PARRIS N. GLENDENING, Governor                             S.B. 810

(vi) 1 representative each from the Maryland Higher Education
Commission, the State Department of Education, and the Work Force Investment Board.

[3-503.] 3-703.

(a)     The Secretary or the Secretary's designee shall direct the Partnership for
Workforce Quality Program.

(b)     The Secretary shall provide training assistance under the Program only at the
specific request of an employer or group of employers.

(c)     (1) Except as provided in paragraphs (2), (3), (4), and (5) of this subsection,
the Secretary shall establish eligibility criteria and priorities for assistance under the
Partnership for Workforce Quality Program.

(2)     Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1) of this subsection, an
employer receiving assistance under the Program:

(i) Shall be a Maryland employer that operates under the provisions
of Title 8 of the Labor and Employment Article and has 500 or fewer full-time
employees;

(ii) Shall request training assistance for job specific skills;

(iii) Shall request training assistance for Maryland-based employees
who are covered under the provisions of Title 8 of the Labor and Employment Article;
and

(iv) Shall request training assistance to upgrade or retrain existing
employees.

(3)     Not less than 60 percent of all funds available shall be reserved for
Maryland employers with 100 or fewer Maryland-based employees.

(4)     No single Maryland employer shall receive more than the greater of
$25,000 or 5 percent of total funds available to the Program within a year.

(5)     Priority shall be given to Maryland employers who are:

(i) Manufacturers; or

(ii) Threatened by the pressures of increased foreign or domestic
competition.

(d)     (1) The Secretary shall utilize local advisory groups such as private industry
councils, and joint apprenticeship committees, to identify employers in need of assistance.

(2) Business assistance services provided by the Program shall:

(i) Determine whether the employer's specific needs are best met by
training, by other types of assistance, or by a combination of services;

(ii) Identify the availability of existing training programs which could
be adapted to meet the employer's needs;

- 3873 -