APPLICATION; ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT.

The commission shall establish eligibility criteria for a person to receive a grant under this subchapter. The eligibility criteria must include the requirement that the person:

(1) apply to the commission in the form and manner prescribed by commission rule;

(2) if the person is an entity, be in good standing under the laws of the state in which the person was formed or organized, as evidenced by a certificate issued by the secretary of state or the state official of another state having custody of the records pertaining to a person formed or organized under the laws of that state;

(3) not owe delinquent taxes to a taxing unit of this state; and

(4) operate an industry-recognized apprenticeship program that:

(A) provides on-the-job training under an industry-recognized, accredited training curriculum;

(B) guarantees employment for participants during and on successful completion of the training period;

(C) pays each participant a wage and provides eligibility for participants to receive full-time employee benefits during and on successful completion of the training period;

(D) requires participants to advance their skills, at a minimum, to a credentialed, performance-verified mid-level status in a field related to the industry-recognized apprenticeship program;

(E) has a duration of not more than 26 weeks; and

(F) gives preference to training and hiring:

(i) unemployed Texans who have filed with the commission;

(ii) veterans of the United States armed forces;

(iii) formerly incarcerated individuals; and

(iv) underemployed individuals who are working without industry-recognized certifications or other credentials.