Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 6, September 18, 2024
(1) Program agreements will be developed by
an employer and a community college. The development of the program agreements
may be facilitated by an entity representing a group of employers. 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 program agreement must include employer certification of contributions that
are made toward the program costs.
(2) A program agreement shall include, at a
minimum, the following terms:
a. Match
provided by the employer;
b.
Tuition, student fees, or special charges fixed by the community college board
of directors;
c. Guarantee of
employer payments;
d. Type and
amount of funding sources that will be used to pay for program costs;
e. Description of program services and
implementation schedule;
f. The
term of the agreement, not to exceed five years;
g. The employer's agreement to interview
graduates for full-time positions and provide hiring preference;
h. For employers with more than four
sponsored participants, certification that a job offer will be made to at least
25 percent of those participants who complete the program;
i. 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;
j. A provision that
the employer does not have to fulfill the job offer requirement if the employer
experiences an economic downturn;
k. A provision that the participants will
agree to interview with the employer following completion of the program; and
l. Default
procedures.
(3) Program
agreements shall be submitted to the authority via the 260G data system.
Program agreements shall document the findings of the community college that
all program and employer eligibility requirements have been met. The authority
will review agreements for issues of quality. The authority will maintain a
record of all approved agreements.
(4) Term, amendments, and renewals.
a.
Term. The term of a
program agreement shall not exceed five years from the effective date of the
agreement. Once a program agreement is approved, the authority will obligate
job credits, contingent upon the availability of funding, for each year of the
term of the agreement.
b.
Amendments. A program agreement shall be amended only with the
consent of both parties and approval by the authority. A program agreement can
be amended to extend the term of the agreement a maximum of two
years.
c.
Renewals. A program agreement may be renewed upon completion
of its approved term. The community college must demonstrate the program meets
the eligibility requirements in Iowa Code section260G.4, including increased
program capacity, as of the date of approval of renewal by the authority. A
renewed agreement, including exhibits, shall be entered and uploaded into the
260G data system. In order to renew an agreement, the following budgeted items
and employer commitments shall be updated:
(1)
Sponsored positions;
(2) Program
costs;
(3) Changes in
tuition;
(4) Other fees;
(5) Changes in salaries and
expenses;
(6) Federal poverty
thresholds;
(7) Income;
(8) Employer match amounts;
(9) Any other items identified by the
authority.
(5) The 260G data system will automatically
assign a 12-digit agreement number once the agreement data is entered and
approved. The agreement number will remain the same if an approved agreement is
extended or otherwise amended. Program agreements that are renewed pursuant
toparagraph 20.6(4)"c"will be assigned a new 12-digit number
(6) The authority shall provide information
about the ACE program in accordance with its annual reporting requirements in
Iowa Code section15.107B.
(7) Each
community college shall establish a monitoring system which includes, at a
minimum, a review of employers' compliance with Iowa Code, these rules, and the
program agreement. Monitoring shall be conducted at least annually by community
colleges with active program agreements. Each community college shall document
its monitoring efforts and promptly notify the authority of any
changes.
(8) Coordination with
other state agencies.
a.
Department of
revenue. When a program agreement is approved for funding, the
community college shall notify the authority through the 260G data system, and
the authority shall notify the department of revenue on behalf of the community
college within 30 days of the date of its approval. Information to be provided
to the department of revenue includes, but is not limited to, program agreement
number, employer name, employer address, start and expiration dates, federal
employer identification number, wages, sponsored positions, and approved amount
of program job credits. If, at any time after a program agreement is approved,
changes are made that would affect the above reporting requirements, the
department of revenue and the authority shall be notified within 30 days.
b.
Iowa workforce
development. Community colleges and the authority shall provide
program data to Iowa workforce development as required.
c.
Department of education.
Community colleges and the authority shall provide program data to the
department of education as required.
(9) Program costs for new and renewal program
agreements shall be calculated or recalculated based on the required program
services for a specific number of participants. Program agreement updates
reflecting this recalculation must be submitted to the authority to review
compliance.
