U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Notice of Availability of Funds and Solicitation for Grant Applications for Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO)
Announcement Type: Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA)
Funding Opportunity Number: SGA/DFA PY-11-10
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 17.201
Key Dates: The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is [insert date 45 days after date of publication in Federal Register]. Applications must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Addresses: Mailed applications must be addressed to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Grants Management, Attention: Latifa Jeter, Grant Officer, Reference SGA/DFA PY 11-10, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716, Washington, DC 20210. For complete application and submission information, including online application instructions, please refer to section IV.
Summary:
The Women’s Bureau (WB) and the Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA) Office of Apprenticeship (OA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, or the Department), announces the availability of approximately
$1,800,000 in grant funds authorized under the WANTO Act of 1992, Public Law 102-530, 29 USC 2501 et seq. To that end, the OA and WB plan to disburse Program Year (PY) 2011 and 2012 WANTO grant funds to six consortia made up of a community-based organization (CBO), a Local Workforce Investment Area (LWIA) established under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and a registered apprenticeship program (RAP) sponsor. Each consortium will conduct innovative projects to improve outreach, recruitment, hiring, training, employment, and retention of women in apprenticeships in the nontraditional occupations, as defined in Section IX of this solicitation.
Each CBO, LWIA and RAP consortium must consist of a minimum of three components: 1) a CBO (which may be a faith-based organization (FBO)) that has demonstrated experience in providing women with job-training services; 2) a LWIA (which includes a representative of the local government responsible for administering workforce programs under WIA or Workforce Investment Board); and (3) a RAP sponsor (which can be an individual employer, association of employers, or an apprenticeship committee which includes joint and non-joint committees designated by the sponsor to administer and operate an apprenticeship program and in whose name the apprenticeship program is registered or approved). It is anticipated that awards will be in the amount of up to $300,000 over the two-year grant period. The grants will be awarded in June 2012 and funded over a two-year period.
I. Funding Opportunity Description
A. Background: The WANTO Act of 1992, Public Law 102-530, 29 U.S.C. 2501 et seq. authorizes DOL to disburse competitive technical assistance grants to community-based organizations that, in turn, assist employers and labor unions in the recruitment, training, placement, and retention of women in apprenticeship and nontraditional occupations. The WANTO Act Technical Assistance Grants program was funded and implemented beginning in FY 1994. The WB and OA co-administer the WANTO Technical Assistance Grants program, and have the joint responsibility for implementing this grant process; they may award grants up to the annually-appropriated funding levels.
B. Purpose: The WANTO Act’s purpose is to provide technical assistance to employers and labor unions to assist them in placing women into apprenticeable and nontraditional occupations (A/NTO). Apprenticeable occupations are described in Section IX. One of the means of providing this technical assistance is through competitive grants awarded to CBOs that focus on conducting innovative projects to improve the recruitment, selection, training, employment, and retention of women in apprenticeable occupations.
DOL has found that placement and retention of women into A/NTO poses significant challenges. Approximately 75 percent of all registered apprenticeship programs are in the construction industry, but women constitute only three percent of all registered and active apprentices in construction occupations. The American Behavioral Scientist article, “Occupational Barriers for Women,” by Thomas Ruble, Renae Cohen, and Diane Ruble (Vol. 27, No. 3, 339-356 (1984)), and a 2009 study by Australia’s National Center for Vocational Education Research1 document that barriers to entry of women into nontraditional occupations (NTO) include a lack of specialized support services, such as dependent care resources (children and dependent adults); on-the-job mentoring; and support from teachers and instructors. In general, the employers and labor organizations that need assistance in recruiting, training, and retaining women in apprenticeable occupations and other nontraditional occupations also lack the resources to provide supportive services. Additionally, through the experience gained by recent WANTO grantees, the Department has found that women who are at least 40 years of age may face particularly challenging barriers to employment in nontraditional occupations. Further, the June 2006 report, Construction Equity: Promising Practices for Recruiting and Retaining Students in Career and Technical Education Programs that Nontraditional for Their Gender2 documents that the active participation of tradeswomen or women in nontraditional occupations serving as active members of the consortium as either employed staff or as board members has positive impacts on WANTO participants. The Department encourages potential applicants to review the findings from these research studies and best practices identified through previous WANTO grants when considering whether or how to develop proposals for this funding opportunity. For more information about prior WANTO grants go to http://www.doleta.gov/grants/awards/DOL-SGA-DFA-PY-07-08.pdf ; http://www.doleta.gov/grants/pdf/SGA-DFA-PY-09-03_WANTO.pdf and http://www.dol.gov/wb/programs/family2.htm. Grants awarded with WANTO funds must focus on improving the placement and retention of women into nontraditional occupations in registered apprenticeship programs.
To ensure that women served by WANTO grants have access to a full range of supportive services and training, as well as to specific employment opportunities, the WANTO Technical Assistance Grants program has adopted a consortium-based approach. This SGA requires each applicant to demonstrate that it has established a consortium, consisting of CBOs, LWIA and RAP sponsors, wherein the RAP sponsors are responsible for placing and retaining women into their programs. CBOs will provide pre-apprenticeship training. LWIAs will provide additional supportive services and will co-enroll participants into WIA and track participants for performance outcomes. Pre-apprenticeship offers training in the competencies and skills required by today’s businesses and industries. Pre-apprenticeship curriculum is designed in conjunction with RAP sponsors and includes career-specific training and industry awareness coupled with preparatory basic skills such as literacy, math, work-readiness skills and English as second language training. Participants who successfully complete a pre-apprenticeship program emerge with the minimum requirements needed to advance into Registered Apprenticeship.
DOL adopted the consortium approach in 2007 and continued it through 2010, for consortia of CBOs and RAP sponsors to focus on aligning supportive services, training and employment opportunities for women in construction industry occupations. Under the 2007/2008 SGA, the consortium approach also required grantees to place 200 grant program participants in apprenticeships, thereby demonstrating the linkages between CBOs and RAP sponsors. Although the recent economic downturn negatively impacted the projected outcomes of the 2007/2008 grants, ETA’s on-site reviews of those grants indicate that the consortia approach does provide a broad array of supportive services and training and linkages to employment opportunities with the RAP sponsors participating in these projects. In recognition of the increased challenges associated with placing WANTO program participants into apprenticeships, the 2009/2010 SGA reduced the requirement, such that the grantees are required to place at least 100 participants in registered apprenticeship. For this SGA, applicants will be required to place at least 100 participants into apprenticeship. In addition, selected consortia must co-enroll participants into WIA for the purpose of tracking WANTO performance against the common measures.
