(a) In selecting persons to participate in the program who are planning to become certified in this state as teachers, the agency shall give preference to a person who:
(1) has substantial, demonstrated career experience in science, mathematics, computer science, or engineering and agrees to seek employment as a teacher in one of those subjects in a public elementary or secondary school in this state; or
(2) has substantial, demonstrated career experience in a field other than science, mathematics, computer science, or engineering that is identified by the agency as a field important for state educational objectives and agrees to seek employment as a teacher in a subject related to that field in a public elementary or secondary school in this state.
(b) The commissioner shall determine the level of experience considered substantial for purposes of this section.