U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Notice of Availability of Funds and Funding Opportunity Announcement for the American Apprenticeship Initiative.
Announcement
Type: Initial
Funding
Opportunity Number:
FOA/DFA PY-14-02
Catalog
of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number:
17.268
Key Dates: The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is [140 days from issuance]. Applications must be received no later than 4:00:00 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: Sara Gallagher Williams, Grant Officer,
Reference FOA/DFA PY 14-02, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716,
Washington, DC 20210. For complete application and submission
information, including online application instructions, please refer
to Section IV.
Executive
Summary:
The
Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of
Labor (DOL, or the department, or we), announces the availability of
approximately $100 million in grant funds authorized by Section
414(c) of the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act
of 1998 (ACWIA), as amended (codified at 29 USC 2916a), for the
American Apprenticeship Initiative.
These
grants are financed by a user fee paid by employers to hire foreign
workers into the United States under the H-1B nonimmigrant visa
program. This initiative is intended to provide a catalyst in
supporting a uniquely American Apprenticeship system that meets our
country’s particular economic, industry and workforce needs.
American Apprenticeships (also referred to as Registered
Apprenticeships) are innovative work-based learning and
post-secondary earn-and- learn models that meet national standards
for registration with the U.S. Department of Labor (or federally
recognized State Apprenticeship Agencies). Grants
funded by this initiative will support dynamic and sustainable
public-private partnerships that:
Support the expansion of quality and innovative1 American Apprenticeship programs into high-growth occupation(s) and industry(s), particularly those for which employers are using H-1B visas to hire foreign workers, and the related activities necessary to support such programs (see Appendix A or visit the Foreign Labor Certification Data Center);
Create career pathways that encompass American Apprenticeship and align with other post-secondary educational offerings;
Use strategies to significantly increase apprenticeship opportunities for job seekers and workers (particularly for women and other underrepresented populations in apprenticeship, including young men and women of color, people with disabilities; low-skilled populations; and veterans, including transitioning service members); and
Leverage and develop public policies that increase demand for American Apprenticeship and support sustainability.
Approximately 25 grants will be awarded to the lead applicant of a public and private partnership. Selection of grantees will be determined on the strength of the proposal, partnership, and commitments of leveraged resources, along with other factors, such as the geographic distribution of funds, mix of industries and occupations, partnership structures, scope of innovation, level of expansion (i.e., new apprentice goals), and/or other factors. Applicants must present a comprehensive strategy that is responsive to the Project Narrative requirements in Section IV.
Applicants should commit, on behalf of the partnership, to (1) work with DOL (or DOL-recognized State Apprenticeship Agencies) to register new apprenticeship programs in H-1B related industries and occupations such as, Information Technology, and/or other high-growth industries including but not limited to Advanced Manufacturing, Business Services, and Healthcare; and the types of high-demand skill sets (e.g., digital and information technology skills) now required across most industries; and (2) transform and adapt alternative work-based learning programs or rigorous educationally-based internship models into American Apprenticeship programs; or (3) significantly expand existing and successful registered programs.
Applications must include significant employer engagement, including a minimum of three employer partners with demonstrated engagement, and must describe any regional or national industry associations that are actively participating in the project. In states in which they exist, State Apprenticeship Agencies will play an important leadership and supporting role in the regional and state infrastructure to promote, develop, register, and expand apprenticeship programs.
Additionally,
there are a set of requirements listed in Appendix C, which will
become part of the grant award to ensure planning and implementation
that support an environment for American Apprenticeship expansion and
sustainability. Applicants should familiarize themselves with these
requirements prior to submission of an application. Finally, the
department is committed to producing strong evidence on the
effectiveness of the grantee programs, and full participation (by
grantee and sub-grantees) in any evaluation initiated by the
department is a condition of all grant awards.
Program Purpose
This
Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) solicits applications for
the American Apprenticeship
Initiative. This initiative is intended to serve as a catalyst in
supporting a uniquely American Apprenticeship system that meets our
particular economic, industry and workforce needs. American
Apprenticeships are innovative work-based learning and post-secondary
earn-and learn models that meet national standards for registration
with the U.S. Department of Labor, or with a DOL-recognized State
Apprenticeship Agency (link to Registered
Apprenticeship 101).
American Apprenticeship (also referred to as Registered Apprenticeship) programs combine job-related technical instruction with structured on-the-job learning experiences. 21st century apprenticeship approaches are flexible and can be easily customized to meet the needs of the employer and apprentice. Apprentices are hired and earn a wage upon registration, and receive progressive wages commensurate with their skill attainment throughout the training program. Upon successful completion of all phases of on-the-job learning and related instruction components, registered apprentices receive nationally recognized certificates of completion leading to long-term career opportunities. For more information and to find our Apprenticeship Toolkit and Quick Start Action Planner, please visit our homepage.
Currently,
there are approximately 410,000 Registered Apprenticeships in the
United States, which represents a relatively small proportion of the
labor force compared with other industrialized nations. To put this
number in a global context, the United States would need more than
six times as many new apprentices to be on the same per capita level
as Great Britain.2
It would take a sixteen-fold increase for the U.S. to be on par with
the number of apprentices in Germany.3
Underutilization of apprenticeship also is evidenced when one
considers that by comparison there over 19 million students in 2- and
4-year American colleges and universities.4
This underutilization of apprenticeship represents a significant
lost opportunity to efficiently train American workers with 21st
century skills and create a stronger American economy.
By launching the American Apprenticeship Initiative, the department is taking a critical first step in charting a new path forward for innovation in apprenticeship and raising the visibility of apprenticeship as a post-secondary education and training pathway (see the American Apprenticeship Factsheet).
Grants under this program must focus on helping more employers and workers participate in American Apprenticeships within industries and occupations for which employers are using H-1B visas to hire foreign workers such as, Information Technology, and/or other high-growth industries including but not limited to Advanced Manufacturing, Business Services, and Healthcare; and the types of high-demand skill sets (e.g., digital and information technology skills) now required across most industries. The American Apprenticeship Initiative is intended to raise the technical skill levels of American workers so they can obtain or upgrade employment. While the occupations at H-1B skill levels are generally defined as commensurate with a bachelor's degree or comparable experience, education, and training, American Apprenticeship is not limited to 4-year degree skill levels and can include the preparation of workers at various points along a career pathway.5
These grants are available for the creation and/or expansion of innovative and sustainable public-private partnerships and project designs that align with regional and state economies to address the following goals:
1.
Support the expansion of quality and innovative American
Apprenticeship training programs into high-growth occupations and
industries for which employers are using H-1B visas to hire foreign
workers, and the related activities necessary to support such
training (see Appendix A or Foreign
Labor Certification Data Center);
2.
Create career pathways that encompass American Apprenticeship
programs and align American Apprenticeship with post-secondary
education through innovative partnerships that leverage high-quality
training and classroom-education opportunities;
3.
