AN ACT
RELATING TO HIGHER EDUCATION; ENACTING
THE WORKFORCE TRAINING ACT; CREATING THE WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAM; PROVIDING
FOR CUSTOMIZED TRAINING AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF
THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
Section 1. SHORT TITLE.--This act may be cited as the
"Workforce Training Act".
Section 2. PURPOSES.--The purposes of the Workforce
Training Act are to:
A. provide funding for non-credit customized
training at community colleges;
B. establish the workforce training program to
deliver customized training for members of the workforce who require
specialized training to obtain or advance in employment with small and large
businesses in New Mexico;
C. provide a statewide program of customized
training that supplements the state's workforce development efforts and offers
opportunities for state residents to obtain skills needed to provide a
well-trained workforce for employers in New Mexico; and
D. enable community colleges to better respond
to the needs of their communities and to participate in attracting, retaining
and recruiting employers that can provide employment for trained workers in the
community.
Section 3. DEFINITIONS.--As used in the Workforce
Training Act:
A. "commission" means the commission
on higher education;
B. "community college" means a public
post-secondary educational institution located in New Mexico offering technical
or vocational training or two-year degrees;
C. "customized training" means
vocational or technical training:
(1) offered by a community college;
(2) that provides specialized employee training
for a particular business or industry;
(3) for which a student who successfully
completes the training does not receive college credit; and
(4) that enhances workforce development in the
state;
D. "tier-2 undergraduate funding
level" means tier 2 of the higher education funding formula developed by
the commission; and
E. "workforce training program" means
the program created by the Workforce Training Act to provide customized
training at community colleges in New Mexico.
Section 4. DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.--
A. Beginning in the budget cycle following the
effective date of the Workforce Training Act, the commission shall include in
its annual budget an amount calculated to be necessary to implement a workforce
training program in the state.
B. During the first year of funding, a base
number of students shall be projected by the commission for each community
college offering customized training pursuant to the Workforce Training Act
after consultation with each community college.
To determine the funding to be distributed to each community college,
the total appropriation made by the legislature to implement that act shall be
multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the projected number of
student credit hours in customized training at the community college receiving
the funding and the denominator of which is the total projected number of
student credit hours in customized training at all of the community colleges
participating in the workforce training program.
C. Following the first year of implementation of
the Workforce Training Act, the commission shall determine the number of
students enrolled in customized training at each community college in the state
according to the most recent year for which data is available.
D. Using a predetermined credit-hour equivalent
of courses normally considered under the tier-2 undergraduate funding level,
the amount to be budgeted for the program shall be developed and included in
the commission budget for each subsequent fiscal year.
E. Beginning in the second year of
implementation of the Workforce Training Act, the funding to be distributed to
each community college shall be determined by multiplying the total
appropriation made by the legislature to implement the Workforce Training Act
by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of student credit hours in
customized training at that community college in the prior year and the
denominator of which is the total number of student credit hours in customized
training in the prior year at all of the community colleges participating in
the workforce training program.
F. A community college that previously was not
included in the distribution but seeks to participate in the workforce training
program for the first time shall negotiate with the commission to establish the
base level of funding for the community college based on the projected number
of students expected to enroll in customized training and shall be added to the
formula to determine the budget expansion to be requested.
Section 5. ELIGIBLE FUNDING RECIPIENTS.--
A. To be eligible to receive funding pursuant to
the Workforce Training Act, a community college shall provide customized
training for at least one business each year.
B. To remain eligible to receive funding to
participate in the workforce training program following the first year in which
customized training is offered, a community college shall:
(1) increase the number of businesses receiving
customized training in each succeeding year by at least one business that did
not receive customized training in the prior year; or
(2) increase the total number of employees
enrolled in customized training for each succeeding year.
C. To qualify as a business that may participate
in the customized training opportunities offered at a community college:
(1) a business shall be located in New Mexico;
(2) may be either a new or an established
business;
(3) shall provide full-time job opportunities for
the successful participants of the workforce training program; and
(4) shall pay more than minimum wage to
successful participants of the workforce training program.
HEC/HB 160
Page 5