The higher education commission shall coordinate efforts with the department of labor and workforce development and the department of economic and community development in developing, administering, and implementing a LEAP pursuant to this part. The higher education commission shall make specific efforts to encourage colleges of applied technology and community colleges in this state to offer a LEAP under this part, in an effort to train students in needed high-skill and high-technology industries in this state. The higher education commission shall coordinate the following priorities to the extent possible:
(1) Creating a LEAP at community colleges and colleges of applied technology in this state with students having the opportunity to participate;
(2) Planning and partnership with business, labor, education, government, community-based organizations, employers, and students;
(3) Providing training in regions identified in the report submitted by the department of economic and community development as workforce needs pursuant to § 49-7-1209;
(4) Career preparation and guidance incorporated in the curriculum and materials;
(5) Job placement and job retention support services;
(6) Applied learning experiences, including prior learning assessments;
(7) Integration of basic skills and work-readiness training with occupational skills training;
(8) Performance assessment of the programs created under this initiative;
(9) Actual or simulated learning at the worksite;
(10) Curriculum and employment training for industries that promote high-skill jobs in high-technology areas, emerging occupations, or skilled manufacturing jobs, including, but not limited to, the following: Advanced manufacturing;
(11) Electronics;
(12) Information technology;
(13) Infrastructure engineering; and
(14) Transportation and logistics.