Utilize strategies that offer innovative approaches to significantly
increase apprenticeship opportunities for all American workers,
particularly underrepresented populations in apprenticeship
(including women and minorities); low-skilled populations; and
veterans, including transitioning service members, to prepare for and
successfully enter careers that provide long-term employment and
family-sustaining wages in high-skill, high-growth industries;
4.
Implement new and innovative public polices (at the regional, state,
and local level) or public-private partnerships that increase demand
for American Apprenticeship; and
5. Ensure that innovations form the basis for broader change and sustainability that encourages employers to adopt and offer American Apprenticeship opportunities.
Based on these goals, we are interested in funding innovative public-private partnerships and projects that will incorporate elements which will lead to sustainable and impactful apprenticeship programs. These elements include:
Promoting Apprenticeship to Employers, Workers, and Other Key Stakeholders: Increasing awareness of the value and benefits of American Apprenticeships for both employers and workers as well as educators through increased education, marketing and outreach (impact documentation);
Increasing Apprenticeship Opportunities for All Americans: Developing strategies that increase opportunities for underrepresented (including women and minorities), low-skilled populations, and veterans into skilled occupations and industries while also addressing the barriers, income and support needs, and preparatory training unique to targeted populations; this would include quality pre-apprenticeships (as defined in Training and Employment Notice 13-12) and other strategies that can serve as on-ramps to American Apprenticeship opportunities;
Promoting Career Pathways and Aligning Apprenticeships with Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) and Workforce Investment Systems: Engaging states, regions, and local areas to align, at a minimum, education and training systems (e.g., Workforce Investment Boards/State Workforce Agencies; and career technical education, community college, and university systems) behind apprenticeship as an area for cooperation and co-investment and linking apprenticeship to credit and industry-recognized credentials that allow for further advancement (e.g., college credit, portable industry-recognized credentials; also see the Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium);
Sector Focus and Employer Commitments: It is critical that applications: (1) demonstrate clear sector strategies and must include significant employer engagement, including a minimum of three distinct employer partners to work with DOL (or federally-recognized State Apprenticeship Agencies) to register new apprenticeship programs and hire apprentices, and (2) display a commitment to transform and adapt alternative work-based learning programs or rigorous education-based internship models into American Apprenticeship programs, and/or (3) significantly expand existing and successful registered programs (e.g., scaling industry models to a national, multi-state, regional, or statewide level through an industry association with multiple employer partners, a national employer with multiple sites and other employers that are part of its supply chain, or state-led initiatives that imbed apprenticeship strategies in support of state and regional labor market needs;
Innovative Public Policies and Public-Private Partnership Models: Implementing new and innovative public polices (e.g., tax credits, apprenticeship utilization requirements for publicly-funded state or local projects, expansion of eligibility for educational benefits or funding, leveraging workforce or other funding streams, or other policies) at the regional, state, and local level or public-private partnerships that increase demand for American Apprenticeship and support long-term sustainability (see Elements of Innovation in Appendix B.);
Planning for a Sustainable Expansion: Demonstrating thoughtful plans and policies for sustainably expanding the apprenticeship models and documenting the evidence for continued investment;
Program Evaluation: Ensuring full participation (by grantee and sub-grantees) in any evaluation initiated by the department as a condition of all grant awards (see details of program evaluation requirements in Section IV.E Funding Restrictions); and providing a strong plan to report the achievement of the project’s goals and milestones and effectively measure its outputs and outcomes.
Allowable Activities
Applicants must identify key innovations that they are seeking to implement and demonstrate the ability and commitment to train significant numbers of new apprentices and scale programs at a statewide, multi-state, regional, or national level. Grant funds are intended to offset initial startup and implementation costs and to play a catalytic role in American Apprenticeship expansion. Projects under this FOA are required to leverage a wide range of other private and public sector resources to ensure significant scaling of apprenticeship in terms of the number of new programs and numbers of new apprentices served.
Allowable activities under this grant must help employers grow a more productive workforce and assist workers in gaining the skills and competencies needed to obtain or upgrade employment in high-growth industries and occupations, or along career pathways for such industries and occupations. A career pathway may generally be defined as a system of career options which allows opportunities for professional growth and upward mobility.
DOL will fund American Apprenticeship training and supporting activities to ensure that the program(s) meet the needs of employers and apprentices. American Apprenticeship training is distinguished from other types of workplace training by several factors: (1) participants who are newly hired (or already employed) earn wages from employers during training; (2) programs must meet national standards for registration with the U.S. Department of Labor (or federally recognized State Apprenticeship Agencies; (3) programs provide on-the-job learning and job related technical instruction; (4) on-the-job learning is conducted in the work setting under the direction of one or more of the employer’s supervisory personnel; and 5) training results in an industry recognized credential.
Below are some examples of allowable activities that may be funded by AAI grant funds:
1. On-the-Job Learning (OJL)
OJL
combined with job related technical instruction comprise the core
training components of any apprenticeship. Grant funds may be used
to support the OJL to reimburse employers for extraordinary costs of
training not to exceed $10,000 per apprentice over the period of
training. This reimbursement can help offset overhead associated
with providing the training, shadowing, mentoring and additional
supervision that are part of a quality on-the-job learning. The
majority of these training costs are typically borne by the employer.
2. Job Related Technical Instruction (RTI)
Grant funds may be used to support the RTI (sometimes referred to as classroom training) of an American Apprenticeship. RTI allows apprentices to learn the theoretical aspects of the job. Allowable costs may include (1) the development of courses at the post-secondary level that are integrated into the apprenticeship program; (2) apprentice tuition or other educational fees; (3) and the delivery of instruction requirements (e.g., virtual learning technology, classroom instructors, etc.); and (4) costs for training facilities.
3. Pre-Apprenticeship Training
Grant funds may be used to support quality pre-apprenticeships (as defined in Training and Employment Notice 13-12) and other strategies that can serve as on-ramps to American Apprenticeship opportunities. Pre-Apprenticeship services and programs are designed to prepare a diverse pool of individuals to enter and succeed in American Apprenticeship by providing career specific training and readiness skills needed on the job. In addition to providing preparatory skills for future apprentices, pre-apprenticeship training can be an effective vehicle to streamline the recruitment process and help move job-ready apprentices into apprenticeship. The most effective pre-apprenticeship programs are those which utilize employers or other program sponsors to articulate eligibility requirements and qualifications that lead to hiring into an apprenticeship. DOL is interested in funding pre-apprenticeship services that demonstrate clear pathways for underrepresented populations to American Apprenticeship placements. Please note that YouthBuild programs that receive funding from the U.S. Department of Labor meet the quality pre-apprenticeship requirements outlined in ETA’s definition within Training and Employment Notice 13-12. For more information about YouthBuild programs, please visit http://doleta.gov/Youth_services/Youth_Build.cfm.
