(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 recommendation 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, or 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.

(5) Conferences generally do not meet the requirements of the program. Applications for conferences must be submitted with additional justification as required by the department. If a conference application is submitted without such justification, it will be rejected. Employers should err on the side of submitting justification if they are not sure whether the event for which funding is requested is a conference or not. This justification provides employers the opportunity to make a compelling case that a conference will advance the worker and his or her skill level. Justification must be accompanied by all documents relevant to answer the questions thereon. Employers must submit information about the conference including, but not limited to:

(a) justification that the proposed training will advance the worker and his or her skill level;

(b) justification that the conference is skills-based training; and

(c) which specific sessions of the conference the worker will attend.