; and (ii) (I) acting as a clearinghouse on techniques employed by new programs and existing programs within the States, and disseminating information relating to those techniques to the programs; or (II) funding projects for information gathering on those techniques, and dissemination of that information to the programs, by groups outside the Employment and Training Administration; and (B) facilitate the formation of new programs, in ways that include holding or funding an annual conference of representatives from States with existing programs, representatives from States developing new programs, and representatives from States without existing programs. (c) Programs regarding employee ownership and participation (1) Establishment of program Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a program to encourage new programs and existing programs within the States to foster employee ownership and employee participation in business decisionmaking throughout the United States. (2) Purpose of program The purpose of the program established under paragraph (1) is to encourage new and existing programs within the States that focus on— (A) providing education and outreach to inform employees and employers about the possibilities and benefits of employee ownership, business ownership succession planning, and employee participation in business decisionmaking, including providing information about financial education, employee teams, open-book management, and other tools that enable employees to share ideas and information about how their businesses can succeed; (B) providing technical assistance to assist employee efforts to become business owners, to enable employers and employees to explore and assess the feasibility of transferring full or partial ownership to employees, and to encourage employees and employers to start new employee-owned businesses