4. Other Activities that Support American Apprenticeship
In implementing American Apprenticeship, applicants may propose to use grant funds for a wide range of activities that create an environment for American Apprenticeship expansion and training opportunities including but not limited to the following:
Sector strategy and career pathway development activities;
Partnership building activities, such as:
Development and/or implementation of system alignment activities, including the development of articulation agreements with universities and other educational partners that allow for recognition of apprenticeship training toward college credit and other activities to support the Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium;
Meetings, training, briefings of consortia members;
Development of outreach and promotion to support increased awareness of American Apprenticeship for employers, potential participants (particularly underrepresented populations), educators, the general public, etc.;
Career awareness models for underrepresented populations;
Recruitment of eligible participants;
American Apprenticeship program design and implementation costs, such as:
The development of curricula and standards of apprenticeship;
Costs associated with the development of competency based apprenticeship training or other accelerated learning models;
Hiring/developing qualified instructors and subject matter experts (including the costs of salaries and benefits) to assist in the delivery of new curricula;
Use of subject matter experts from industry, apprenticeship, education, or other areas to assist in updating, replicating or customizing existing industry-recognized curricula to support RTI;
Enhancing the information technology infrastructure used to provide American Apprenticeship education and training and related activities;
Conducting prior learning assessments to determine the number of college credits that can be awarded for apprentices who receive their American Apprenticeship certificate of completion;
Conducting assessments to determine skill levels, aptitudes, abilities, and competencies of participants;
Supportive services to support on-going participation of apprentices while in training (e.g., materials needed on the job including uniforms, tools, and supplies);
Costs related to awarding of Certificates of Training and/or Certificates of Completion of Apprenticeship credentials;
System/infrastructure capacity to organize, and/or analyze program data for continuous improvement and program evaluation;
Program oversight and management, grant reporting, and other administrative functions.
Grant funds cannot be used to pay participant wages (see section IV.E). Applicants should also refer to Section VI of the FOA for a list of relevant OMB Circulars related to cost principles, administrative and other requirements that apply to this Solicitation and to Section IV.E for a discussion of costs that are not allowable under this Solicitation.
Targeted Industries and Occupations
American Apprenticeship grants will fund projects across a diversity of industries and occupations for which employers are using H-1B visas to hire foreign workers. These are high-job-growth industries and occupations that: 1) are projected to hire substantial numbers of new workers; 2) are being transformed by technology and innovation requiring new skill sets for workers; 3) are new and emerging businesses that are projected to grow; or 4) have a significant impact on the economy overall or on the growth of other industries and occupations. According to recent data, a wide range of industries may meet these criteria in local and regional areas around the country.
To position American workers for highly skilled positions, and to reduce the need for foreign workers under the H-1B visa program, we are interested in funding innovative program designs that focus on industries and occupations for which employers are using H–1B visas to hire foreign workers, such as Information Technology, and/or other high-growth industries including but not limited to Advanced Manufacturing, Business Services, and Healthcare; and the types of high-demand skill sets (e.g., digital and information technology skills) now required across most industries.
Applicants should review the attached list of industries and occupations that are using H–1B visas to hire foreign workers to assist your program alignment (See Appendix A). This list is not exhaustive and applicants are advised to also refer to the Foreign Labor Certification Data Center.
Program Authority
Funding will be provided in the form of a grant. Approximately $100 million is expected to be available to fund approximately 25 grants. You may apply for a grant amount ranging from $2.5 - 5 million. We will not fund any project for less than $2.5 million or above the ceiling amount of $5 million.
Applicants should request funding that is commensurate with the scope and scale of the project. Projects must clearly demonstrate the ability and commitment to train significant numbers of new apprentices and scale programs at a statewide, multi-state, regional, or national level commensurate with the grant request. This could include, but is not limited to, scaling industry models through an industry association with multiple employer partners, through a national employer looking to expand an apprenticeship program to additional facilities/locations and with other employers that are part of the supply chain, or through a State-led, regionally-led, or locally-led apprenticeship initiative that will implement apprenticeship in support of state and regional labor market needs.
To ensure that grant funds result in services to significant numbers of apprentices, we have established goals for the minimum numbers of apprentices to be served during the period of performance based on the amount of funds requested by the applicant (see table below). The number of apprentices served should reflect those individuals who receive grant funded services in support of their apprenticeship training (in a program that meets national standards for registration with the U.S. Department of Labor or a federally recognized State Apprenticeship Agency). Therefore, this goal does not include individuals served through pre-apprenticeship or other grant activities that are outside of the registered program. The table below represents the minimum levels of apprentices to be served based on the funding request. Project goals, including estimated numbers of apprentices to be served, must be included in the project narrative (described in more detail in Section VI.3.1. Expected Outcomes and Outputs).
DOL recognizes that underrepresented or harder-to-serve populations may require more expensive service delivery strategies to create greater access to quality apprenticeships. In addition, apprenticeship training strategies frequently have higher upfront costs compared to less intensive training options. This grant investment is intended to offset costs of training and to play a catalytic role in American Apprenticeship expansion, but it will be essential that applicants acquire adequate leveraged resources to accomplish the project’s overall goals and milestones. Public and private leveraged resources must be sufficient to allow all apprentices to successfully complete training.
Minimum Goals for Apprentices Served During the Grant Period Based on Funding Request |
|
Funding Request |
Apprentices Served |
$2,500,000 – $2,999,999.. |
300 |
$3,000,000 - $4,000,000.. |
600 |
$4,000,001 - $5,000,000.. |
1000 |
Awards
made under this announcement are subject to the availability of
Federal funds. In the event that additional funds become available,
we reserve the right to use such funds to select additional grantees
from applications submitted in response to this announcement.
B. Period of Performance
The
period of performance is 60
months. This performance period
includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities. The
process for program development and registration should begin
immediately and apprenticeship enrollments should be expedited, with
the expectation of apprentice enrollments to begin in the first 12
months of the grant.
III. Eligibility Information
A.1. Primary Partnership Composition
In keeping with the authority provided by Congress under ACWIA, grants under this program will be awarded to a partnership of private and public sector entities. ETA seeks a diversity of partners and partnership structures to support innovation and seed diverse approaches. The primary partnership must include at least one public and one private sector entity:
To be eligible for consideration, applications must include at least one each from the following:
Private Sector: A business, a consortium of businesses, business-related nonprofit organization, or a private organization functioning as a workforce intermediary for the express purpose of serving the needs of businesses; (see A.1.a)
and
Public Sector: At least one representative from one of the following three types of entities: 1) the workforce investment system; 2) public education or training provider; or 3) DOL-recognized State Apprenticeship Agency (note: State Apprenticeship Agencies are in 25 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam listed here: ). (see A.1b)
Eligible private sector and public sector entities are further described below in A.1.a. and A.1.b. The partnership between the private entity (i.e., business or business-related entity) described above in “A.1.a.” and a public entity described in “A.1.b.” will be considered the “primary partnership.” An eligible entity cannot serve as more than one type of entity for the purpose of meeting the minimum requirements of the primary partnership.
A.1.a.
