7.4 Eligibility | 7.4.7 Standard vs. Alternate Eligibility Criteria

7.4.7 Standard vs. Alternate Eligibility Criteria

Effective date: March 16, 2022 - May 30, 2022

If an institution meets the Minimum Institution Requirements, DWD-DET classifies the institution as either "Standard" or "Alternate;" different program eligibility criteria apply depending on the institution's classification.

DWD-DET classifies an institution as "Standard" if it determines that the institution meets at least one of the following standard eligibility criteria:

it is part of the University of Wisconsin System, the Wisconsin Technical College System, or the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities;
it is a public out-of-state university, technical college, or community college;¹
it is a fully accredited tribal college or university;
OR
it is an out-of-state institution providing distance education that is approved by the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA) and it will include only distance education programs on Wisconsin's ETPL.

If an institution is not a Standard institution, DWD-DET classifies the institution as an "Alternate." An Alternate institution must either be approved by the state of Wisconsin's Educational Approval Program (EAP) or produce documentation from the EAP that the institution meets a statutory exemption, as outlined in Wis. Stats. § 440.52 (1)(e). Additionally, if the institution offers a training program that must be approved or licensed by another Wisconsin state agency(ies) or board(s), the institution must attain that approval or licensure before its program can be determined eligible for Wisconsin's ETPL. See the Resources box for a list of some common examples. When applicable, DWD-DET follows internal procedures in an attempt to ensure training institutions are compliant with state approval or licensing requirements.

For purposes of Wisconsin's ETPL, any program that uses the term "pre-apprenticeship" in its program application must be certified by Wisconsin's Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards, and, any WIOA Title II program must be approved as an "Integrated Education and Training" program by the Wisconsin Technical College System Office.

If an Alternate institution and/or the training program it would like included on Wisconsin's ETPL are not regulated by the EAP or another Wisconsin state agency or board, the institution must attest to this and meet all of the following before a program can be determined eligible for Wisconsin's ETPL:

the institution meets all requirements in Wis. Stats. Ch. 180. DWD-DET will verify on the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions' (DFI) website that the institution is registered and current with its organizational filings. If the institution is exempt from the requirement of obtaining a Certificate of Authority from DFI, the institution must supply documentation showing that it qualifies for the exemption. DWD-DET reserves the right to request additional documentation showing that the institution is registered and current with its organizational filings in its state of organization.
the institution is current on all Wisconsin unemployment insurance tax obligations.
the institution is compliant with worker's compensation insurance coverage requirements as outlined in Wis. Stats. Ch. 102.
the institution submits one letter of support from an employer that is on the employer's official letterhead and contains the following:
- the name and address of the employer,
- a date, including the year,
- identification of the Alternate institution and the specific training program(s) offered by that institution that the employer supports,
- a statement from the employer that demonstrates its history of or experience with hiring students who complete the training program and/or the employer's desire to hire students who complete the training program,
- a signature – physical or digital – from an employer representative who is in a leadership position with the employer (e.g., owner, president, vice president, director, or other executive), and
- the job title of the signatory.
Note: The institution may submit two additional letters of support to be published on the ETPL website; however, all letters must comply with the above criteria for them to be published. DWD-DET reserves the right to substantiate or verify any of the letter of support criteria.

the institution must be "presently responsible." DWD-DET reserves the right to request information or other documentation to demonstrate this. Providers that have engaged in criminal or other improper conduct of such a compelling and serious nature that it would lead one to question their honesty, ethics, or competence will not be considered presently responsible.

¹ DWD-DET may require institutions to provide documentation to determine if they meet this criterion.