This SGA in not limited to A/NTO in the construction industry. Rather, this SGA includes recruitment, training, placement and retention in A/NTO in following industries: advanced manufacturing; transportation; and construction, including “green” jobs related to those three industries. Wages in these three NTO industries tend to be higher than in other NTO industries. For the purposes of this SGA, all apprenticeable occupations in the industries above meet the definition of NTO, which are defined in the WANTO Act as those in which women make up 25 percent or less of the total number of workers in that occupation. The focus on advanced manufacturing, transportation and construction, as well as “green” jobs related to those three industries supports the Department’s strategic emphasis on assuring workers have the skills and knowledge to succeed in the knowledge-based economy, including high growth and emerging industry sectors like “green” jobs. The Occupational Information Network (O*NET) project has studied three general categories of occupations, based on different consequences of green economy activities and technologies: (1) existing occupations expected to experience primarily an increase in employment demand; (2) existing occupations with significant change to the work and worker requirements; and (3) new and emerging green occupations. Based on that research, O*NET drafted a research paper titled, Greening of the World of Work: Implications for O*NET–SOC and New and Emerging Occupations. For a copy of the O*NET report and a listing of the identified occupations go to http://www.onetcenter.org/reports/Green.html. This research may be helpful in identifying green occupations related to the targeted NTO industries of advanced manufacturing, transportation, and construction.
As part of the Department’s emphasis on funding projects that reflect a well-thought out strategy that makes use of all available resources, we strongly encourage applicants to incorporate leveraged resources in their proposals.
The OA and WB anticipate awarding six grants of up to $300,000 to CBO, LWIA and RAP consortia, over a two-year period. Each consortium must consist of at least one of each of the following: 1) a CBO (which may be faith-based) with demonstrated experience in providing job training services (work readiness as well as industry-specific training), placement, and support services to women for seeking employment in A/NTO; 2) a LWIA, which will agree to co-enroll participants; and 3) a RAP sponsor in one of the following industries: advanced manufacturing; transportation; or construction.
The CBO must be the lead applicant and the fiscal agent for the grant. We strongly encourage but do not require applicants to develop projects that incorporate more than one RAP sponsor in the consortium and provide training and placement in more than one A/NTO.
Any grant application with a proposed amount greater than $300,000 will be deemed non-responsive and will not be considered. In the event additional funds become available, ETA reserves the right to use such funds to select additional grantees from applications submitted in response to this solicitation.
B. Period of Performance
The period of grant performance will be up to 24 months. This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities. Applicants must plan to fully expend grant funds during the period of performance while ensuring full transparency and accountability for all expenditures.
III. Eligibility Information
A. Eligible Applicants
Only CBO, LWIA and RAP consortia, may apply for and receive a grant award. Within each eligible CBO, LWIA and RAP consortium, the official applicant must be the CBO, as defined in Section IX. The CBO has the fiscal and administrative responsibility for the grant. The LWIA must agree to co-enroll the participants. ETA will verify that RAP sponsors are registered with ETA or an ETA-recognized State Apprenticeship Agency.
While a CBO, LWIA and a RAP are required members of the consortium, DOL ETA encourages applicants to include additional consortium members which can provide expertise or services to enhance the consortium’s ability to meet the goals of this SGA. For example, other CBOs or educational institutions may be enlisted to provide supportive services to program participants.
Cost sharing or matching funds are not required as a condition for application.
C. Other Eligibility Criteria
There are no other eligibility criteria for submitting an application.
D. Eligible Participants
Participants Eligible to Receive Training
The purpose of this SGA is to fund projects that provide education/training services only to low and medium skill and/or low and medium income women and place them into registered apprenticeship programs within the grant period of performance.
Applicants must propose projects that primarily focus on providing services to workers in one or more of the following three targeted categories: unemployed workers, dislocated workers, and incumbent workers. Within these categories, grantees may serve a wide range of individuals, such as individuals receiving public assistance, high school dropouts, individuals with disabilities, veterans, Indian and Native Americans, and individuals with Limited English Proficiency. These three targeted categories of workers are defined as follows:
i. Unemployed workers: For the purposes of this SGA, ETA defines “unemployed worker” as an individual who is without a job; who wants to work; and is available to work. This can include the long-term unemployed, such as individuals who have been unemployed for six months or more, and youth who have dropped out of school and are seeking their first full-time job.
ii. Dislocated workers: For the purposes of this SGA, this term refers to individuals who were terminated or laid-off or have received a notice of termination or lay-off from employment; or were self-employed but are now unemployed.
iii. Incumbent workers: For the purposes of this SGA, this term refers to individuals who are employed but need training to secure full-time employment, advance in their careers, or retain their current occupations. This includes low-wage and medium-wage workers who need to upgrade their skills to retain employment or advance in their careers, and workers who are currently working part-time.
E. Veterans Priority for Participants
The Jobs for Veterans Act (Public Law 107-288) requires grantees to provide priority of service for veterans and spouses of certain veterans for the receipt of employment, training, and placement services in any job training program directly funded, in whole or in part, by DOL. The regulations implementing this priority of service can be found at 20 CFR Part 1010. In circumstances where a grant recipient must choose between two qualified candidates for a service, one of whom is a veteran or eligible spouse, the veterans priority of service provisions require that the grant recipient give the veteran or eligible spouse priority of service by first providing him or her that service. To obtain priority of service, a veteran or spouse must meet the program’s eligibility requirements. Grantees must comply with DOL guidance on veterans’ priority. ETA’s Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 10-09 (issued November 10, 2009) provides guidance on implementing priority of service for veterans and eligible spouses in all qualified job training programs funded in whole or in part by DOL. TEGL No. 10-09 is available at http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2816.
Transparency
DOL is committed to conducting a transparent grant award process and publicizing information about program outcomes. Posting grant applications on public websites is a means of promoting and sharing innovative ideas. For this grant competition, we will publish the abstracts required by Section IV, Part IIIa, for all applications on the Department’s public website or similar publicly accessible location. Additionally, we will publish a version of the Technical Proposal required by Section IV. Part II, for all those applications that are awarded grants, on the Department’s website or a similar location. No other parts of or attachments to the application will be published. The Technical Proposals and Abstracts will not be published until after the grants are announced. In addition, information about grant progress and results may also be made publicly available.
DOL recognizes that grant applications sometimes contain information that an applicant may consider proprietary or business confidential information, or may contain personally identifiable information (PII). Proprietary or confidential commercial/business information is information that is not usually disclosed outside your organization and the disclosure of which is likely to cause you substantial competitive harm. PII is any information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual‘s identity, such as name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother‘s maiden name, or biometric records, and any other information that is linked or linkable to an individual, such as medical, educational, financial, and employment information.3
Abstracts will be published in the form originally submitted, without any redactions. However, in order to ensure that PII and proprietary or confidential commercial/business information is properly protected from disclosure when DOL posts the winning Technical Proposals, applicants whose technical proposals will be posted will be asked to submit a second redacted version of their Technical Proposal, with any proprietary, confidential commercial/business, and PII redacted. All non-public information about the applicant’s staff should be removed as well. The Department will contact the applicants whose technical proposals will be published by letter or email, and provide further directions about how and when to submit the redacted version of the Technical Proposal. Submission of a redacted version of the Technical Proposal will constitute permission by the applicant for DOL to make the redacted version publicly available. If an applicant fails to provide a redacted version of the Technical Proposal, DOL will publish the original Technical Proposal in full, after redacting PII (Note that the original, unredacted version of the Technical Proposal will remain part of the complete application package, including an applicant’s proprietary and confidential information and any PII).