Eligible Private Sector Entity
for the Primary Partnership
Business, Consortium of Businesses, Business-related Nonprofit Organizations, Private Organizations Functioning as Workforce Intermediaries for the Expressed Purpose of Serving the Needs of Businesses
The
primary partnership must include one or more of the following: a
business (one of or in addition to the three required participating
employers), a consortium of businesses, business-related nonprofit
organization, or private organization functioning as a workforce
intermediary for the express purpose of serving the needs of
businesses. Business-related nonprofit organizations include trade
or industry associations such as local Chambers of Commerce, small
business federations, and labor-management organizations.
Organizations functioning as workforce intermediaries for the express
purpose of serving the needs of businesses include labor unions,
labor-management organizations, industry associations,
community-based organizations, private non-profit service providers.
As discussed in A.1.2, a
business-related non-profit organization or a non-profit organization
functioning as a workforce intermediary for the express purpose of
serving the needs of businesses may act as the lead applicant.
Note: while a for-profit private business or for-profit consortium
of businesses can be an entity included in the primary partnership,
they cannot be the lead applicant.
Any
of these organizations can provide expertise on the skill needs of
the workplace. Businesses and business associations lend their
expertise on skills development by: 1) defining the program goals
and activities; 2) identifying necessary skills and competencies; 3)
providing resources to support education/training (such as equipment,
instructors, on-the-job learning and other work-based learning
activities); 4) providing assistance with American Apprenticeship
program design and implementation; 5) hiring qualified apprentices;
and 6) helping to solicit employer feedback on the skills and
competencies of workers completing training. Organizations
functioning as workforce intermediaries for the express purpose of
serving the needs of businesses may lend their expertise by: 1)
having credibility with employers and workers; 2) serving as a
partner, coordinator, and management services organization; and 3)
bringing together project partners to plan, govern, manage, and track
performance of customized services to program participants and
employers.
A.1.b. Eligible Public Sector Entity for the Primary Partnership
At least one public sector entity from the following list (i., ii., or iii.) must be included in the primary partnership. Any of the following types of public workforce system entities are eligible lead applicants and eligible entities to be part of the primary partnership:
The Workforce Investment System
Organizations involved in administering the workforce investment system established under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), (including state and local Workforce Investment Boards and American Job Center Operators (as discussed under Section 121 of WIA of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2841)) and Indian and Native American entities as discussed under Section 166 of WIA). These organizations have expertise in workforce development and may provide leadership in implementing the following types of activities: 1) understanding and analyzing the need for education and training in the local labor market and regional economy; 2) identifying targeted industries, occupations, regional clusters, hiring needs, and populations to be served; 3) providing relevant sources of data, including labor market information and other tools or reports; 4) assessing potential participants for the grant program; 5) identifying and referring candidates for education and training in the grant program; 6) providing additional supportive services; 7) connecting and placing participants with employers that have Registered Apprenticeships; and 8) collecting, tracking, and reporting participant data to ETA. These organizations will continue to play an integral role in workforce development under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2015 (WIOA).
Education and Training Providers
For the purposes of this FOA, eligible education and training institutions include state college coordinating entities such as a community college system office or a single state educational board; institutions of higher education (IHEs), as defined in Section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002); joint labor-management training partnerships, non-profit and community-based organizations that offer job training; and organizations that have been approved as WIA Eligible Training Providers under section 122 of WIA (29 U.S.C. 2842). Note: for-profit education/training providers cannot be the lead applicant and also do not count as a “public” entity.
IHEs
include public or other non-profit educational institutions.
Eligible institutions must be accredited, by the closing date of this
FOA, by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association
that has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. A
database of institutions that are accredited by bodies recognized by
the U.S. Department of Education can be found at
http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.
Generally, institutions of higher education include 2-year and
4-year colleges and universities, and institutions that serve
minorities (including Historically Black Colleges and Universities,
Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Hispanic-Serving Institutions,
and/or Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving
Institutions, such as those designated by the U.S. Department of
Education at
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/edlite-minorityinst.html),
among others.
The
training providers described above provide a range of customizable
and short-term, as well as longer-term, training and education
programs that may result in industry-recognized credentials and may
include basic skills training, technical skills training, supportive
services, and workforce development services.
State Apprenticeship Agency (only for projects occurring in the 25 states and the District of Columbia and Guam that utilize such agencies and have been recognized by USDOL http://www.doleta.gov/oa/stateagencies.cfm)
The
department anticipates that State Apprenticeship Agencies will play a
leadership role in any state-wide application and that state
leadership will ensure that there is sufficient infrastructure,
including staffing, in place to manage and support the American
Apprenticeship expansion strategies identified in the application.
The Fitzgerald Act, also known as the National
Apprenticeship Act, officially authorized and established the
national apprenticeship system. This Act gave the U.S. Secretary of
Labor authority over Registered Apprenticeship programs, established
an Office of Apprenticeship within the U.S. Department of Labor, and
provided for the recognition of State Apprenticeship Agencies to
register and administer apprenticeship programs for federal purposes.
(Find a complete list of State
Apprenticeship Agencies).
Twenty-five
states plus the District of Columbia and Guam have recognized State
Apprenticeship Agencies (as defined in 29 CFR 29.2). These State
Apprenticeship Agencies are defined as agencies of a state government
that have responsibility and accountability for apprenticeship within
the state for Federal purposes. Only a State Apprenticeship Agency
which has been properly constituted under an acceptable law or
Executive Order may be recognized by the Office of Apprenticeship and
authorized to register and oversee apprenticeship programs and
agreements for Federal purposes. These agencies may serve as the lead
applicant or satisfy the public entity of the primary partnership.
State Apprenticeship Agencies can assist in the development and registering of apprenticeship programs that meet Federal and state standards. They also play a key role in: 1) protecting the safety and welfare of apprentices; 2) issuing nationally recognized and portable Certificates of Completion to apprentices; 3) promoting the development of new programs through marketing and technical assistance; 4) assuring that all programs provide high quality training; and 5) assuring that all programs produce skilled competent workers.
In the remaining 25 states, DOL administers apprenticeship programs, and will work with American Apprenticeship grantees on the registering of programs developed as part of the project.
A.2.
Eligible Lead Applicants
Grants will be awarded to a lead applicant within the primary partnership, which will serve as the grantee and have overall fiscal and administrative responsibility for the grant. A lead applicant must be a public or non-profit organization that meets the definition of one of the types of eligible entities in Eligible Public Sector and Private Sector Entities described above (see A.1. and A.1.b).
There are two exceptions where an entity is eligible to be a part of the primary partnership but not eligible to apply as a lead applicant:
For-profit private business or for-profit consortium of businesses or for-profit business organizations cannot be the lead applicant.
For-profit education/training providers cannot be the lead applicant.
An eligible entity cannot serve as more than one type of entity for the purpose of meeting the minimum requirements of the primary partnership.
