2002 Minnesota Statutes

     256K.30 Grants for nontraditional career assistance and 
  training programs. 

    Subdivision 1.    Establishment and purpose.  The 
 commissioner shall establish a program of reimbursement-based 
 grants to nonprofit organizations to provide nontraditional 
 career assistance and training (NCAT) programs that encourage 
 and assist low-income women with minor children to enter 
 nontraditional careers in the trades and in manual and technical 
 operations. 

    Subd. 2.    Requirements for grantees.  To be eligible 
 for a grant under this section, an NCAT program must include the 
 career assistance component specified in subdivision 4. 

    Subd. 3.    Outreach component.  An NCAT program may 
 include an outreach component that provides outreach to girls 
 and women through public and private elementary and secondary 
 schools, appropriate community organizations, or existing state 
 and county employment and training programs.  The outreach must 
 consist of:  general information concerning opportunities for 
 women in the trades, manual, and technical occupations, 
 including specific fields where worker shortages exist; and 
 specific information about training programs offered.  The 
 outreach may include printed or recorded information, hands-on 
 experiences for women and girls, presentations to women and 
 girls, or ongoing contact with appropriate staff. 

    Federal TANF funds may not be used for the outreach 
 component of an NCAT program. 

    Subd. 4.    Career assistance component.  An NCAT 
 program may include a career assistance component that provides 
 the following assistance for low-income women to enter careers 
 in the trades and technical occupations: 

    (1) training designed to prepare women to succeed in 
 nontraditional occupations, conducted by an NCAT grantee or in 
 collaboration with another institution.  The training must cover 
 the knowledge and skills required for the trade, information 
 about on-the-job realities for women in the particular trade, 
 physical strength and stamina training as needed, opportunities 
 for developing workplace problem-solving skills, and information 
 about the current and projected future job market and likely 
 career path for the trade; 

    (2) assistance with child care and transportation during 
 training, during job search, and for at least the first two 
 months of posttraining employment; 

    (3) job placement assistance during training, during job 
 search, and for at least two years after completion of the 
 training program; and 

    (4) job retention support may be in the form of mentorship 
 programs, support groups, or ongoing staff contact for at least 
 the first year of posttraining employment, including access to 
 job-related information, assistance with workplace issue 
 resolution, and access to advocacy services. 

    Subd. 5.    NCAT; eligible participants.  To be eligible 
 to enroll in an NCAT program under this section, a participant 
 must be a female caregiver receiving assistance under chapter 
 256J or this chapter.  

    Subd. 6.    Accessibility required.  Approved NCAT 
 programs must be accessible to women who are MFIP participants.  
 Factors that contribute to a program's accessibility include: 

    (1) affordability of tuition and supplies; 

    (2) geographic proximity to low-income neighborhoods, child 
 care, and public transportation routes; and 

    (3) flexibility of the hours per week required by the 
 program and the duration of the program, in order to be 
 compatible with the program participants' family needs and the 
 need for participants to be employed during training. 

    HIST: 2000 c 488 art 10 s 26