Applicants are encouraged to maximize the grant application information that will be publicly disclosed, and to exercise restraint and redact only information that is clearly proprietary, confidential commercial/business information, or PII. The redaction of entire pages or sections of the Technical Proposal is not appropriate, and will not be allowed unless the entire portion merits such protection. Should a dispute arise about whether redactions are appropriate, DOL will follow the procedures outlined in the Department’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regulations (29 CFR Part 70).
Redacted information in grant applications will be protected by DOL from public disclosure in accordance with federal law, including the Trade Secrets Act (18 U.S.C. § 1905), FOIA, and the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. § 552a). If DOL receives a FOIA request for your application, the procedures in DOL’s FOIA regulations for responding to requests for commercial/business information submitted to the government will be followed, as well as all FOIA exemptions and procedures. 29 CFR § 70.26. Consequently, it is possible that application of FOIA rules may result in release of information in response to a FOIA request that an applicant redacted in its “redacted copy.”
This SGA contains all of the information and links to forms needed to apply for grant funding.
B. Content and Form of Application Submission
Proposals submitted in response to this SGA must consist of three separate and distinct parts: (I) a cost proposal; (II) a technical proposal; and (III) attachments to the technical proposal. Applications that do not contain all of the three parts or that fail to adhere to the instructions in this section will be deemed non-responsive and will not receive further consideration. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the funding amount requested is consistent across all parts and sub-parts of the application.
Part I. The Cost Proposal. The Cost Proposal must include the following items:
SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance” (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15 ). The SF-424 must clearly identify the applicant and must be signed by an individual with authority to enter into a grant agreement. Upon confirmation of an award, the individual signing the SF-424 on behalf of the applicant shall be considered the authorized representative of the applicant. As stated in block 21 of the SF-424 form, the signature of the authorized representative on the SF-424 certifies that the organization is in compliance with the Assurances and Certifications form SF-424B (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15 ). The SF-424B is not required to be submitted with the application. In addition, the applicant’s signature in block 21 of the SF-424 form constitutes assurance by the applicant of the following in accordance with 29 CFR § 37.20:
As a condition to the award of financial assistance from the Department under Title I of WIA, the grant applicant assures that it will comply fully with the nondiscrimination and equal opportunity provisions of the following laws: section 188 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), which prohibits discrimination against all individuals in the United States on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation or belief, and against beneficiaries on the basis of either citizenship/status as a lawfully admitted immigrant authorized to work in the United States or participation in any WIA Title I—financially assisted program or activity; Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, which prohibits discrimination on the bases of race, color and national origin; section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, which prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities; The Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of age; and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs. The grant applicant also assures that it will comply with 29 CFR part 37 and all other regulations implementing the laws listed above. This assurance applies to the grant applicant’s operation of the WIA Title I-financially assisted program or activity, and to all agreements the grant applicant makes to carry out the WIA Title I-financially assisted program or activity. The grant applicant understands that the United States has the right to seek judicial enforcement of this assurance.
All applicants for Federal grant and funding opportunities are required to have a Data Universal Numbering System (D-U-N-S®) number, and must supply their D-U-N-S® Number on the SF-424. The D-U-N-S® Number is a nine-digit identification number that uniquely identifies business entities. If you do not have a D-U-N-S® Number, you can get one for free through the D&B website: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do.
The SF-424A Budget Information Form (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15 ). In preparing the Budget Information Form, the applicant must provide a concise narrative explanation to support the budget request, explained in detail below.
Budget Narrative: The budget narrative must provide a description of costs associated with each line item on the SF-424A. It should also include a description of leveraged resources provided (as applicable) to support grant activities.
Note that the entire Federal grant amount requested (not just one year) must be included on the SF-424 and SF-424A and budget narrative. No leveraged resources should be shown on the SF-424 and SF-424A. The amount listed on the SF-424, SF-424A and budget narrative must be the same. Please note, the funding amount included on the SF-424 will be considered the official funding amount requested if any inconsistencies are found. Applications that fail to provide an SF-424 including D-U-N-S® Number, SF-424A, and a budget narrative will be considered non-responsive and will not receive further consideration.
Regardless of the method used for application submission, all applicants must register with the Federal Central Contractor Registry (CCR) before submitting an application. Step-by-step instructions for registering with CCR can be found at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/org_step2.jsp. An awardee must maintain an active CCR registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application under consideration. To remain registered in the CCR database after the initial registration, the applicant is required to review and update on an annual basis from the date of initial registration or subsequent updates its information in the CCR database to ensure it is current, accurate and complete. For purposes of this paragraph, the applicant is the entity that meets the eligibility criteria and has the legal authority to apply and to receive the award. Applications submitted by applicants who have not complied with the requirement to register with the CCR will be considered non-responsive and will not receive further consideration.
Part II. The Technical Proposal. The Technical Proposal must demonstrate the applicant’s capability to implement the grant project in accordance with the provisions of this Solicitation. The guidelines for the content of the Technical Proposal are provided in Section V of this SGA. The Technical Proposal is limited to 20 double-spaced single-sided 8.5 x 11 inch pages with 12 point text font and 1 inch margins. Any materials beyond the specified page limit will not be read. Applicants should number the Technical Proposal beginning with page number 1. Applications that do not include Part II, the Technical Proposal, will be considered non-responsive and will not receive further consideration.
Part III. Attachments to the Technical Proposal. In addition to the Technical Proposal, the applicant must submit the following attachments:
An up to two-page abstract summarizing the proposed project, including but not limited to the scope of the project and proposed outcomes and a description of the consortium members. If using grants.gov for submission, this document must be attached under the Mandatory Other Attachment section and labeled abstract.
Project/Performance Site Location(s) form (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15). If using grants.gov for submission, this form must be attached under the required forms section. Please note that this is a standard form used for many programs and has a check box for applying as an individual. Disregard this box on the form as individuals are not eligible to apply for this solicitation; and
A copy of a consortium agreement identifying the roles and responsibilities of each consortium member. The consortium agreement must be signed by a representative of each of the members of the consortium. No member of a consortium may make a separate application under this SGA.
Applications that do not include the required attachments will be considered non-responsive and will not receive further consideration.
Only those attachments listed above as required attachments will be excluded from the page limit. The required attachments must be affixed as separate, clearly identified appendices to the application. Additional materials such as resumés or general letters of support or commitment will not be considered.
The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is [insert date 45 days after date of publication in Federal Register]. Applications may be submitted electronically on http://www.grants.gov or in hard copy by mail or hand delivery (including overnight delivery). Hard copy applications must be received at the address below no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date. Applications submitted on grants.gov must also be successfully submitted (as described below) no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date. Applications sent by e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (FAX) will not be accepted.
Applicants submitting proposals in hard copy must submit an original signed application (including the SF-424) and one (1) ‘‘copy-ready’’ version free of bindings, staples or protruding tabs to ease in the reproduction of the proposal by DOL. Applicants submitting proposals in hard copy are also required to provide an identical electronic copy of the proposal on compact disc (CD). If discrepancies between the hard copy submission and CD copy are identified, the application on the CD will be considered the official applicant submission for evaluation purposes. Failure to provide identical applications in hardcopy and CD format may have an impact on the overall evaluation.
