1.  Career ladder.  "Career ladder" means a clear sequence of education course work or training that is aligned with an identified series of positions, work experiences or educational benchmarks or training credentials that offer occupational and financial advancement within a specified career field or related fields over time.  

2.  Collaborative.  "Collaborative" means the Industry Partnership Assistance Collaborative established in section 3301.  

3.  Educational programs.  "Educational programs" means the State's elementary and secondary schools, career and technical education centers, adult education programs, the Maine Community College System, the Maine Maritime Academy and the University of Maine System and other training providers that have been approved to provide training by the Department of Labor under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, Public Law 113-128.  

4.  High-priority occupations.  "High-priority occupations" means those occupations identified on a list published annually by the Center for Workforce Research and Information pursuant to section 3303, subsection 5.  

5.  Industry cluster.  "Industry cluster" means a group of employers closely linked by a common product or services, workforce needs, similar technologies, supply chains or other industry sector factors.  

6.  Industry partnership.  "Industry partnership" means a workforce collaboration that brings together multiple employers and employees, or employee representatives when appropriate, in the same industry cluster to address common workforce needs.  

7.  Soft skills.  "Soft skills" means those basic skills necessary to obtain and maintain employment, such as interviewing and communications skills.  

8.  Targeted industry cluster.  "Targeted industry cluster" means an industry cluster identified by the collaborative pursuant to section 3303, subsection 2 as having statewide economic impact, immediate or long-term workforce development needs and emerging or competitive career opportunities.