The lead applicant must be the organization specified in Section 8 of the SF-424 Application Form, and will be: 1) the point of contact with the department to receive and respond to all inquiries or communications under this FOA and any subsequent grant award; 2) the entity with authority to withdraw or draw down funds through the Department of Health and Human Services - Payment Management System (HHS-PMS); 3) the entity responsible for submitting to the department all deliverables under the grant, including all technical and financial reports related to the project, regardless of which partnership member performed the work; 4) the entity that may request or agree to a revision or amendment of the grant agreement or statement of work; 5) the entity with overall responsibility for carrying out the programmatic functions of the grant, as well as for the stewardship of all expenditures under the grant; 6) the entity responsible for coordinating with the national evaluator, including participating in a random assignment evaluation and other studies, if selected by DOL; and 7) the entity responsible for working with DOL to close out the grant.
A.3. Other Optional Partners
In addition to the primary partnership, we strongly encourage applicants to collaborate with other public and private sector partners (which may be appropriate sub-grantees depending on the project design). These partners may include:
Businesses (above and beyond the 3 required employer partners);
Business intermediaries (for example, the role of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership6 for the manufacturing industry);
Workforce intermediaries;7
Intergovernmental organizations;
Economic development agencies;
State and local governments;
Foundations and philanthropic organizations;
Partnering with and leveraging resources from other Federally-funded programs, where allowed by the law that authorizes the grant; such grants may include other DOL grants, Adult Basic Education, Vocational Rehabilitation State Grants, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Social Security disability benefits, Small Business Development Centers, federal financial aid such as Pell Grants and Federal Work Study, GI Bill Benefits for veterans, as well as other programs administered by Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce, Transportation, Energy, etc.
Community-based, faith-based, or advocacy organizations with proven capacity to reach and engage individuals from under-served populations (including women, young men and women of color, persons with disabilities, veterans, including transitioning service members, among others), as they are key providers of basic skills training, technical skills training, supportive services, and workforce development services in communities across the country. Examples include national disability organizations, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) organizations, organizations dedicated to supporting people of color, etc.
Other providers of supportive and specialized services, such as financial counseling and behavioral health.
Cost sharing or matching funds are not required for this program. Cost sharing or match is not one of the application screening criteria. Please note that any other resources contributed to the project are considered leveraged resources and do not constitute cost sharing or matching funds. Applicants will be scored based on the strength of leveraged resources and these leveraged resources should be considered a critical component of the Project Design. More information on leveraged resources may be found in Section IV.B.2.
C. Other Information
1. Application Screening Criteria
You should use the checklist below as a guide when preparing your application package to ensure that the application has met all of the screening criteria. Note that this checklist is only an aid for applicants and should not be included in the application package. We urge you to use this checklist to ensure that your application contains all required items. If your application does not meet all of the screening criteria, it will not move forward through the merit review process and will not be considered for funding.
****DO NOT OMIT THE FOLLOWING APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS ***
Application Requirement |
Instructions |
Complete? |
The deadline submission requirements are met. |
Section IV.C |
|
If submitted through Grants.gov, the components of the application are saved in any of the specified formats and are not corrupt. (We will attempt to open the document, but will not take any additional measures in the event of problems with opening.) |
Section IV.C. |
|
Application request is not below $2,500,000 and does not exceed the ceiling amount of $5,000,000. |
Section II.A |
|
Applicant has registered with SAM and maintains an active account (note: allow proper lead time for registration). |
Section IV.B.1 |
|
Signed SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance. |
Section IV.B.1 |
|
Signed SF-424 includes a DUNS Number. |
Section IV.B.1 |
|
SF-424A, Budget Information Form. |
Section IV.B.2 |
|
Budget Narrative. |
Section IV.B.2 |
|
Project Narrative. |
Section IV.B.3 |
|
Abstract. |
Section IV.B.4 |
|
2. Number of Applications To Be Submitted
You may only submit one application as the lead
applicant in response to this FOA. However, you may be included as a
partner in one or more applications submitted where you are not the
lead applicant.
3. Eligible Participants
Participants Eligible to Receive Training
Participants served through the project can be either: a) youth that are at least 16 years of age and not currently enrolled in school within a local secondary educational agency (i.e., high school) or, b) at least 18 years of age.
Additionally, one of the key goals of the American Apprenticeship Initiative is to open up access to apprenticeship opportunities for underrepresented populations. Therefore, projects should demonstrate strategies to employ and train underserved populations in apprenticeship such as women, young men and women of color, persons with disabilities, low-skilled populations, veterans, including transitioning service members, and others (See Project Design in Section IV.B.3. Project Narrative). Strategies should include the use of onramps to American Apprenticeship such as integrated/accelerated Pre-Apprenticeship strategies that reduce the barriers underrepresented populations face in pursuing careers in high growth industries and occupations particularly in the Information Technology industry and occupations that use information technology skills, and other industries, including but not limited to Advanced Manufacturing; Businesses Services; and Healthcare.
Veterans’ Priority for Participants
There is a legal requirement, found at 38 U.S.C. 4215, that grantees must 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.
This FOA, found at www.Grants.gov and http://www.doleta.gov/grants/find_grants.cfm, contains all of the information and links to forms needed to apply for grant funding. Applicants should note that hyperlinks to portions of the FOA are included in various parts of the Announcement. Applicants are required to comply with all parts of the FOA, including those parts found at the hyperlinks.
B. Content and Form of Application Submission
Applications submitted in response to this FOA must consist of four separate and distinct parts: (1) the SF-424 “Application for Federal Assistance;” (2) Project Budget; (3) Project Narrative; and (4) attachments to the Project Narrative. It is your responsibility to ensure that the funding amount requested is consistent across all parts and sub-parts of the application.
You must complete the 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 is considered the Authorized Representative of the applicant. As stated in block 21 of the SF-424 form, 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.
Requirement for DUNS Number
All applicants for Federal grant and funding opportunities are required to have a DUNS number, and must supply their DUNS Number on the SF-424. The DUNS Number is a nine-digit identification number that uniquely identifies business entities. If you do not have a DUNS Number, you can get one for free through the D&B website: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do. As authorized under 2 CFR 25, grant recipients authorized to make sub awards must be aware of the following requirements related to DUNS Numbers:
Grantees must notify potential sub-grantees that no entity may receive a sub-award from you unless the entity has provided its DUNS number to you.
Grantees may not make a sub-award to an entity unless the entity has provided its DUNS number to you.
Requirement for Registration with SAM
Applicants must register with the System for Award Management (SAM) before submitting an application. Instructions for registering with SAM can be found at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/#1. An awardee must maintain an active SAM 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 SAM database after the initial registration, the applicant is required to review and update the registration at least every 12 months from the date of initial registration or subsequently update its information in the SAM 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.
You must complete the SF-424A Budget Information Form (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15). In preparing the Budget Information Form, you 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.
