1. (1) No later than September 15 of each year, the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education, in collaboration with the entities described in Subsection 53H-13-405(1), shall prepare an annual report for submission to:

   1. (a) the Talent, Education, and Industry Alignment Board created in Section 53H-13-302;
   2. (b) the Utah Board of Higher Education; and
   3. (c) the Education Interim Committee and the Economic Development and Workforce Services Interim Committee.

2. (2) The annual report described in Subsection (1) shall:

   1. (a) include:

      1. (i) the number of student placements and cooperative education employers;
      2. (ii) student and cooperative education employer feedback;
      3. (iii) key workforce impact metrics; and
      4. (iv) recommendations for additional on-going resources to scale cooperative education program offerings; and

   2. (b) provide analysis on the co-op's effectiveness in:

      1. (i) enhancing student career readiness;
      2. (ii) addressing Utah workforce needs and retention; and
      3. (iii) improving competency validation practices based on cooperative education employers' input.

Renumbered and Amended by Chapter 8, 2025 Special Session 1