(a) The General Assembly finds that:

(1) Higher education credentials are:

(A) Becoming increasingly important for the State of Arkansas to maintain a competitive workforce; and

(B) Critical for adults to qualify and obtain high-wage employment; and

(2) It is in the public interest that:

(A) Individuals improve their education credentials in order to qualify for higher-wage jobs;

(B) Eligible persons have access to postsecondary education programs that meet the specific needs of working adults;

(C) Institutions of higher education offer programs targeted to the specific workforce needs of their area within the state; and

(D) Our state provide services aimed at improving employment prospects for low-income adults.

(b) (1) (A) The Department of Workforce Services, the Department of Higher Education, and the Arkansas Workforce Development Board shall work jointly to develop a plan for the Career Pathways Initiative.

(B) The plan shall be updated annually.

(2) The initiative shall:

(A) Increase the access of low-income parents and other individuals to education credentials that qualify them for higher-paying jobs in their local areas;

(B) Improve the preparedness of the Arkansas workforce for high-skill and high-wage jobs;

(C) Develop training courses and educational credentials after consulting local employers and local workforce boards to identify appropriate job opportunities and needed skills and training to meet employers' needs;

(D) Provide resources on the basis of performance incentives, including participants:

(i) Enrolling in courses;

(ii) Completing the courses;

(iii) Obtaining jobs in the targeted job categories; and

(iv) Staying employed in the targeted job categories;

(E) Use available Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds for participants who have custody or legal responsibility for a child under twenty-one (21) years of age and whose family income is less than two hundred fifty percent (250%) of the federal poverty level; and

(F) Incorporate the existing Career Pathways Program.

(c) The initiative plan shall be subject to review, recommendation, and approval by the Arkansas Workforce Development Board.

(d) Under the initiative, the Department of Higher Education shall contract to provide education and training that will result in job training certificates or higher education degrees for Transitional Employment Assistance Program participants and other low-income adults with:

(1) State agencies;

(2) Two-year colleges;

(3) Local governments; or

(4) Private or community organizations.

(e)

(1) The initiative plan shall specify procedures and requirements for applications for entry into programs under subsection (d) of this section.

(2) Applications shall be made to the Department of Higher Education.

(f) The Department of Higher Education shall determine which two-year college proposals are funded under the initiative.

(g) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds may be combined with other federal, state, and local funds in ways consistent with federal laws and regulations.