If an application is physically submitted by both hard copy and through http://www.grants.gov, a letter must accompany the hard-copy application stating which application to review. If no letter accompanies the hard copy, we will review the copy submitted through http://www.grants.gov.
Applications that do not meet the conditions set forth in this notice will be considered non-responsive. No exceptions to the mailing and delivery requirements set forth in this notice will be granted. Further, documents submitted separately from the application, before or after the deadline, will not be accepted as part of the application.
Mailed applications must be addressed to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Division of Federal Assistance, Attention: Latifa Jeter, Grant Officer, Reference SGA/DFA PY 11-10, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716, Washington, DC 20210. Applicants are advised that mail delivery in the Washington DC area may be delayed due to mail decontamination procedures. Hand-delivered proposals will be received at the above address. All overnight mail will be considered to be hand-delivered and must be received at the designated place by the specified closing date and time.
Applications that are submitted through Grants.gov must be successfully submitted at http://www.grants.gov no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date and then subsequently validated by Grants.gov. The submission and validation process is described in more detail below. The process can be complicated and time-consuming. Applicants are strongly advised to initiate the process as soon as possible and to plan for time to resolve technical problems if necessary.
The Department strongly recommends that before the applicant begins to write the proposal, applicants should immediately initiate and complete the “Get Registered” registration steps at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp. Applicants should read through the registration process carefully before registering. These steps may take as much as four weeks to complete, and this time should be factored into plans for electronic submission in order to avoid unexpected delays that could result in the rejection of an application. The site also contains registration checklists to help you walk through the process. The Department strongly recommends that applicants download the “Organization Registration Checklist” at http://www.grants.gov/assets/Organization_Steps_Complete_Registration.pdf and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process. Reviewing and assembling required information before beginning the registration process will alleviate last minute searches for required information and save time.
As described above, applicants must have a D–U–N–S® Number and must register with the Federal Central Contractor Registry (CCR).
The next step in the registration process is creating a username and password with Grants.gov to become an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR). AORs will need to know the D-U-N-S® Number of the organization for which they will be submitting applications to complete this process. To read more detailed instructions for creating a profile on Grants.gov visit: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/org_step3.jsp.
After creating a profile on Grants.gov, the E-Biz point of Contact (E-Biz POC) - a representative from your organization who is the contact listed for CCR – will receive an email to grant the AOR permission to submit applications on behalf of their organization. The E-Biz POC will then log in to Grants.gov and approve an applicant as the AOR, thereby giving him or her permission to submit applications. To learn more about AOR Authorization visit: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/org_step5.jsp, or to track AOR status visit: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/org_step6.jsp.
An application submitted through Grants.gov constitutes a submission as an electronically signed application. The registration and account creation with Grants.gov, with E-Biz POC approval, establishes an AOR. When you submit the application through Grants.gov, the name of your AOR on file will be inserted into the signature line of the application. Applicants must register the individual who is able to make legally binding commitments for the applicant organization as the AOR; this step is often missed and it is crucial for valid submissions.
When a registered applicant submits an application with Grants.gov, an electronic time stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by Grants.gov. Within two business days of application submission, Grants.gov will send the applicant two email messages to provide the status of the application’s progress through the system. The first email, sent almost immediately, will contain a tracking number and will confirm receipt of the application by Grants.gov. The second email will indicate the application has either been successfully validated or has been rejected due to errors. Grants.gov will reject applications if the applicant’s CCR is expired. Only applications that have been successfully submitted by the deadline and subsequently successfully validated will be considered. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to ensure a timely submission. While it is not required that an application be successfully validated before the deadline for submission, it is prudent to reserve time before the deadline in case it is necessary to resubmit an application that has not been successfully validated. Therefore, sufficient time should be allotted for submission (two business days) and, if applicable, additional time to address errors and receive validation upon resubmission (an additional two business days for each ensuing submission). It is important to note that if sufficient time is not allotted and a rejection notice is received after the due date and time, the application will not be considered.
To ensure consideration, the components of the application must be saved as .doc, .xls, .rtf or .pdf files. If submitted in any other format, the applicant bears the risk that compatibility or other issues will prevent us from considering the application. ETA will attempt to open the document but will not take any additional measures in the event of problems with opening. In such cases, the non-conforming application will not be considered for funding.
We strongly advise applicants to use the various tools and documents, including FAQs, which are available on the “Applicant Resources” page at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/resources.jsp.
ETA encourages new prospective applicants to view the online tutorial, “Grant Applications 101: A Plain English Guide to ETA Competitive Grants,” available through Workforce3One at: http://www.workforce3one.org/page/grants_toolkit.
To receive updated information about critical issues, new tips for users and other time sensitive updates as information is available, applicants may subscribe to “Grants.gov Updates” at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/email_subscription_signup.jsp.
If applicants encounter a problem with Grants.gov and do not find an answer in any of the other resources, call 1-800-518-4726 or 606-545-5035 to speak to a Customer Support Representative or email “[email protected]”. The Contact Center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is closed on federal holidays.
Late Applications: For applications submitted on Grants.gov, only applications that have been successfully submitted no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date and then successfully validated will be considered. Applicants take a significant risk by waiting to the last day to submit by Grants.gov.
Any hard copy application received after the exact date and time specified for receipt at the office designated in this notice will not be considered, unless it is received before awards are made, it was properly addressed, and it was: (a) sent by U.S. Postal Service mail, postmarked not later than the fifth calendar day before the date specified for receipt of applications (e.g., an application required to be received by the 20th of the month must be postmarked by the 15th of that month); or (b) sent by professional overnight delivery service to the addressee not later than one working day before the date specified for receipt of applications. ‘‘Postmarked’’ means a printed, stamped or otherwise placed impression (exclusive of a postage meter machine impression) that is readily identifiable, without further action, as having been supplied or affixed on the date of mailing by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service. Therefore, applicants should request the postal clerk to place a legible hand cancellation ‘‘bull’s eye’’ postmark on both the receipt and the package. Failure to adhere to these instructions will be a basis for a determination that the application was not filed timely and will not be considered. Evidence of timely submission by a professional overnight delivery service must be demonstrated by equally reliable evidence created by the delivery service provider indicating the time and place of receipt.
This funding opportunity is not subject to Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.”
All proposed project costs must be necessary and reasonable and in accordance with Federal guidelines. Determinations of allowable costs will be made in accordance with the applicable Federal cost principles. Disallowed costs are those charges to a grant that the grantor agency or its representative determines not to be allowed in accordance with the applicable Federal cost principles or other conditions contained in the grant.
Applicants, whether successful or not, will not be entitled to reimbursement of pre-award costs.
