Sec. 4211.7. Training projects and training assessment projects

(a) Training projects.

(1) Assistance available. The corporation may make grants, as set forth below and within available appropriations, of up to $200,000 or 50 percent of total project cost, whichever is less, for training projects. A training project is a project that consists of a program of employment training and retraining, skills upgrading, including remediation, productivity enhancement or high performance work organization strategies, including total quality management, in connection with a specific eligible company or industry which has committed to create positions for, or retain the project's trainees. An eligible company is an industrial, manufacturing, commercial, research and development, high technology, tourism, agricultural or service company that is not a retail business or overnight lodging facility.

(2) Eligibility. To be eligible for training project grant assistance, the project must:

(i) be consistent with the regional strategic plan, as evidenced by the certification of the regional council or the corporation, as the case may be, in accordance with section 4211.11(b) of this Part;

(ii) have received commitments for the use of other public or private development funds for the purpose of the prevention of worker dislocation or the creation of new employment opportunities;

(iii) be unable to obtain sufficient funding on reasonable terms from other public or private sources to permit the project to proceed without the requested assistance;

(iv) be intended and likely to be completed within one year of its implementation; and

(v) be reviewed and approved by the State Department of Economic Development.

(3) Eligible grant recipients. Applicants eligible to receive training project grants shall be limited to:

(i) eligible companies;

(ii) boards of cooperative educational services, community colleges, agricultural and technical colleges, and degree-granting institutions of higher education (including the State University of New York and its affiliates);

(iii) eligible local governments and private industry councils established pursuant to the Job Training Partnership Act (29 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.); and

(iv) not-for-profit organizations, including local development corporations and industrial development agencies.

(4) Eligible costs. Training project grants made by the corporation hereunder may finance the following:

(i) the salaries, but not fringe benefits, of instructors and trainers hired to conduct the training project;

(ii) the costs of materials and supplies used exclusively for carrying out a training project;

(iii) the salaries, but not fringe benefits, of trainees participating in the training project, provided that such trainees are not providing services or producing goods while receiving such salaries;

(iv) the administrative costs associated with implementing the training project and operating expenses incurred by eligible grant recipients other than eligible companies, for the salaries and fringe benefits of employees, not to exceed 10 percent of the training project grant.

(5) Ineligible projects. Training project grant assistance may not be provided to:

(i) the State, or any agency, department, authority, public benefit corporation or political subdivision thereof, except as otherwise expressly provided for in this section (the State);

(ii) a full-time employee of the State or of any State agency, department, authority, public benefit corporation, or political subdivision (a State employee); or

(iii) any entity that is controlled or a majority of which is owned by the State or a State employee.

(6) Terms.

(i) Eligible companies assisted by training project grants must agree to implement the corporation's disadvantaged worker's equity policy.

(ii) Training project grant recipients must submit to the corporation, upon completion of the project, a report analyzing the project, including the following:

(a) a description of the eligible company or industry served by the project, including size and business sector;

(b) a description of the training activity actually provided, including the number of individuals who enrolled in the project and the number of individuals who successfully completed the project;

(c) evidence of linkages, if any, with other publicly funded training programs; and

(d) description of outcomes achieved including number of job placements, jobs retained, jobs created or a measure of productivity improvement.

(b) Training assessment projects.

(1) Assistance available. The corporation may make grants, as set forth below and within available appropriations, of up to $50,000 for training assessment projects. A training assessment project is a project that consists of assessing the need of, and/or providing technical assistance to, one or more eligible companies or industries, as defined in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, in connection with the implementation of new, high performance work organization strategies, including total quality management programs.

(2) Eligibility. To be eligible for training assessment project grant assistance, the project must:

(i) be consistent with the regional strategic plan, as evidenced by the certification of the regional council or by the corporation, as the case may be, in accordance with section 4211.11(b) of this Part;

(ii) be unable to obtain sufficient funding on reasonable terms from other public or private sources to permit the project to proceed without the requested assistance;

(iii) be intended and likely to be implemented within a one-year period; and

(iv) be reviewed and approved by the State Department of Economic Development.

(3) Eligible grant recipients. Applicants eligible to receive training assessment project grants shall be limited to:

(i) not-for-profit organizations, including local development corporations and industrial development agencies; and

(ii) eligible companies.

(4) Eligible costs. Training assessment project grants made by the corporation hereunder may finance the following:

(i) the salaries, but not fringe benefits, of personnel conducting the project;

(ii) the costs of materials and supplies used exclusively for carrying out the project; and

(iii) the administrative costs associated with implementing the training assessment project and operating expenses incurred by eligible grant recipients other than eligible companies, for the salaries and fringe benefits of employees, not to exceed 10 percent of the training assessment project grant.

(5) Ineligible projects. Training assessment project grant assistance may not be provided to:

(i) the State, or any agency, department, authority, public benefit corporation or political subdivision thereof;

(ii) a full-time employee of the State or of any State agency, department, authority, public benefit corporation, or political subdivision (a State employee); or

(iii) any entity that is controlled or a majority of which is owned by the State or a State employee.

(6) Terms. Training assessment project grant recipients must submit to the corporation, upon completion of the project, a report analyzing the project including, as appropriate:

(i) a description of the firm(s) or industry/ies that were the subject of the project;

(ii) description of the services performed;

(iii) description of the outcomes achieved;

(iv) description of the recommendations for training made.