive grants; provided, however, that said guidelines shall provide: (i) allowable incentive grant awards which shall not exceed $200 for every $1,000 in eligible revenues; (ii) minimum requirements for the level of not-for-credit vocationally-oriented instruction which shall be provided by incentive grant recipients in the fiscal year in which such grant is awarded. Each community college which is eligible for grant awards in a fiscal year shall, subject to appropriation, receive not less than $50,000 from the total amount appropriated for the incentive program to fund the salary of a workforce training coordinator at each such campus. For the purposes of this section, eligible revenues shall be defined as revenues received by a community college for one of the following purposes: tuition and fees paid by students enrolled in not-for-credit vocationally-oriented courses; tuition and fees paid by Massachusetts employers on behalf of employees enrolled in not-for-credit vocationally-oriented courses; and revenues from service contracts with Massachusetts employers to provide not for-credit vocationally-oriented training. Revenues from contracts with public agencies, public grants or private gifts shall not be considered eligible revenues for the purposes of this section. Incentive grants shall be expended for the following purposes: to expand not-for-credit vocationally oriented course offerings; to expand not-for-credit vocationally-oriented instruction provided through contracts with Massachusetts employers; and to otherwise promote not-for-credit vocationally-oriented instruction. Each community college campus shall report not later than December 31, annually, to the board of higher education and the house and senate committees on ways and means on the level of not-for-credit vocationally-oriented instruction provided in the preceding fiscal year and the anticipated level of such instruction in the current fiscal year. Said report shall detail enrollment levels, revenues received, sources of revenues, the number of service contracts established with Massachusetts employers and such other information as the board of higher education may require.