1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to employment; appropriating money for grants 
  1.3             to encourage women to enter nontraditional careers. 
  1.4   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.5      Section 1.  [APPROPRIATION; GRANT ELIGIBILITY.] 
  1.6      $900,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  1.7   commissioner of economic security for grants to nonprofit 
  1.8   organizations for programs that encourage and assist women to 
  1.9   enter nontraditional careers in the trades and in manual and 
  1.10  technical occupations.  The appropriation is available until 
  1.11  June 30, 2001. 
  1.12     To be eligible for a grant under this section, a program 
  1.13  must include at least one of the following: 
  1.14     (1) outreach to girls and women through public and private 
  1.15  elementary, junior high and high schools, appropriate community 
  1.16  organizations, or existing state and county employment and 
  1.17  training programs.  The outreach must consist of general 
  1.18  information concerning opportunities for women in the trades, 
  1.19  manual, and technical occupations, including specific fields 
  1.20  where worker shortages exist and specific information about 
  1.21  training programs offered.  The outreach may include printed or 
  1.22  recorded information, hands-on experiences for women and girls, 
  1.23  presentations to women and girls, or on-going contact with 
  1.24  appropriate staff; or 
  2.1      (2) assistance for women to enter careers in the trades and 
  2.2   technical occupations as follows: 
  2.3      (a) training designed to prepare women to succeed in 
  2.4   nontraditional occupations, conducted by the grantee or in 
  2.5   collaboration with another institution.  The training shall 
  2.6   cover the knowledge and skills required for the trade, 
  2.7   information about on-the-job realities for women in the 
  2.8   particular trade, physical strength, and stamina training as 
  2.9   needed, opportunities for developing workplace problem-solving 
  2.10  skills, and information about the current and projected future 
  2.11  job market and likely career paths; 
  2.12     (b) assistance with child care and transportation during 
  2.13  training, job search, and the first two months of employment for 
  2.14  low-income women; 
  2.15     (c) job placement assistance during and for at least two 
  2.16  years after completion of the training program; and 
  2.17     (d) job retention support.  This may take the form of 
  2.18  mentorship programs, support groups, or on-going staff contact 
  2.19  for at least the first year of placement in a job after 
  2.20  completion of training, and should include access to job-related 
  2.21  information, assistance with workplace issues resolution, and 
  2.22  access to advocacy. 
  2.23     Approved programs must be accessible to MFIP-S participants 
  2.24  and other low-income women.  Factors that contribute to 
  2.25  accessibility include:  (i) affordability of tuition and 
  2.26  supplies; (ii) geographic proximity to low-income neighborhoods, 
  2.27  child care, and transportation routes; and (iii) flexibility of 
  2.28  hours per week and duration of program to be compatible with 
  2.29  family needs and the need for employment during training. 
  2.30     All general state-funded employment and training programs 
  2.31  shall include information about opportunities for women in 
  2.32  nontraditional careers in the trades and technical occupations. 
  2.33     Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.34     Section 1 is effective July 1, 1999.