Use the following guidance for preparing the budget narrative:
Personnel – List all staff positions by title (both current and proposed). Give the annual salary of each position, the percentage of each position’s time devoted to the project, the amount of each position’s salary funded by the grant and the total personnel cost for the period of performance.
Fringe Benefits – Provide a breakdown of the amounts and percentages that comprise fringe benefit costs such as health insurance, FICA, retirement, etc.
Travel – Specify the purpose, mileage, per diem, estimated number of in-state and out-of-state trips and other costs for each type of travel.
Equipment – Identify each item of equipment to be purchased which has an estimated acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit (or if your capitalization level is less than $5,000, use your capitalization level) and a useful lifetime of more than one year (see 2 CFR 200.33 for the definition of Equipment). List the quantity and unit cost per item. Items with a unit cost of less than $5,000 are supplies. In general, we do not permit the purchase of equipment during the last funded year of the grant.
Supplies – Supplies include all tangible personal property other than “equipment” (see 2 CFR 200.94 for the definition of Supplies). The detailed budget should identify categories of supplies (e.g. office supplies). List the quantity and unit cost per item.
Contractual – Identify each proposed contract and specify its purpose and estimated cost. If applicable, identify any sub-recipient agreements, including purpose and estimated costs. See Section VI.B.2.f. for more information on the distinction between sub-contractor (vendor) and sub-recipient.
Construction – Construction costs are not allowed and this line must be left as zero. Minor alterations to adjust an existing space for grant activities (such as a classroom alteration) may be allowable. We do not consider this as construction and the costs must be shown on other appropriate lines such as Contractual.
Other – List each item in sufficient detail for us to determine whether the costs are reasonable or allowable. List any item, such as stipends or incentives, not covered elsewhere here.
Indirect Charges – If indirect costs are included in the budget, then include either, a) the approved indirect cost rate with a copy of the Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), a description of the base used to calculate indirect costs along with the amount of the base, and the total indirect costs requested, or b) if you meet the requirements to use the 10% de minimis rate as described in 2 CFR 200.414(f), then include a description of the modified total direct costs base (see 2 CFR 200.68 for definition) used in the calculation along with the amount of the base, and the total indirect costs requested based on the 10% de minimis rate. See Section IV.B.4. and Section IV.E.1. for more information. Additionally, the following link contains DOL-specific information: http://www.dol.gov/oasam/boc/dcd/index.htm.
Note that the entire Federal grant amount requested (not just one year) must be included on the SF-424, SF-424A, and budget narrative.
No leveraged resources should be shown on the SF-424 and SF-424A. Leveraged resources should be described in the budget narrative. The requested Federal grant amount listed on the SF-424, SF-424A, and budget narrative must be the same. The funding amount included on the SF-424 will be considered the official funding amount requested if any inconsistencies are found.
a. Preparing the Project Narrative
The following instructions provide all of the information needed to complete the Project Narrative. You should carefully read and consider each section, and include all required information in your Project Narrative. The Project Narrative will be evaluated using the evaluation criteria identified in Section V.A. You must use the same section headers identified below for each section of the Project Narrative:
Statement of Need
In
this section you must describe your labor market issues and the need
for the expanded use of American Apprenticeship to prepare American
workers for careers in H-1B industries and occupations projected for
growth.
American Apprenticeship Needs Assessment
Provide evidence of the skill gaps in the workforce in the selected region(s), the gaps in the training available to address these skill gaps, and how American Apprenticeship is a viable solution.
Provide an inventory of innovations (see Appendix B) and training needed to develop and bring to scale quality American Apprenticeship programs for the selected industry(s) and region(s).
Industry and Labor Market Information to
Support Job-Driven Projects
Identify and describe the high growth industry(s) and/or occupations targeted for American Apprenticeship employment and training opportunities and cite evidence that demonstrates that the selected industry(s) and/or occupation(s) is one for which employers currently seek H-1B visas (refer to Appendix A for H-1B Visa Information or the Foreign Labor Certification Data Center).
Identify and describe the skills and competencies necessary for entry into or retention in the selected high-growth H-1B industry(s) and/or occupation(s) and identify and describe the education and training required to attain the skills, competencies, and degrees/credentials required for the selected high-growth H-1B industry(s) and/or occupation(s). If applicable, please describe how the project will be scaled to support skill needs across multiple employers.
Cite evidence of middle-skill jobs by identifying the average wages offered for the selected high-growth H-1B industry(s) and/or occupation(s), based on national, state, or local data.
Provide demographic data that assesses the potential participation of underrepresented groups in your Registered Apprenticeship project.
Expected Outcomes and Outputs
In
this section, you must describe the overall goals as well as the
outcomes and outputs the project will achieve. Outcomes and outputs
must be an outgrowth of the strategic approach described in the
Project Design section. A quarterly progress report will be required
of all grantees to demonstrate progress on key metrics as well as an
accompanying narrative to describe activities and successes achieved
during the quarter.
Applicants must include the
following:
Project goals, milestones, outputs and outcomes
You must provide a table and narrative that clearly identifies the overall goals, milestones, outputs and outcome(s) that will result from your American Apprenticeship project. The narrative description should demonstrate that milestones, outputs and outcomes are reasonable based on the project design (see Appendix E for suggested performance template). Applicants must explain how the numerical targets were derived and how the targets fit into the overall timeline of grant implementation. While all American Apprenticeship investments must ultimately result in improved employment and training outcomes for jobseekers and businesses, we recognize the results of certain types of innovation – particularly systemic reforms, new policies, capacity building, etc. – may not be captured through traditional outcome measures over the course of a 60-month period of performance. To that end, you must describe short term, intermediate term, and long term milestones, outputs, and outcomes that capture results of both capacity building and employment/training activities.
Project goals are the overarching achievements that you will pursue.
Milestones are key markers of grant progress – these are typically expressed in the form of an action or event marking a significant change or stage in development.
Outputs measure production resulting from grant activities such as the number of apprentices served and number of new programs developed.
Outcomes focus on the desired result – examples could include apprenticeship penetration in a new occupation, increase in apprenticeships in a certain occupations, benefits to employers, increase in average earnings or employment retention rates, or a measurable change in a social indicator (e.g. increased diversity in apprenticeship programs).
Required Measures and Projections: In addition to the milestones, outputs, and outcomes of your own choosing described above, in your table, you should provide projections for each of the metrics below: If a metric is not applicable to your project design, please provide the reason(s) why it is not.
Capacity Building & Employer Metrics
Total number of employers to benefit from this grant program;
Total number of promotional/outreach activities to employers;
Total number of newly registered American Apprenticeship programs; and
Total number of existing registered apprenticeship programs to be expanded (e.g., adding occupations or increasing the number of apprentices registered).
Employment & Training Metrics
Total number of participants to receive services under this grant (e.g., includes participants served in pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, and by other grant activities);
Total number of new apprentices registered (please see Section II.A. for Service Levels Goals Based on Funding Request);
Percentage of total participants served who would be identified as a targeted/underrepresented population for purposes of this grant (see Section III.C.3 of the FOA for a description of targeted/underrepresented populations);
Percent of apprentices served who complete their apprenticeship program (Completion Rate);
Average cost per apprentice (calculated as grant funds used for direct training, plus leveraged funds for direct training divided by number of apprentices to be enrolled during the life of the grant).