4. Intellectual Property Rights
The Federal Government reserves a paid-up, nonexclusive and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use, and to authorize others to use for Federal purposes: i) the copyright in all products developed under the grant, including a subgrant or contract under the grant or subgrant; and ii) any rights of copyright to which the grantee, subgrantee or a contractor purchases ownership under an award (including but not limited to curricula, training models, technical assistance products, and any related materials). Such uses include, but are not limited to, the right to modify and distribute such products worldwide by any means, electronically or otherwise. The grantee may not use federal funds to pay any royalty or license fee for use of a copyrighted work, or the cost of acquiring by purchase a copyright in a work, where the Department has a license or rights of free use in such work. If revenues are generated through selling products developed with grant funds, including intellectual property, these revenues are program income. Program income is added to the grant and must be expended for allowable grant activities.
If applicable, the following needs to be on all products developed in whole or in part with grant funds:
“This workforce product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The product was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The U.S. Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it. Internal use by an organization and/or personal use by an individual for non-commercial purposes is permissible. All other uses require the prior authorization of the copyright owner.”
Withdrawal of Applications: Applications may be withdrawn by written notice to the Grant Officer at any time before an award is made.
This section identifies and describes the criteria that will be used for each category to evaluate grant proposals. The evaluation criteria are described below:
Criterion |
Points |
|
20 |
|
30 |
|
50 |
TOTAL |
100 |
Applicants should clearly and fully state how the proposed program will meet the requirements of this SGA. Therefore, responses must be thoughtful and reflect a strategic vision for how these requirements will be achieved. In addition, unless the SGA specifically asks for a limited response an applicant that describes only what has been accomplished in the past but lacks full description of what it will do during the grant period will not receive credit for the response.
1. Organizational Overview (20 points)
To be considered fully responsive, the applicant must fully and clearly describe all of the following elements in a manner that will demonstrate the consortium’s capability and qualifications for administering a grant project.
Describe how the management structure and staffing of the proposed project will enable the consortium to meet the grant requirements, vision, and goals as specified in Section I.B; and how the management structure and staffing are designed to assure responsible general management of the consortium. (5 points)
Describe the applicant’s procurement processes and procedures and provide evidence that it is equipped to meet Federal, State (if applicable), and other relevant procurement requirements. (5 points)
Demonstrate through the consortium agreement the identity of the consortium members and how they will support the implementation of the key tasks associated with the proposal. (5 points)
Demonstrate how tradeswomen or women in nontraditional occupations are incorporated into the consortium’s operations, as employed staff, board members, consultants or volunteers. (5 points)
2. Knowledge of labor market; understanding of barriers facing women entering A/NTOs; and experience both placing and retaining women in A/NTOs. (30 points)
The applicant must provide detailed information for the following:
Fully and clearly describe its knowledge and understanding of the demand in the labor market for the industries in which the applicant will be training and placing apprentices, and how this will help the consortium to place at least 100 women in RAP(s) (10 points)
Provide a description of the consortium members’ knowledge, experience and success in breaking down barriers to placing women in ANTO and registered apprenticeship (10 points).
A description of activities demonstrating previous success with the retention of apprentices registered per year for the last five years. (10 points).
3. Scope of WANTO Project and Projected Outcomes (50 points)
The applicant must fully and clearly describe the type(s) of technical assistance (TA) to be provided to the RAP(s) with WANTO funding, as well as well as how the outcomes will be achieved. To be considered fully responsive to this element, the applicant must clearly and fully address the following:
Plan of Action for TA (40 Points)
Fully and clearly describe in detail the types of TA that will be provided to the RAP(s), and the types of systemic change anticipated by the TA strategies that will be incorporated into ongoing employer recruitment, hiring, training, and promotion of women in A/NTO. Examples of such TA include, but are not limited to: (1) outreach strategies and orientation sessions to recruit women into the RAP(s) occupations and specific openings in RAP(s); (2) pre-apprentice programs as defined Section VIII.F of this SGA, to prepare women for apprenticeship, including Adult Basic Education, English as a Second Language instruction, financial literacy; (3) ongoing orientations for the RAP(s) and workers on creating a successful environment for women in apprenticeship; (4) supportive services such as child care and transportation, support groups, and facilitation of networks for women in apprenticeship, on or off the job site, to improve their retention; (5) liaison services between tradeswomen and the RAP(s) to facilitate retention of the women placed into apprenticeships as a results of the proposed project, as well as retention in apprenticeship of other women who may be already be enrolled as registered apprentices with the RAP(s); and (6) conducting exit interviews with tradeswomen who may complete their apprenticeship or leave their apprenticeship before completion, including women placed in the apprenticeship as a result of the proposed project, or other women who may be already be enrolled as registered apprentices. These interviews can inform the development, assessment, and improvement of TA strategies provided either through this project or other similar efforts designed to prepare and support tradeswomen for on-the-job experiences in an A/NTO.
Outcomes (10 points): Fully and clearly describe the outcomes the applicant anticipates as a result of WANTO funding. Outcomes must include, but are not limited to performance against ETA’s common measures for employment programs as well as the following: (1) placement in registered apprenticeship programs of a minimum of 100 women for the grant period; (2) number of women to be placed in pre-apprenticeships; and (3) number of the women retained in these apprenticeships through the grant period of performance. Other outcomes could include the number of women achieving skill gains, earning industry-recognized credentials, or meeting other benchmarks appropriate for the particular project.
Applications for grants under this Solicitation will be accepted after the publication of this announcement and until the specified time on the closing date. A technical review panel will carefully evaluate applications against the selection criteria. These criteria are based on the policy goals, priorities, and emphases set forth in this SGA. Up to 100 points may be awarded to an application, depending on the quality of the responses to the required information described in Section V.A. The ranked scores will serve as the primary basis for selection of applications for funding, in conjunction with other factors such as geographic balance, the availability of funds, and which proposals are most advantageous to the government. The panel results are advisory in nature and not binding on the Grant Officer. The Grant Officer may consider any information that comes to his/her attention. The government may elect to award the grant(s) with or without discussions with the applicant. Should a grant be awarded without discussions, the award will be based on the applicant’s signature on the SF-424, including electronic signature via E-Authentication on http://www.grants.gov, which constitutes a binding offer by the applicant.
All award notifications will be posted on the ETA Homepage (http://www.doleta.gov). Applicants selected for award will be contacted directly before the grant’s execution. Non-selected applicants will be notified by mail or email and may request a written debriefing on the significant weaknesses of their proposal.
Selection of an organization as a grantee does not constitute approval of the grant application as submitted. Before the actual grant is awarded, ETA may enter into negotiations about such items as program components, staffing and funding levels, and administrative systems in place to support grant implementation. If the negotiations do not result in a mutually acceptable submission, the Grant Officer reserves the right to terminate the negotiations and decline to fund the application. DOL reserves the right to not fund any application related to this SGA.
