(1) The department shall award incumbent worker training grants to employers in accordance with the grant award criteria set forth by 53-2-1218, MCA, and the approval of a recommending entity.

(2) Continuing education that is a regular and customary requirement for maintenance of an employee's professional or occupational licensure does not qualify for incumbent worker training grant funding.

(3) The department shall award grant funding only to employers who have demonstrated that incumbent worker training is an integral part of a plan for worker retention, skill improvement, and wage enhancement.

(4) The department shall award incumbent worker training grant funding on a prospective basis only and may not award grant funding to an employer for training that occurred prior to the date upon which the employer and recommending entity signed the completed grant application.