§ 531. The Vermont Training Program

(a) Authority.

(1) The Secretary of Commerce and Community Development, in consultation with the State Workforce Development Board, shall have the authority to design and implement a Vermont Training Program, the purpose of which shall be to issue performance-based grants to employers and to education and training providers to increase employment opportunities in Vermont consistent with this chapter.

(2) The Secretary shall structure the Vermont Training Program to serve as a flexible, nimble, and strategic resource for Vermont businesses and workers across all sectors of the economy.

(b) Eligibility for grant. The Secretary of Commerce and Community Development may award a grant to an employer if:

(1) the training is for preemployment, new employees, or incumbent employees in the methods, either singularly or in combination, relating to preemployment training, on-the-job training, upgrade training, crossover training, or specialized instruction, either on-site or through a training provider;

(2) the employer provides its employees with at least three of the following:

(A) health care benefits with 50 percent or more of the premium paid by the employer;

(B) dental assistance;

(C) paid vacation;

(D) paid holidays;

(E) child care;

(F) other extraordinary employee benefits;

(G) retirement benefits;

(H) other paid time off, excluding paid sick days;

(3) the training is directly related to the employment responsibilities of the trainee; and

(4) compensation for each trainee at the completion of the training program equals or exceeds the livable wage as defined in 2 V.S.A. § 526, provided that the Secretary shall have the authority to modify this requirement if he or she determines that the employer offers compensation or benefits, the value of which exceeds the compensation and benefit assumptions in the basic needs budget and livable wage calculated pursuant to 2 V.S.A. § 526.

(c) Disclosure. In the case of a grant to a training provider, the Secretary shall require as a condition of the grant that the provider shall disclose to the Secretary the name of the employer and the number of employees trained prior to final payment for the training.

(d) Conditions. In order to avoid duplication of programs or services and to provide the greatest return on investment from training provided under this section, the Secretary of Commerce and Community Development shall:

(1) consult with the Commissioner of Labor regarding whether the grantee has accessed, or is eligible to access, other workforce education and training resources;

(2) disburse grant funds only for training hours that have been successfully completed by employees, provided that:

(A) a grant for on-the-job training shall either provide not more than 50 percent of wages for each employee in training or not more than 50 percent of trainer expense, but not both; and

(B) training shall be performed in accordance with a training plan that defines the subject of the training, the number of training hours, and how the effectiveness of the training will be evaluated; and

(3) use funds under this section only to supplement training efforts of employers and not to replace or supplant training efforts of employers.

(e) Work-based learning activities.

(1) In addition to eligible training authorized in subsection (b) of this section, the Secretary of Commerce and Community Development may annually allocate up to 10 percent of the funding appropriated for the Program to fund work-based learning programs and activities with eligible employers to introduce Vermont students in a middle school, secondary school, career technical education program, or postsecondary school to manufacturers and other regionally significant employers.

(2) An employer with a defined work-based learning program or activity developed in partnership with a middle school, secondary school, career technical education program, or postsecondary school may apply to the Program for a grant to offset the costs the employer incurs for the work-based learning program or activity, including the costs of transportation, curriculum development, and materials.

(f) Certificate. Upon completion of the training program for any individual, the Secretary of Commerce and Community Development shall review the records and shall award to the trainee, if appropriate, a certificate of completion for the training.

(g)-(j) [Repealed.]

(k) Report. Annually on or before January 15, the Secretary shall submit a report to the House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development and the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs. In addition to the reporting requirements under section 540 of this title, the report shall identify:

(1) all active and completed contracts and grants;

(2) from among the following, the category the training addressed:

(A) preemployment training or other training for a new employee to begin a newly created position with the employer;

(B) preemployment training or other training for a new employee to begin in an existing position with the employer;

(C) training for an incumbent employee who, upon completion of training, assumes a newly created position with the employer;

(D) training for an incumbent employee who, upon completion of training assumes a different position with the employer;

(E) training for an incumbent employee to upgrade skills;

(3) for the training identified in subdivision (2) of this subsection whether the training is on-site or classroom-based;

(4) the number of employees served;

(5) the average wage by employer;

(6) any waivers granted;

(7) the identity of the employer, or, if unknown at the time of the report, the category of employer;

(8) the identity of each training provider;

(9) whether training results in a wage increase for a trainee, and the amount of increase;

(10) the aggregated median wage for employees invoiced for training during the reporting period;

(11) the percentage growth in wages and the percentage growth in the median wage for all wage earners in the State during the reporting period; and

(12) the number, type, and description of grants for work-based learning programs and activities awarded pursuant to subsection (e) of this section. (Added 1977, No. 214 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. April 12, 1978; amended 1981, No. 211 (Adj. Sess.); 1985, No. 172 (Adj. Sess.), § 5; 1989, No. 66; 1991, No. 50, § 230; 1993, No. 89, § 3, eff. June 15, 1993; 1995, No. 46, § 33; 1995, No. 190 (Adj. Sess.), § 1(b); 1997, No. 66 (Adj. Sess.), § 67a, eff. Feb. 20, 1998; 1997, No. 71 (Adj. Sess.), § 54; 1999, No. 147 (Adj. Sess.), § 4; 2003, No. 122 (Adj. Sess.), § 233a; 2005, No. 103 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. April 5, 2006; 2005, No. 174 (Adj. Sess.), § 16; 2007, No. 46, § 3, eff. May 23, 2007; 2009, No. 78 (Adj. Sess.), § 14a, April 15, 2010; 2009, No. 146 (Adj. Sess.), § G13, eff. June 1, 2010; 2011, No. 52, § 10, eff. May 27, 2011; 2013, No. 176 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; 2013, No. 199 (Adj. Sess.), § 42; 2015, No. 51, § G.4, eff. Jan. 1, 2015; 2015, No. 157 (Adj. Sess.), § H.2, eff. Jan. 1, 2017; 2015, No. 157 (Adj. Sess.), §§ D.1, K.2; 2019, No. 14, § 13, eff. April 30, 2019; 2019, No. 80, § 2.)