Section 116L.13 Program Requirements

116L.13 PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.

Subdivision 1.Marketing and recruitment.

A qualifying consortium must implement a marketing and outreach strategy to recruit into the health care and human services fields persons from one or more of the potential employee target groups. Recruitment strategies must include:

(1) a screening process to evaluate whether potential employees may be disqualified as the result of a required background check or are otherwise unlikely to succeed in the position for which they are being recruited; and

(2) a process for modifying course work to meet the training needs of non-English-speaking persons, when appropriate.

Subd. 2.Recruitment and retention incentives.

Employer members of a consortium must provide incentives to train and retain employees. These incentives may include, but are not limited to:

(1) paid salary during initial training periods, but only if specifically approved by the board, which must certify that the employer has not formerly paid employees during the initial training period and is unable to do so because of the employer's limited size, financial condition, or other factors;

(2) scholarship programs under which a specified amount is deposited into an educational account for the employee for each hour worked, which may include contributions on behalf of an employee to a Minnesota college savings plan account under chapter 136G;

(3) the provision of advanced education to employees so that they may qualify for advanced positions in the health care or human services fields. This education may be provided at the employer's site, at the site of a nearby employer, or at a local educational institution or other site. Preference shall be given to grantees that offer flexible advanced training to employees at convenient sites, allow workers time off with pay during the workday to participate, and provide education at no cost to students or through employer-based scholarships that pay expenses prior to the start of classes rather than upon completion;

(4) work maturity or soft skills training, adult basic education, English as a second language instruction, and basic computer orientation for persons with limited previous attachment to the work force due to a lack of these skills;

(5) child care subsidies during training or educational activities;

(6) transportation to training and education programs; and

(7) programs to coordinate efforts by employer members of the consortium to share staff among employers where feasible, to pool employee and employer benefit contributions in order to enhance benefit packages, and to coordinate education and training opportunities for staff in order to increase the availability and flexibility of education and training programs.

Subd. 3.Work hour limits.

High school students participating in a training and retention program shall not be permitted to work more than 20 hours per week when school is in session.

Subd. 4.Collective bargaining agreements.

This section shall be implemented consistent with existing collective bargaining agreements covering health care and human services employees.

History:

1999 c 245 art 10 s 6; 1Sp2001 c 1 art 3 s 23; 1Sp2001 c 9 art 6 s 4; 2002 c 379 art 1 s 113