1. Administrative Program Requirements
All grantees will be subject to all applicable Federal laws, regulations, and the applicable OMB Circulars. The grant(s) awarded under this SGA will be subject to the following administrative standards and provisions:
i. Non-Profit Organizations – OMB Circular A–122 (Cost Principles), relocated to 2 CFR Part 230, and 29 CFR Part 95 (Administrative Requirements)
ii. Educational Institutions – OMB Circular A–21 (Cost Principles), relocated to 2 CFR Part 220, and 29 CFR Part 95 (Administrative Requirements).
iii. State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments – OMB Circular A–87 (Cost Principles), relocated to 2 CFR Part 225, and 29 CFR Part 97 (Administrative Requirements).
iv. Profit Making Commercial Firms – Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) – 48 CFR part 31 (Cost Principles), and 29 CFR Part 95 (Administrative Requirements).
v. All Grant Recipients must comply with the applicable provisions of The Workforce Investment Act of 1998, Public Law No. 105-220, 112 Stat. 936 (codified as amended at 29 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.) and the applicable provisions of the regulations at 20 CFR 660 et seq. Note that 20 CFR part 667 (General Fiscal and Administrative Rules) includes unsuccessful applicant appeal information.
vi. All entities must comply with 29 CFR Part 93 (New Restrictions on Lobbying), 29 CFR Part 94 (Governmentwide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Financial Assistance)), 29 CFR 95.13 and Part 98 (Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension, and drug-free workplace requirements), and, where applicable, 29 CFR Part 96 (Audit Requirements for Grants, Contracts, and Other Agreements) and 29 CFR Part 99 (Audits of States, Local Governments and Non-Profit Organizations).
vii. 29 CFR Part 2, subpart D—Equal Treatment in Department of Labor Programs for Religious Organizations, Protection of Religious Liberty of Department of Labor Social Service Providers and Beneficiaries.
viii. 29 CFR Part 31—Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs of the Department of Labor—Effectuation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
ix. 29 CFR Part 32—Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance.
x. 29 CFR Part 35— Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Age in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance from the Department of Labor.
xi. 29 CFR Part 36—Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance.
xii. 29 CFR Part 37 – Implementation of the Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity Provisions of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.
xiii. 29 CFR Parts 29 and 30—Labor Standards for the Registration of Apprenticeship Programs, and Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship and Training, as applicable.
2. Other Legal Requirements:
i. Religious Activities
The Department notes that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), 42 U.S.C. Section 2000bb, applies to all Federal law and its implementation. If your organization is a faith-based organization that makes hiring decisions on the basis of religious belief, it may be entitled to receive Federal financial assistance under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act and maintain that hiring practice even though Section 188 of the Workforce Investment Act contains a general ban on religious discrimination in employment. If you are awarded a grant, you will be provided with information on how to request such an exemption.
ii. Lobbying or Fundraising the U.S. Government with Federal Funds
In accordance with Section 18 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (Public Law 104-65) (2 U.S.C. 1611), non-profit entities incorporated under Internal Revenue Service Code Section 501(c) (4) that engage in lobbying activities are not eligible to receive Federal funds and grants. No activity, including awareness-raising and advocacy activities, may include fundraising for, or lobbying of, U.S. Federal, State or Local Governments (see OMB Circular A-122).
iii. Transparency Act Requirements
Applicants must ensure that it has the necessary processes and systems in place to comply with the reporting requirements of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Pub. Law 109-282, as amended by section 6202 of Pub. Law 110-252) (Transparency Act), as follows:
All applicants, except for those excepted from the Transparency Act under sub-paragraphs 1, 2, and 3 below, must ensure that they have the necessary processes and systems in place to comply with the subaward and executive total compensation reporting requirements of the Transparency Act, should they receive funding.
Upon award, applicants will receive detailed information on the reporting requirements of the Transparency Act, as described in 2 CFR Part 170, Appendix A, which can be found at the following website: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-22705.pdf
The following types of awards are not subject to the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act:
Federal awards to individuals who apply for or receive Federal awards as natural persons (i.e., unrelated to any business or non-profit organization he or she may own or operate in his or her name);
Federal awards to entities that had a gross income, from all sources, of less than $300,000 in the entities' previous tax year; and
Federal awards, if the required reporting would disclose classified information.
iv. Safeguarding Data Including Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
Applicants submitting proposals in response to this SGA must recognize that confidentiality of sensitive data is of paramount importance to the Department of Labor and must be observed except where disclosure is allowed by the prior written approval of the Grant Officer or by court order. By submitting a proposal, Grantees are assuring that all data exchanges conducted through or during the course of performance of this grant will be conducted in a manner consistent with applicable Federal law. All such activity conducted by ETA and/or Grantee/s will be performed in a manner consistent with applicable state and Federal laws.
By submitting a grant proposal, the applicant agrees to take all necessary steps to protect such confidentiality by complying with the following provisions that are applicable in governing their handling of confidential information:
Grantees shall not extract information from data supplied by DOL/ETA for any purpose not stated in the SGA.
Grantees shall retain data received from DOL/ETA only for the period of time required to use it for assessment and other purposes, or to satisfy applicable federal records retention requirements, if any. Thereafter, the Grantee agrees that all data will be destroyed, including the degaussing of magnetic tape files and permanent deletion of electronic data.
Grantees shall ensure that any information used during the performance of this Grant has been obtained and is being transmitted in conformity with applicable Federal and state laws governing the confidentiality of information. Information transmitted to DOL/ETA containing sensitive information including personally identifiable information (PII) must be encrypted using National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 validated products. The encrypted information must be encrypted in a form that would allow the receiver of the information to decrypt the information without installing additional software or tools.
Access to any information created by DOL/ETA shall be restricted to only those employees of the Grant recipient who need it in their official capacity to perform duties in connection with the Scope of Work outlined in this SGA.
Grantee employees and other personnel who will have access to sensitive/confidential/proprietary/private data shall be advised of the confidential nature of the information, the safeguards required to protect the information, and the civil and criminal sanctions for noncompliance with such safeguards that are contained in Federal and state laws.
Prior to being able to have access to confidential data, Grantee employees and other personnel shall execute a standard document acknowledging their understanding of the confidential nature of the data and the safeguards with which they must comply in their handling of such data as well as the fact that they may be liable to civil and criminal sanctions for improper disclosure.
Grantees further acknowledge that all data obtained through DOL/ETA shall be stored in an area that is physically safe from access by unauthorized persons at all times and the data will be processed using grantee issued equipment, managed information technology (IT) services, and designated locations approved by DOL/ETA. Accessing, processing, and storing of DOL/ETA data on personally owned equipment, at off-site locations e.g. employee’s home, and non-Grantee managed IT services e.g. yahoo mail, is strictly prohibited unless approved by DOL/ETA.
All data shall be processed in a manner that will protect the confidentiality of the records/documents and is designed to prevent unauthorized persons from retrieving such records by computer, remote terminal or any other means. Data may be downloaded to, or maintained on, mobile or portable devices only if the data are encrypted using NIST FIPS 140-2 validated products. In addition, wage data may only be accessed from secure locations.
Data obtained by the Grantee through a request shall not be disclosed to third parties except as permitted by the Grant Officer.
Grantees shall permit ETA to make onsite inspections during regular business hours for the purpose of conducting audits and/or to conduct other investigations to assure that the Grantee is complying with the confidentiality requirements described above. In accordance with this responsibility, Grantees shall make records applicable to this Agreement available to authorized persons for the purpose of inspection, review, and/or audit.
