39-11-303. (Temporary) Program objectives. (1) The department of labor and industry shall coordinate with the department of commerce, the office of public instruction, the board of education, the board of regents, and other state agencies to:

(a) promote creation of strategic industry partnerships across the state, with an emphasis on addressing areas of high poverty and high unemployment as identified by the U.S. bureau of the census;

(b) advance the skills of the state's workforce, particularly in high-demand occupations requiring identifiable skills;

(c) determine opportunities for resource sharing; and

(d) increase sustainable employment for residents of this state.

(2) In addition to searching out new funding resources for grants as provided in 39-11-307(3), the department shall minimize program expenses by coordinating with the governor's office and the departments listed in subsection (1) of this section to use existing resources to implement the Montana EARN program.

(3) Strategic industry partnerships may form to:

(a) identify common workforce needs for high-demand occupations within a target industry and a target population;

(b) plan, develop, and implement strategies to meet common workforce needs, address shortages determined for a specific region, and encourage entrepreneurship for high-demand occupations; and

(c) apply to the department for grants to address strategic industry partnership objectives. (Terminates June 30, 2021--sec. 12, Ch. 366, L. 2019.)