§ 545. Vermont Returnship Program
(a) As used in this section, "returnship" means an on-the-job learning experience working with an employer where an individual may, but does not necessarily, receive academic credit, financial remuneration, a stipend, or any combination of these for an individual who is returning to the workforce after an extended absence or is seeking a limited-duration on-the-job work experience in a different occupation or occupational setting.
(b)(1) The Department of Labor shall develop and implement the statewide Vermont Returnship Program.
(2) The Department of Labor shall coordinate and provide funding to public and private entities for returnship programs and opportunities that match experienced workers with Vermont employers.
(3) Funding awarded through the Program may be used to build and administer coordinated and cohesive programs and to provide participants with a stipend during the returnship, based on need. Funds may be made available only to programs or projects that:
(A) do not replace or supplant existing positions;
(B) expose individuals to real and meaningful workplace experiences;
(C) provide a process that measures progress toward mastery of hard and soft professional skills and other factors that indicate a likelihood of success in the workplace;
(D) are designed to motivate and educate participants through work-based learning opportunities with Vermont employers; or
(E) offer participants a continuum of learning, experience, and relationships with employers that will make it financially possible and attractive for individuals to continue to work and live in Vermont.
(c) The Department of Labor shall:
(1) identify new and existing funding sources that may be allocated to the Program;
(2) collect data and establish program goals and performance measures that demonstrate program results for returnship programs funded through the Program;
(3) engage appropriate agencies and departments of the State in the Program to expand returnship opportunities within State government and with entities awarded State contracts; and
(4) work with other public and private entities to develop and enhance returnship programs, opportunities, and activities throughout the State. (Added 2017, No. 189 (Adj. Sess.), § 12.)