(a) To qualify as an eligible institution under this subchapter, an institution must:
(1) be a public junior college or public technical institute;
(2) admit at least 50 students into a STEM program each academic year; and
(3) develop partnerships with business and industry to:
(A) identify local employment needs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields; and
(B) provide part-time employment for students enrolled in a STEM program.
(b) To maintain eligibility, each year beginning with the third year following implementation of a scholarship program under this subchapter, an institution must demonstrate to the board that at least 70 percent of the institution’s T-STEM Challenge Scholarship recipients, within twelve months of receipt of a scholarship, are:
(1) employed; or
(2) enrolled in courses leading to a certificate, associate, or baccalaureate degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) field.