Section 10214.5 Of Chapter 3.5. Employment Training Panel From California Unemployment Insurance Code >> Division 3. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 3.5.
10214.5
. (a) The panel may allocate up to 15 percent of the
annually available training funds for the purpose of funding special
employment training projects that improve the skills and employment
security of frontline workers, as defined in subdivision (a) of
Section 10200. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter,
participants in these projects are not required to meet the
eligibility criteria set forth in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of
Section 10200 or subdivision (c) of Section 10201.
(b) The panel shall, on an annual basis or as needed in response
to a proclamation of a state of emergency issued by the Governor
under the California Emergency Services Act (Chapter 7 (commencing
with Section 8550) of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code),
identify industries and occupations that shall be priorities for
funding under this section. Training shall be targeted, but not
limited, to frontline workers who earn at least the state average
hourly wage.
(c) The panel may waive the minimum wage provisions pursuant to
subdivision (f) of Section 10201 for projects in regions of the state
where the unemployment rate is significantly higher than the state
average or regions identified in a proclamation of a state of
emergency issued by the Governor under the California Emergency
Services Act (Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 8550) of Division 1
of Title 2 of the Government Code), and also may waive the employment
retentions provisions specified in subdivision (f) of Section 10209
and instead require that the trainee has been retained in employment
for a minimum of 90 days out of 120 consecutive days after the end of
training with no more than three employers.
(d) (1) The panel may allocate funds pursuant to subdivision (a)
to increase the productivity and extended employment retention of
workers in the state's major seasonal industries.
(2) In funding special employment training projects for this
purpose, the panel may do all of the following:
(A) When the amount of the postretention wages of each trainee who
has completed training exceeds the amount of wages that the trainee
earned before and during training, waive the minimum wage
requirements set forth in subdivision (f) of Section 10201.
(B) Waive the employment retention requirements set forth in
subdivision (f) of Section 10209 and instead require that the trainee
be retained in employment for not less than 500 hours within the
12-month period following the completion of the training.
(C) When the panel finds that the training is necessary to achieve
the objectives of vocational training, waive the limitation on
job-related basic and literacy skills training set forth in
subdivision (a) of Section 10209.
(3) For purposes of this section, "major seasonal industries"
means eligible employers who satisfy all of the following
requirements:
(A) Have a workforce comprised of at least 50 percent of workers
whose employment period is necessarily cyclical, including, but not
limited to, businesses directly involved in the harvesting, packing,
or processing of goods or products.
(B) Have retained at least 50 percent of the same seasonal
employees for at least one season of not less than 500 hours for the
preceding 12-month period.
(C) Pay wages and provide benefits that exceed industry averages.
(e) The panel shall adopt minimum standards for consideration of
proposals to be funded pursuant to this section.
(f) The panel may select contracts funded under this section based
on competitive bidding.
(g) It is the intent of the Legislature in providing the authority
for these projects that the panel allocate these funds in a manner
consistent with the objectives of this chapter as provided in Section
10200.