Notwithstanding any other provision in this article, no individual shall be denied unemployment compensation benefits because of his receiving training as part of an area vocational program, or similar program, which has as its object the training of unemployed individuals in new occupational skills: Provided, That such individual's training and training institution are approved by the commissioner, and such individual produces evidence of his continued attendance and satisfactory progress at such training institution when requested to do so by the commissioner.

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Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, no otherwise eligible individual shall be denied benefits for any week because he or she is in training approved under section 236(a)(1) of the Federal Trade Act of 1974, nor shall such individual be denied benefits by reason of leaving work to enter such training, if the work left is not suitable employment, or because of the application of the provisions of this chapter or any applicable federal unemployment compensation law relating to availability for work, active search for work or refusal to work to any such week in training.

For purposes of this section, the term "suitable employment" means with respect to an individual, work of a substantially equal or higher skill level than the individual's past adversely affected employment as defined for purposes of the Federal Trade Act of 1974 and wages for such work at not less than eighty percent of the individual's average weekly wage as determined for the purposes of the Federal Trade Act of 1974.