(Doc Name H:\LEGWORK\HOUSE\AMEND\H-WM\001\WORKFORCE PLANV2.DOCX):
EXPLANATION: Directs Tech Board, SDE, DEW, and Commerce to work together to develop and implement a comprehensive workforce development coordination initiative by using the most recent revenue for unclaimed property as certified by the revenue and fiscal affairs office and settlement litigation funds as certified by the attorney general
Amend the bill, as and if amended, Part IB, Section 117, GENERAL
PROVISIONS, page 559, after line 20, by adding an appropriately
numbered paragraph to read:
/(GP: Comprehensive Workforce Development Coordination
Initiative) Of the funds appropriated and
authorized in this Act, including but not limited to K-12
initiatives, Pathways to Workplace Infrastructure Development,
and the Workforce Scholarships and Grants Program, the State
Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education, the Department
of Education, the Department of Employment and Workforce, and
the Department of Commerce shall develop and implement a
comprehensive workforce development coordination initiative in
order to improve employment outcomes and address critical
workforce development needs statewide.
(A) The State Board for Technical and
Comprehensive Education and the Department of Education shall
develop and implement a statewide Career Pathways for Success
program to facilitate a seamless transition from education to
employment in industries with critical workforce shortages.
Allocated funds shall be used to provide the necessary
infrastructure, including vocational equipment, facilities,
instructional materials, transportation and tuition grants.
(1) Fifty percent of the funds
utilized for the Career Pathways for Success program must be
directed to school districts currently lacking adequate career
development and workforce readiness programs with priority given
to school districts with a poverty index of seventy-five percent
or greater.
(2) Fifty percent of funds utilized
for the Career Pathways for Success program must be used to
establish programs in all regions of South Carolina that will
confer the necessary skills and training to prepare students for
careers in high-demand fields and critical need positions in
businesses and industries experiencing difficulty recruiting and
retaining qualified applicants.
(B) The State Board for Technical and
Comprehensive Education shall coordinate with the Department of
Commerce, Department of Employment and Workforce, and the
Department of Education to develop and implement a program to
provide subsidized career training and certification and job
placement assistance to adults pursuing careers in high-demand
jobs in critical need industries throughout the state.
(1) The State Board for Technical and
Comprehensive Education shall establish a Workforce Scholarships
and Grants program for eligible individuals to be used for
tuition and education-related expenses for career training and
certification programs. The State Board shall develop and
maintain eligibility criteria for this scholarship. Funds may be
used to provide opportunities through existing programs such as
readySC and Apprenticeship Carolina.
(2) The Department of Employment and
Workforce shall coordinate with the State Board for Technical
and Comprehensive Education to identify and refer eligible
individuals to the training programs and scholarship
opportunities established above. The Department of Employment
and Workforce shall also coordinate with the Department of
Commerce and the State Board to develop and implement a plan to
facilitate the job placement of eligible individuals who have
completed the necessary training and certification to ensure
that qualified individuals are matched with available employment
opportunities in high demand jobs throughout the state.
(C) The State Board for Technical and
Comprehensive Education must prepare an annual report on the
workforce development initiative to be completed no later than
February 1, 2016, which must be published on each agency's
website and submitted to the Chairman of the Senate Finance
Committee and the Chairman of the House Ways and Means
Committee. The report must include, at minimum, an analysis of
program accountability measures and key performance indicators./
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend totals and titles to conform.