An approved program may consist of a combination of courses with instruction offered by a school alternating with instruction in a business or industrial establishment (a cooperative course); courses offered by two schools concurrently; or courses offered through class attendance and by television concurrently. A farm cooperative program may be approved which consists of a combination of institutional agricultural courses and concurrent agricultural employment (see §21.4264). A school may contract the actual training to another school or entity, provided the course is approved by the State approving agency having approval jurisdiction of the school or entity which actually provides the training.

(a) Cooperative courses. A full-time program of education consisting of phases of school instruction alternated with training in a business or industrial establishment with such training being strictly supplemental to the school instruction may be approved. Alternating periods may be a part-day in school and a part-day on job or may be such periods which alternate on a daily, weekly, monthly or on a term basis. For purposes of approval the school offering the course must submit to the State approving agency, with its application, statements of fact showing at least the following:

(1) That the alternate in-school periods of the course are at least as long as the alternate periods in the business or industrial establishment; in determining this relationship between the two components of the course, training received in a business or industrial establishment during a vacation or officially scheduled school break period shall be excluded from the calculation; where the course is approved as continuous part-time work and part-time study in combination, it shall be measured on the basis of the ratio which each portion of the training bears to full time as defined in §21.4270(c) of this part. The institutional portion must be at least equivalent to one-half time training and must be combined with a job training portion sufficient for the combined training to equal full time.

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3482(a)(2) and 3532(b))

(2) That the course is set up as a cooperative course in the school catalog or other literature of the school;

(3) That the school itself arranges with the employer's establishment for providing the alternate on-job periods of training on such basis that the on-job portion of the course will be training in a real and substantial sense and will supplement the in-school portion of the course;

(4) That the school arranges directly with the employer's establishment for placing the individual student in that establishment and exercises supervision and control over the student's activities at the establishment to an extent that assures training in a true sense to the student; and

(5) That the school grants credit for the on-job portion of the course for completion of a part of the work required for granting a degree or diploma.

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3482(a)(2) and 3532(b))

(b) Concurrent enrollment. Where a veteran or eligible person cannot successfully schedule his or her complete program at one school, a program of concurrent enrollment may be approved. When requesting such a program the veteran or eligible person must show that his or her complete program of education or training is not available at the school in which he or she will pursue the major portion of his or her program (the primary school), or that it cannot be scheduled successfully within the period in which he or she plans to complete his or her program.

(1) If VA measures the courses pursued at both institutions on either a clock-hour basis or a credit-hour basis, VA will measure the veteran's or eligible person's enrollment by adding together the units of measurement in the second school to the units of measurement for the courses in the primary institution. The standard for full time will be the full-time standard for the courses at the primary institution.

(2) Where the standards for measurement of the courses pursued concurrently in the two schools are different, VA will measure the veteran's or eligible person's enrollment by converting the units of measurement for courses in the second school to the equivalent in value expressed in units of measurement required for the courses in the program of education which the veteran or eligible person is pursuing at the primary institution.

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3688)

(3) If the provisions of paragraph (b)(2) of this section require VA to convert clock hours to credit hours, it will do so by—

(i) Dividing the number of credit hours which VA considers to be full-time at the educational institution whose courses are measured on a credit-hour basis by the number of clock hours which are full-time at the educational institution whose courses are measured on a clock-hour basis; and

(ii) Multiplying each clock hour of attendance by the decimal determined in paragraph (b)(3)(i) of this section. VA will drop all fractional hours.

(4) If the provisions of paragraph (b)(2) of this section require VA to convert credit hours to clock hours, it will do so by—

(i) Dividing the number of clock hours which VA considers to be full-time at the educational institution whose courses are measured on a clock-hour basis by the number of credit hours which are full-time at the educational institution whose courses are measured on a credit-hour basis; and

(ii) Multiplying each credit hour by the number determined in paragraph (b)(4)(i) of this section. VA will drop all fractional hours.

(5) Periodic certifications of training will be required from the veteran and each of the schools where concurrent enrollment is approved in a course which does not lead to a standard college degree and to which the measurement provisions of §21.4270(b), of this part do not apply. (See §§21.4203 and 21.4204.)

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3688)

(c) Television.

(1) A course offered by open-circuit television is an independent study course. In order for an eligible person to receive educational assistance while pursuing such a course, the course must meet all the requirements for independent study found in §21.4267.

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3523, 3680A)

(2) Closed circuit telecast. Instruction offered through closed circuit telecast which requires regular classroom attendance is to be recognized to the same extent as regular classroom and/or laboratory instruction.

(d) Farm cooperative course. A program of education consisting of institutional agricultural courses pursued by an eligible person who is concurrently engaged in agricultural employment which is relevant to such institutional course may be approved if the course meets the requirements of §21.4264.

(e) Contract. All or part of the program of education of a school may be provided by another school or entity under contract. Such school or entity actually providing the training must obtain approval of the course from the State approving agency in the State having jurisdiction of that school or entity. If the course is a course of flight training, the school or entity actually providing the training must also obtain approval of the course from the Federal Aviation Administration. Measurement of the course and payment of an allowance will be appropriate for the course as offered by the school or entity actually providing the training.

(Authority: 10 U.S.C. 16136(c); 38 U.S.C. 3002(8), 3034(d), 3241(b), 3323(a), 3452(c), 3501(a)(6), 3675, 3676)

[31 FR 6774, May 6, 1966]