Section 261.20.6. Program agreements.

       20.6(1) Program agreements will be developed by an employer, a community college and any employee of an employer representing a program job. The development of the agreements may be facilitated by an entity representing a group of employers. Any community college that has an employer from its merged area involved in an ACE project must enter into the agreement. If a bargaining unit is in place with the employer pledging the jobs, a representative of the bargaining unit shall take part in the development of the program agreement. All participating parties must sign the program agreement. The agreement must include employer certification of contributions that are made toward the program costs.

       20.6(2) A program agreement shall include, at a minimum, the following terms: match provided by the employer; tuition, student fees, or special charges fixed by the community college board of directors; guarantee of employer payments; type and amount of funding sources that will be used to pay for program costs; description of program services and implementation schedule; the term of the agreement, not to exceed five years; the employer’s agreement to interview graduates for full-time positions and provide hiring preference; for employers with more than four sponsored participants, certification that a job offer will be made to at least 25 percent of those participants that complete the program; an agreement by the employer to provide a wage level of no less than 200 percent of the federal poverty guideline for a family of two; a provision that the employer does not have to fulfill the job offer requirement if the employer experiences an economic downturn; a provision that the participants will agree to interview with the employer following completion of the program; and default procedures.

       20.6(3) Projects that cross community college boundaries, or projects that involve employers from multiple community college areas, must be conducted pursuant to an agreement or agreements with each college.