Grantees shall take the steps necessary to ensure the privacy of all PII obtained from participants and/or other individuals and to protect such information from disclosure to unauthorized individuals. Grantees shall maintain such PII in accordance with the DOL/ETA standards for information security provided herein, including any updates to such standards provided to the Grantee by DOL/ETA. Grantees shall report immediately to the DOL ETA Information Security Officer (ISO) any suspected or confirmed breaches or compromise of PII obtained from participants and/or other individuals.
3. Other Administrative Standards and Provisions
Except as specifically provided in this SGA, DOL/ETA’s acceptance of a proposal and an award of Federal funds to sponsor any programs(s) does not provide a waiver of any grant requirements and/or procedures. For example, the OMB Circulars require that an entity’s procurement procedures must ensure that all procurement transactions are conducted, as much as practical, to provide open and free competition. If a proposal identifies a specific entity to provide services, the DOL’s award does not provide the justification or basis to sole source the procurement, i.e., avoid competition, unless the activity is regarded as the primary work of an official partner to the application.
4. Special Program Requirements
A. Evaluation
DOL may require that the program or project participate in an evaluation of overall performance of ETA grants and/or impacts on participants. Therefore, as a condition of award, the grantee is required to cooperate with any evaluation of the program DOL may undertake.
B. Performance Goals
These grants will be subject to both performance goals and process goals to measure their progress in meeting the goals of the grants. The performance and process goals are met when:
100 program participants are placed into Registered Apprenticeship.
Consortia members co-enroll participants into WIA and track participants’ employment outcomes using the common performance measures for WIA Adult Program: Entered Employment Rate, Employment Retention Rate, and Average Earnings.
Grantees must agree to meet DOL reporting requirements. Quarterly financial reports, quarterly progress reports, and MIS data must be submitted by the grantee electronically. The grantee is required to provide the reports and documents listed below:
1. Quarterly Financial Reports
A Quarterly Financial Status Report (ETA 9130) is required until such time as all funds have been expended or the grant period has expired. Quarterly reports are due 45 days after the end of each calendar year quarter. Grantees must use DOL’s Online Electronic Reporting System and information and instructions will be provided to grantees.
2. Quarterly Performance Reports
The grantee must submit a quarterly progress report within 45 days after the end of each calendar year quarter. The report must include quarterly information regarding grant activities. The last quarterly progress report that grantees submit will serve as the grant’s Final Performance Report. This report should provide both quarterly and cumulative information on the grant activities. It must summarize project activities, employment outcomes and other deliverables, and related results of the project, and should thoroughly document the training or labor market information approaches used by the grantee. DOL will provide grantees with formal guidance about the data and other information that is required to be collected and reported on either a regular basis or special request basis. Grantees must agree to meet DOL reporting requirements.
3. Record Retention
Applicants must be prepared to follow Federal guidelines on record retention, which require grantees to maintain all records pertaining to grant activities for a period of not less than three years from the time of final grant close-out.
For further information about this SGA, please contact L. Gerald Tate, Grants Management Specialist, Division of Federal Assistance, at (202) 693-3703. Applicants should e-mail all technical questions to [email protected] and must specifically reference SGA/DFA PY 11-10, and along with question(s), include a contact name, fax and phone number. This announcement is being made available on the ETA Web site at http://www.doleta.gov/grants and at http://www.grants.gov.
A. Web-Based Resources
DOL maintains a number of web-based resources that may be of assistance to applicants. For example, the CareerOneStop portal (http://www.careeronestop.org), which provides national and state career information on occupations; the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) Online (http://online.onetcenter.org), which provides occupational competency profiles; and America’s Service Locator (http://www.servicelocator.org), which provides a directory of our nation’s One-Stop Career Centers.
B. Industry Competency Models and Career Clusters
ETA supports an Industry Competency Model Initiative to promote an understanding of the skill sets and competencies that are essential to an educated and skilled workforce. A competency model is a collection of competencies that, taken together, define successful performance in a particular work setting. Competency models serve as a starting point for the design and implementation of workforce and talent development programs. To learn about the industry-validated models visit the Competency Model Clearinghouse (CMC) at http://www.careeronestop.org/CompetencyModel. The CMC site also provides tools to build or customize industry models, as well as tools to build career ladders and career lattices for specific regional economies.
Career Clusters and Industry Competency Models both identify foundational and technical competencies, but their efforts are not duplicative. The Career Clusters link to specific career pathways in sixteen career cluster areas and place greater emphasis on elements needed for curriculum performance objectives; measurement criteria; scope and sequence of courses in a program of study; and development of assessments. Information about the sixteen career cluster areas can be found by accessing: www.careerclusters.org.
C. Workforce3One Resources
1. ETA encourages applicants to view the information gathered through the conference calls with Federal agency partners, industry stakeholders, educators, and local practitioners. The information on resources identified can be found on Workforce3One.org at: http://www.workforce3one.org/view/2001008333909172195/info.
2. ETA encourages applicants to view the online tutorial, “Grant Applications 101: A Plain English Guide to ETA Competitive Grants,” available through Workforce3One at: http://www.workforce3one.org/page/grants_toolkit.
IX. Other Information
A. OMB Information Collection No 1225-0086, Expires November 30, 2012.
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 hours per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments about the burden estimated or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the U.S. Department of Labor, to the attention of the Departmental Clearance Officer, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Room N1301, Washington, DC 20210. Comments may also be emailed to [email protected]. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN THE COMPLETED APPLICATION TO THIS ADDRESS. SEND IT TO THE SPONSORING AGENCY AS SPECIFIED IN THIS SOLICITATION.
This information is being collected for the purpose of awarding a grant. The information collected through this “Solicitation for Grant Applications” will be used by the Department of Labor to ensure that grants are awarded to the applicant best suited to perform the functions of the grant. Submission of this information is required in order for the applicant to be considered for award of this grant.
Acronyms and Definitions
For the purposes of this SGA, the following terms are defined for the convenience of prospective applicants:
A/NTO refers to apprenticeship and nontraditional occupations.
2. Apprenticeship Committee, as defined in 29 CFR 29.2, means those persons designated by the sponsor to administer the program. A committee may be either joint or non-joint, as follows:
(a) A joint committee is composed of an equal number of representatives of the employer(s) and of the employees represented by a bona fide collective bargaining agent(s).
(b) A non-joint committee, which may also be known as a unilateral or group non-joint (which may include employees) committee, has employer representatives but does not have a bona fide collective bargaining agent as a participant.
3. Apprenticeable occupations, as defined in 29 CFR 29.4, are specified by industry and are occupations which must:
(a) involve skills that are customarily learned in a practical way through a structured, systematic program of on-the-job supervised learning;
(b) be clearly identified and commonly recognized throughout an industry;
(c) involve the progressive attainment of manual, mechanical or technical skills and knowledge which, in accordance with the industry standard for the occupation, would require the completion of at least 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning to attain; and
(d) require related instruction to supplement the on-the-job learning.
