(a) The Labor Commissioner shall appoint a job training coordinator who shall develop and implement innovative programs which will provide (1) job training for (A) workers who are needed by industries planning to locate in Connecticut or by industries located in this state, (B) unskilled entry level workers, (C) workers in need of retraining due to the obsolescence of their skills and (D) workers who need skill training to qualify for advancement, (2) an incentive for the establishment of apprenticeship programs in selected occupations; provided no program shall be developed for occupations where prior skill or training is not typically a prerequisite to hiring, and (3) work training opportunities and placement of the chronically unemployed under section 31-3d.

(b) The Labor Commissioner is authorized to establish an interagency program coordinating committee to coordinate the application of all available resources for the purposes of this section. Said committee shall consist of representatives of various employment and training agencies within the Labor Department and representatives of the Department of Education and the Department of Economic and Community Development.

(c) The Labor Commissioner may contract with any public or private agency for educational and job training services.

(d) The Labor Commissioner may accept and receive funds from any public or private source which become available for the purposes of this section and section 31-3d.

(P.A. 77-523, S. 1–4; 77-614, S. 284, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 85, 136; P.A. 79-337, S. 3; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6.)

History: P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 replaced department of commerce with department of economic development, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 79-337 added Subsec. (a)(3) to require that programs provide work training opportunities and placement of the chronically unemployed; P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Economic Development with Commissioner and Department of Economic and Community Development.