Article 23A. New York State Manpower Training Act

Section 820. Statement of public policy.

There are persons who lack the academic and career education and training necessary to obtain and hold employment in the contemporary economy because of dislocations arising from automation and other technological developments, foreign competition, relocation of industry, shifts in market demands, and other changes in the economy. The skills of many other persons who are currently employed are being rendered obsolete by such dislocations in the economy. Unless such persons are given appropriate career and related education and training, many of them and their families are doomed to lifelong unemployment or underemployment and dependency on the aid, care and support of the welfare agencies of the state and its political subdivisions; with appropriate career and related education and training; many of them would become qualified for occupational categories which remain unfilled because of shortages of qualified personnel.

Accordingly, it is the purpose of this act to authorize the state government to develop programs of career and related education and training which will permit persons who face the hazards of unemployment and underemployment to develop skills which are useful in the contemporary economy and to assist such persons to participate in such programs.

Section 821. State training courses.

The commissioner may provide for career and related, institutional and on-the-job training courses as described in section five hundred ninety-nine of this chapter and for the administration of public work projects for recipients of public assistance, and may contract for these purposes with public and private agencies including public and private institutions of learning, employers or other appropriate organizations. He shall select for and refer to such training courses unemployed and under-employed persons who would meet the conditions for approval as specified in section five hundred ninety-nine of this chapter. He shall select and refer to public work projects all public assistance recipients registered at employment offices of the department who are neither referred thereby for employment in the regular economy or for career training, nor assigned to public works projects by social welfare officials. The commissioner may provide for such payments, either in advance or by way of reimbursement, from funds made available to carry out the purposes of this article, as he deems necessary.

Section 822. Authorization and standards for allowances.

The commissioner, in accordance with standards established by him, may pay to a person enrolled in such courses, training, subsistence, and transportation allowances. In setting standards for:

1. training allowances, the commissioner shall consider the relative needs of the trainees, wages earned by them, and benefits payable to them under the general provisions of article eighteen of this chapter, provided, however, that no training allowance shall exceed by more than ten dollars the average statewide gross benefit rate under such article for a week of total unemployment during the most recent four-calendar-quarter period for which such data are available, augmented by five dollars a week for each dependent over two up to a maximum of four additional dependents.

2. subsistence allowances, the commissioner shall consider the cost to the trainees of living away from their normal residences where this is necessitated by the location and nature of the training facilities, provided, however, that no such allowance shall exceed five dollars a day.

3. transportation allowances, the commissioner shall consider the cost to the trainees of commuting and long-distance travel necessitated by the nature and location of the training facilities.

Section 823. Applicability of other provisions.

The provisions of section five hundred ninety-seven and of title eight of article eighteen of this chapter shall, insofar as appropriate, apply to payments authorized by this article.