4. CBO (Community-Based Organization) is a private nonprofit organization (i.e., incorporated under IRS §§ 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) (except for § 501(c)(4) organizations that engage in lobbying as described in section VI. B. of this SGA), or is actively pursuing IRS nonprofit tax exempt status) which may be faith-based, that is representative of a community or a significant segment of a community, and which provides job training services and has demonstrated experience administering programs that train women for WANTO.
5. CBO, LWIB and RAP Consortium refers to a group consisting of a minimum of: (1) a RAP sponsor; (2) LWIA; and (3) a CBO (which may be faith-based) with demonstrated experience in providing job training services (job training services include “hard skills” such as the basics of a skilled occupation, core industry skills training such as tool identification, industry math/science, and industry-related reading/literacy and “soft skills” such as work readiness training, team building, work-place culture; and supportive services such as English as a Second Language, mentoring, networking events, on-going support groups, drivers’ license recovery programming, and leadership development workshops).
6. NTO (Nontraditional Occupations) are those where women account for less than 25 percent of all persons employed in a single occupational group. For the most recent listing of nontraditional occupations, see the WB web site at www.dol.gov/wb/stats/main.htm.
7. OA refers to the Office of Apprenticeship, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
8. Pre-Apprenticeship Programs are programs designed to prepare individuals to enter and succeed in a Registered Apprenticeship program and has a documented partnership that has been designed in conjunction with at least one, if not more, Registered Apprenticeship program(s). Furthermore, a quality pre-apprenticeship program is one that incorporates the following elements:
(a) Focuses on increasing Registered Apprenticeship opportunities for under-represented,4 disadvantaged or low-skilled individuals, through recruitment, preparation, training and/or support services, so that individuals upon completion will meet the entry requirements, gain consideration and be prepared for success in one or more Registered Apprenticeship program(s);
(b) Provides educational services as needed that prepare individuals to meet the entry requisites of one or more Registered Apprenticeship program(s) (e.g., specific career and industry awareness workshops, job readiness courses, English for Speakers of Other Languages, Adult Basic Education, financial literacy seminars, math tutoring);
(c) Uses training and curriculum based on industry standards5 and approved by the documented Registered Apprenticeship partner(s), that will prepare individuals with the skills and competencies needed to enter one or more Registered Apprenticeship program(s);
(d) Facilitates, on an as needed basis, access to support services 6 during the pre-apprenticeship program and a significant portion of the Registered Apprenticeship program (e.g., child care, transportation assistance, needs-based/non-wage stipends, health, legal and financial services, initial tools, clothing and safety equipment or other assistance to ameliorate barriers);
(e) Promotes the use of Registered Apprenticeship collaboratively with Registered Apprenticeship program sponsors, both as a preferred means for employers to develop a skilled workforce and to create career opportunities for individuals;
(f) Does not provide actual on-the-job training, but when possible, provides hands-on training to individuals in a simulated lab experience or through volunteer opportunities, neither of which supplant a paid employee. This hands-on training accurately simulates the industry and occupational conditions of the partnering Registered Apprenticeship employer sponsor(s) while observing proper supervision and safety protocols;
(g) When possible, has formalized agreements7 with registered apprenticeship sponsors that enable individuals who have successfully completed the pre-apprenticeship program to directly enter into a registered apprenticeship program, and/or articulation agreements for earning advanced credit/placement for skills and competencies already acquired.
9. Registered Apprenticeship is a formal employment relationship designed to promote skill training and learning on the job. “Hands on” learning takes place in conjunction with related theoretical instruction (often in a classroom setting). An apprentice who successfully completes an OA registered program, which usually requires three to five years, is awarded a certificate of completion of apprenticeship. An OA registered program is one in which employers, or groups of employers, and unions design, organize, manage, and finance apprenticeship programs under the standards developed and registered with OA or a DOL ETA-recognized State Apprenticeship Agency. Employers or groups of employers, and unions also select apprentices who are trained to meet certain predetermined occupational standards. For more information, see the OA web site at http://www.doleta.gov/oa/.
10. RAP refers to Registered Apprenticeship Program.
11. Registered Apprenticeship Program Sponsor refers to any person, association, committee, or organization operating an apprenticeship program in whose name the program is (or is to be) registered or approved.
12. TA refers to technical assistance.
13. WANTO refers to Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations.
14. WIA refers to the Workforce Investment Act.
15. WB refers to the Women’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor.
Signed, ______________in Washington, D.C. by:
Latifa Jeter
Grant Officer, Employment and Training Administration
1 Shewring, Fiona. 2009. The female ‘tradie’: Challenging employment perceptions in non-traditional trades for women. National Center for Vocational Education Research (NCVER): Adelaide, Australia. http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2100.html
2 Programs and Practices That Work: Preparing Student for Nontraditional Careers Project. 2006. Washington, DC: Joint project sponsored by the Association of Career and Technical Education, the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity, the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium, and the National Women’s Law Center. http://www.napequity.org/pdf/Constructing%20Equity.pdf
3 Memorandums 07-16 and 06-19. GAO Report 08-536, Privacy: Alternatives Exist for Enhancing Protection of Personally Identifiable Information, May 2008, http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08536.pdf.
In the context of this definition, the term under-represented is intentionally broad.
Generally, the term “under-represented” means a population that does not represent the majority, or a proportional share, as indicated by appropriate data, of current participants in Registered Apprenticeship. For example, veterans may be an under-represented population in Registered Apprenticeship.
Broadly, the intent of this term is to encourage pre-apprenticeship programs to be inclusive of all populations that may benefit from Registered Apprenticeship, but who do not proportionally participate in Registered Apprenticeship, regardless of the reason.
Industry Standards in this context refers to the generally accepted practices of an industry, in terms of the knowledge, skills and aptitudes that are demonstrated by members of the industry. Generally accepted practices are represented by the performance of, or instruction in, specific occupational tasks relevant to that industry by employers, journeyworker(s), educators and other Subject Matter Experts.
By using the term Industry Standards in this manner, the intent of the definition is to ensure that trainings and/or curricula used by the pre-apprenticeship program align with the needs of the Registered Apprenticeship partner(s), while still allowing flexibility in pre-apprenticeship program design.
Support services may refer to any service that assists participants to qualify for and maintain participation in a pre-apprenticeship and/or Registered Apprenticeship program. Broadly, support services are those intended to assist individual participants with an assessed or expressed need in order to ensure participants’ success in completing the pre-apprenticeship program, gaining employment, acquiring necessary skills or addressing any other identified barriers.
Pre-apprenticeship organizations may directly provide support services or facilitate the provision of support services through referrals – the intent of this term is to ensure support services are available and emphasize the importance of such services being integrated into pre-apprenticeship programs.
In the context of this definition, a “formalized agreement” between the Registered Apprenticeship sponsor(s) and the pre-apprenticeship organization can be any form of documentation that clearly defines the obligations and expectations of each of the parties to the agreement.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | DEPARTMENT OF LABOR |
| Author | frugoli.pam |
| Last Modified By | Michel Smyth |
| File Modified | 2012-03-28 |
| File Created | 2012-03-28 |