Menu of Optional Measures: To assist applicants in thinking about the types of measures that may be appropriate based on the project designs we anticipate seeing, below are a list of optional measures that may be included in your performance table. This is not meant to be a complete list and you are encouraged to develop other measures critical for your project success.
Employer revenue growth & return-on-investment;
Employer turnover reduction;
Percent of employers who indicate that they are satisfied with services received;
Dollars/percentage saved on new hires (e.g., advertising, marketing, recruitment, onboarding);
Other areas of cost reduction (connected to improved training);
Performance improvements (compared against employer’s business plan);
Number/type of improved workplace processes;
Total number of pre-apprenticeship programs supported by the grant;
Total number of incumbent workers served (*required if an employer is upskilling its existing workforce);
The average wage of apprentices at completion of apprenticeship program; and
Employment retention rate (as defined in TEGL 17-05).
Entered employment rate (as defined in TEGL 17-05) (e.g., to measure participants entering job or receiving an apprenticeship placement).
Capacity to Report and Evaluate Outcomes
You must agree to meet DOL reporting requirements and provide individual record-level data that would be made available for evaluation and national reporting purposes.
Applicants must affirm that they will report as required by the department once guidance is released, and that rigorous performance reporting will be taken into account in staffing and budgeting plans. If known, applicants must identify a person/position for data coordination and describe any experience with performance tracking systems.
Applicants must describe how they will work with program partners, including programs registered as part of the grant to collect and report on key milestones and participant data, including processes and procedures for collecting outcomes after participants have completed the program.
Applicants
must provide an explanation about how
data reported will be assessed to ensure continuous progress
throughout the grant period.
Project Design
This section describes the project’s plan for an enhanced 21st century American Apprenticeship system and infrastructure through innovations such as those described in Appendix B. The goal of the American Apprenticeship Grants is to create and scale innovative apprenticeship models in H-1B occupations and industries. In many cases, successfully seeding or scaling these models will require incorporating innovative elements into the apprenticeship model or in the supporting infrastructure.
Applicants must present a comprehensive and feasible project approach to innovate and expand apprenticeship; address their identified goals, milestones, outputs, and outcomes (as described above); and include reasonable timelines for completion of work. Applicants must describe the primary partnership and the type of entity leading the effort. To that end, applicants must address the following:
Expand
and Innovate 21st
Century American Apprenticeships
Expanding American Apprenticeships in H-1B industries and occupations
Projects
must clearly demonstrate the ability to scale programs at a
statewide, multi-state, regional, or national level.
Describe your American Apprenticeship expansion strategies. Include activities that will allow you to achieve greater scale for existing apprenticeship programs or for new programs to lay the foundations for future scale at a statewide, multi-state, regional, or national level and general timelines. (e.g., signing up additional employers, launching additional sites, etc.). Describe how these expansion strategies will address the workforce skills and training issues identified in the statement of need as well as how these strategies align with the goals, milestones, outputs and outcomes of the project.
Describe efforts to promote apprenticeship with employers and increase awareness of the value and benefits of American Apprenticeships as an effective approach to address the skill needs industry.
If applicable, describe how you will expand American Apprenticeship opportunities in IT occupations in fields such as computer systems and software design; or other occupations (applicable across a number of industries) that require IT skills in computer programming, informatics, data processing and digital skills (for example, health care informatics or computer numerical control (CNC) machining, etc.).
Innovations to Increase the Return on Investment in Apprenticeship
American Apprenticeships have a significant return on investment for employers today – 95% of employers participating in apprenticeships testify to this return.8 However, expanding apprenticeship to new industries and scaling existing models will require a continued focus on sustaining and increasing this return on investment. Projects should be designed to maximize returns/outputs/outcomes (including new programs and significant numbers of new apprentices). Goals for numbers of apprentices served based on the funding level requested by the applicant can be found in section II. A, Award Type and Amount.
Applicants must provide a description for how their project design takes into account all major costs necessary to achieve key outcomes/milestone. DOL understands that costs will vary balanced with the level of innovation, service needs of targeted population, occupations and associated wages targeted through the project, the duration of training and education/training cost disparity based on location of grant activities. Applicants must describe their plan to cover all costs in order to implement a comprehensive project design. As mentioned above, grant funds are intended to help offset high costs of training and catalyze American Apprenticeship expansion; applicants must describe available leveraged resources to successfully implement their project.
You must describe your strategies (1) to cover the upfront investment to create or scale an apprenticeship program, such as consortia based approaches to developing curriculum, leveraging existing industry standards or curriculum (such as TAACCCT curriculum), or creating online and remote platforms for distributing training content; and (2) to accelerate the amount of time an employer or apprentice must invest before reaching full proficiency in a skill – such as flexible/accelerated learning models, competency based progression strategies that accelerate the amount of time an employer or apprentice must invest before reaching full proficiency in a skill.
You must describe mechanisms to quantify benefits of apprenticeship training to employer sponsors and externally to new employer partners interested in scaling the model. These mechanisms can include industry-specific measures of value for employers such as decreased material wastage in manufacturing or improved patient outcomes in healthcare, etc.
Innovations to Expand Access to Underrepresented Populations:
To ensure a sustained, rich supply of talent for apprenticeship programs over the long-term, additional efforts are needed to expand the pool of workers that see American Apprenticeships as a well-respected training opportunity that is available to them.
You must provide a participant outreach and recruitment plan to ensure underrepresented populations have access to apprenticeship opportunities (i.e., women, young men and women of color, persons with disabilities, veterans, including transitioning service members and others).
You must describe your proposed innovations and strategies for how the partnership will break down barriers and increase opportunities for members of underrepresented populations to use apprenticeship as a pathway into skilled occupations and industries. For example, the applicant may describe access to quality pre-apprenticeships and other innovative models that serve as on-ramps to American Apprenticeship opportunities. Please see Appendix B for more models.
You must identify strategies to ensure underrepresented workers persist in the apprenticeship program:
Describe how you will provide supportive services to ensure persistence in training for workers served through the project. This includes identifying the specific service providers or specifying a plan to procure specific types of services. Supportive services may include WIA/WIOA supportive services, specialized participant services, case management services, dependent care assistance, transportation assistance, mentoring, and other types of services that might be needed for a participant to succeed in training and employment.
Include other innovative retention strategies such as effective mentorship matching, frequent monitoring, pre-testing for required skills, etc.
Partnership and Policy Innovations that Create a Supportive Ecosystem for Apprenticeship:
Successful
American Apprenticeship projects will expand partnerships, leverage
funding, and develop policies for sustainably expanding the
apprenticeship models after grant funding ends.
