Section 2650.20  Definitions

Director – The Director of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Employee Training – Training programs, that are on-the-job, in a classroom, on-line through a virtual classroom or e-learning program or any combination thereof, sponsored by an employer or other eligible grant recipient on behalf of employers, which are intended to provide employees with the skills required to perform their current job or as a condition of continued employment.  The employee skill requirements are established by the employer or participating employers and may include basic, technical, language and managerial skills.

Full-time Employee – An individual who is employed for consideration for at least 35 hours each week or who renders any other standard of service generally accepted by industry custom or practice as full-time employment. [35 ILCS 10/5-5]  Annually scheduled periods for inventory or repairs, vacations, holidays and paid time for sick leave, vacation or other leave shall be included in this computation of full-time employment.  An individual for whom a W-2 is issued by a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) is a full-time employee if employed in the service of the Applicant for consideration for at least 35 hours each week or who renders any other standard of service generally accepted by industry custom or practice as full-time employment to the Applicant. [35 ILCS 10/5-5] For example, an employee who works 25 hours per week is considered the industry standard for full-time in the package delivery industry and an employee who is employed for at least 35 hours per week during the historical seasonal production is considered the industry standard for full-time in the candy manufacturing industry.

GATA − the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act [30 ILCS 708] and its corresponding rules at 44 Ill. Adm. Code 7000.

Grantee – Any program applicant whose proposal is funded by the Department through a grant.

Grantor – The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Labor Organization – Any collective bargaining unit or any labor entity formed by collective bargaining units such as State labor councils, district labor councils, local central labor councils and international unions as well as the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).

Large Company – A company with facilities in Illinois that employs at least 250 full-time employees.  If the grant amount is less than $100,000, the Grantor shall serve the grantee as a Small to Mid-Sized Company, regardless of size, in circumstances where a grantee would be unduly burdened with the reporting requirements imposed on large companies based on variables including, but not limited to: amount of grant; previous experience; number of employees at start and end of training; term of grant; and number of trainees.

Large Manufacturers Supplier Network – Any company located or with facilities in the State of Illinois that supplies products or services to an original equipment manufacturer or large manufacturing assembly facility in Illinois.

Large Multi-Company Training Project – Any project submitted for the benefit of more than two companies that addresses the common employee training, retraining or skills upgrading needs identified by participating companies.  The majority of companies participating in the project shall be large.  High Volume Multi-Company Projects ($500,000 or more) and Large Manufacturers Supplier Network Projects, regardless of the size of the participating company, shall also be included in this definition.  The participating companies shall not include units of local, municipal, home rule, county, State or federal government or government agencies or government-operated facilities.

Location Activities – Activities necessary to retain existing companies and to attract new companies to Illinois (e.g., training).  All location training incentives, regardless of company size, will be treated as large companies for programmatic purposes.

New Employee – An individual who is hired by the grantee during the term of a training agreement or who is permanently transferred to Illinois during the term of a training agreement.

Planned Permanent Expansion – Any of the following will apply:

Permanent increase in the workforce (no minimum number of new jobs required);

Addition of new product line or expansion of existing product line; or

New capital investment in machinery or equipment.

Retention Activities – Activities necessary to keep existing companies in Illinois that might otherwise leave the State or reduce their workforce (e.g., retraining,

Retraining – The training of an employee with the intent that the employee will learn to perform a significantly different type of job than was previously held by that employee.

Small to Mid-Sized Company − A company with facilities in Illinois that employs fewer than 250 full-time employees.  If the grant amount is greater than or equal to $100,000, or if the grant is in connection with a development assistance package subject to applicable recapture provisions pursuant to Section 25 of the Corporate Accountability for Tax Expenditures Act [20 ILCS 715/25], the Department shall serve the grantee as a large company, regardless of size, in circumstances where a grantee would be better served as a large company based on variables including, but not limited to: amount of grant; previous experience; number of employees at start and end of training; term of grant; and number of trainees.

Small to Mid-Sized Multi-Company Training Project − Any project submitted for the benefit of more than two companies that addresses common employee training, retraining or skills, upgrading needs identified by participating companies.  The majority of companies participating in the project shall be small to mid-sized.  The participating companies shall not include units of local, municipal, home rule, county, State or federal government or government agencies or government-operated facilities.

Strategic Business Partnership – A formal or informal agreement between more than two businesses with facilities in Illinois where an objective of the partnership is to address employee training or other common workforce development issues among the participating businesses.

Trainee – A full-time existing or newly-hired employee of a company who is participating in a training, retraining or skills upgrading program. Part-time, seasonal, temporary and/or contractual employees are not precluded from being considered trainees for program reimbursement if the employer's primary business activity is in the biotechnology, biomedical or film and television production industries. No participating employee may be an unauthorized alien as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1324a.

Upgrade Training – The enhancement of employees' job skills with the intent that the employee will continue working at the same type of job (e.g., cross-training of skilled employees).

(Source:  Amended at 48 Ill. Reg. 17516, effective November 25, 2024)