(A)
Authority
This rule is established and approved
by the adjutant general and the chancellor of higher education, in consultation
with the governor's office of workforce transformation (OWT), in accordance
with and pursuant to section
5919.34 of the Revised
Code.
(B)
Policy and Intent
In accordance with section
5919.34 of the Revised Code, the
purpose of establishing this rule for the Ohio national guard scholarship
program is to set forth guidelines for the implementation and administration of
the scholarship program for an award to an eligible student enrolled in a
credential certifying program, licensing program, trade certificate program or
apprenticeship program for an in-demand occupation as identified by the
adjutant general and the chancellor of higher education, in consultation with
the governor's office of workforce transformation.
The following programs offered by an
Ohio provider are identified and approved to be eligible for the scholarship
program:
(1)
A credential, license, trade certificate or
apprenticeship program that has an equivalent one-year option pathway approved
by the chancellor that provides training for an occupation that appears on
OWT's Ohio's top jobs list (or its successor) at the start of a student's
enrollment in the program. If an occupation is subsequently removed from Ohio's
top jobs list (or its successor), students that have already begun the program
may continue to apply units through the scholarship program while continuously
enrolled until completion.
(2)
A credential,
license, trade certificate or apprenticeship program that does not have an
equivalency approved by the chancellor, for up to the cost of six units in the
following areas:
(a)
Crane operator and any other program that is aligned
with OWT's Ohio's top jobs list (or its successor), at the time of the
student's first enrollment; a student that is continuously enrolled is
permitted to complete the program if the program is subsequently removed from
the list.
(b)
A provider may submit a request to increase the number
of units by following the process under paragraph (D) of this
rule.
(c)
The chancellor and adjutant general may remove a
program approved under this paragraph by following the process under paragraph
(C)(3) of this rule.
(3)
In addition to
the areas listed in paragraphs (C)(1) and (C)(2) of this rule, the chancellor
and the adjutant general, in consultation with OWT, may jointly identify and
approve additional programs. If such programs are identified, the chancellor
and the adjutant general will post on each agency's website the additional
programs.
To remove a program, the chancellor and
adjutant general will update the website to include information regarding the
date new enrollees are no longer permitted to start the program and send
notices to all institutions that have enrolled students in the program within
one year of the decision to remove the program. Students already enrolled in
the program may continue to apply scholarship units if the student remains
continuously enrolled.
(C)
An Ohio provider
may seek approval of a credential, license, trade certificate or apprenticeship
program that is not otherwise eligible under this rule.
(1)
The process to
submit a program for review is to provide the following to the department of
higher education:
(a)
Submit evidence of authorization to operate in the
state, such as authorization under Chapters 1713., 3332., and 3333. of the
Revised Code, or other applicable code section or chapter;
(b)
Submit evidence
of authorization to offer the program, as applicable;
(c)
Submit evidence
that the program is for an in-demand occupation;
(d)
Submit tuition
related costs;
(e)
Submit curriculum information for the
program;
(f)
Submit number of credit hours or clock hours needed to
complete individual courses within the program;
(g)
Submit other
documentation as requested by the department of higher
education.
(2)
Upon approval of a program, the department of higher
education will issue an approval letter indicating the length of time for the
approval and the number of eligibility units for the program.
(D)
"Eligible applicant" has the same meaning as in section
5919.34 of the Revised Code,
except that if the eligible applicant is enrolled in a program approved
pursuant to this rule and the program is not a credit bearing program, the
eligibility units the eligible applicant is entitled to under division (E) of
section 5919.34 of the Revised Code will
be reduced in the amount determined by the department of higher education
during the approval process, which will be not less than three units per
program.
(E)
An Ohio provider, including a state institution of
higher education as defined in section
5919.34 of the Revised Code,
enrolling an eligible applicant in a noncredit program approved under this rule
is to be paid in accordance with division (D)(1)(c) of section
5919.34 of the Revised
Code.