You must describe plans to engage and collaborate with a broad range of partners, including optional partners (described in Section III.A.) to create the conditions that support significant expansion of American Apprenticeship opportunities.
Describe any specific plans to align apprenticeship with the public workforce (i.e., agency/entity that administers WIA Title I at the State and/or local WIB level);
Describe plans to collaborate with educational institutions and training providers (i.e., adult education agencies, career and technical education agencies, vocational rehabilitation agencies, state workforce education coordinating boards, and/or other post-secondary education agencies). The applicant also provides commitments of educational institutions to join the Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium.
In those states where they exist, applicants must include plans to collaborate with the State Apprenticeship Agency and State Apprenticeship Councils.
You must describe partner commitments, contributions, and leveraged resources, as well as their roles in the project, for example:
Developing or scaling an American Apprenticeship program;
Promotion and outreach;
Providing assistance with program design, curriculum and/or training;
Providing facilities and/or personnel to provide related technical instruction and on-the-job learning;
Identifying, recruiting, and/or serving potential program participants, including participants from underrepresented populations (such as, women, young men and women of color, persons with disabilities, veterans, including transition service members, among others);
Carrying out administrative functions; and
Other roles, as applicable.
In addition, you must document the commitments of the public partner to the project’s sustainability.
This may include policy driven efforts to sustain apprenticeship, sector-focused training strategies, and system alignment efforts. If applicable, applicants should also describe the establishment, modification or pursuit of state, local, or institutional policies and/or other mechanisms to support employer demand for apprenticeship (e.g., tax credits, training vouchers/grants, utilization requirements, leveraging of existing systems or resources, or others).
Describe strategies to align long-term funding streams behind your apprenticeship model including federal funds from a diverse array of partners (e.g., Pell/Title IV financial aid, federal work study, GI Bill benefits, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) education & training funds, WIA and WIOA, etc.), state and local funding, (e.g., on-the-job training funds, state workforce dollars, funding for participating community colleges, etc.), and private sector investment funds (e.g., training investment funds, social impact bonds, industry association or labor organization funds, etc.)
21st Century American Apprenticeship Sector Focus and Employer Commitments
A
key goal of the American
Apprenticeship Initiative is to develop sector focused projects with
strong employer engagement.
You must describe significant employer engagement and demonstrate their commitment to work with DOL (or federally-recognized State Apprenticeship Agencies) to register new apprenticeship programs and hire apprentices. Applicants must identify at least 3 employers (required) who are actively engaged in the project and describe their role. Applicants must provide letters of commitment from employers to further document their commitments and contributions to the project.
Applicants must identify regional or national industry representation and coordination through industry associations or through other evidence such as designation as a “Manufacturing Community” through the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP).
Innovations
in American Apprenticeship Training
Applicants must describe the American Apprenticeship programs to be developed. Specifically, you must describe how you will transform and adapt alternative work-based learning programs or rigorous education-based internship models into American Apprenticeship programs, and/or to significantly expand existing and successful registered programs. You must describe the process to be used to develop any new standards of apprenticeship. Include program innovations (see examples in Appendix B.) and key characteristics of the program including the estimated time for apprentices to complete the program.
Applicants must describe strategies to employ and train apprentices. Each applicant must provide a plan for selecting apprentices in order to meet their enrollment projections within the 60 month period of performance. Out of the projected number of apprentices to be served, the applicant must estimate the numbers who will be new hires versus those who will are incumbent workers. To the extent the incumbent/existing workforce will be served, you must include a clear description of a human capital development plan for significantly upskilling these workers (e.g., taking workers with entry/low skills and moving them into middle-skill jobs with higher wages such as moving an assembly line worker into a technical field like mechatronics). Note: DOL is less interested in proposals that seek to utilize apprenticeship models that make modest improvements in the skills of current workforce.
You must explain how education and training activities will be provided including both the on-the-job learning and classroom-instruction portions of the American Apprenticeship program(s).
The plan should describe how the American Apprenticeship program will lead to job advancement, college credit, and/or industry-recognized credentials for newly hired (and as applicable, incumbent/existing workers).
Work Plan
Applicants must provide a detailed work plan and project management approach that demonstrates their experience implementing a project of the proposed scope. A suggested format can be found in Appendix D. The work plan counts against the page limit of the Project Narrative. The applicant must:
Provide a detailed description of how the proposed work will be accomplished. The work plan must account for all functions or activities identified in the application.
Describe the activities, timeframes, deliverables, and key partners required to implement the training and service strategies described in the Project Design section within the grant period of performance,
Include timeframes for accomplishing all start-up activities immediately following the start of the grant period of performance including identifying timelines for when new programs are expected to start and when participants will enroll in these programs, in order to ensure significant apprenticeship enrollments within the first 12 months after the grant start date.
Discuss factors that might accelerate the work, identify any potential barriers to timely completion of work, and describe how the project will overcome those barriers.
Explain how the project milestones, outputs, and outcomes are appropriate for the program design and how the targets fit into the overall timeline of grant implementation.
4) Organizational,
Administrative, and Fiscal Capacity
The applicant must provide information on its current mission, structure, staffing, and relevant experience. Describe how these factors contribute to the ability of the organization to conduct the program requirements and meet program expectations. Include information about any organization(s) under contract with the applicant that will have a significant role in implementing the project. Specifically, applicants must:
Submit an organizational chart describing the composition of the partnership (see Section IV.B.4 below). (*note: will not count against the page limit for the Project Narrative).
Provide an overall staffing plan that describes the professional experience and qualifications that will be required of the project manager, executive and administrative staff, as well as other personnel such as board members, advisors and consultants to fulfill the needs and requirements of the proposed project, including the ability to manage a strategic partnership, fiscal and administrative management, outreach and promotion, and other key areas of the project management. If the project manager or other key personnel are already on staff, provide his/her resume (*Note: these resumes will not count against the page limit for the Project Narrative).
Describe administrative controls and systems to properly manage, monitor and report Federal funds and performance. Describe how the proposed project will use accounting and performance systems and processes that enable timely and accurate financial and performance reporting, and allow for expeditious procurement procedures that comply with Federal, state (if applicable), and other relevant laws and requirements, including across partners, as applicable.
Provide a process, plan and timeframe for hiring the project manager and key staff (e.g., fiscal, administrative, performance reporting/case management, etc.) to ensure the project can begin immediately.
Describe how the lead organization will facilitate communications among all levels of the project across partnership members.
Describe strong experience working with multi-partner programs, including the management process used that led to measurable results for workers and employers.
5) Budget and Budget Justification
Applicants must provide a budget narrative (see section IV.B.2) based on the activities outlined in the project narrative. At a minimum, applicants must:
Demonstrate how proposed expenditures will support the expansion of apprenticeship opportunities for both employers and individuals;
Describe costs associated with each line item on the SF-424A;
Include a description of which costs will be paid by the grant and those that will be covered by leveraged resources. This includes cash or in-kind support (e.g., Pell/Title IV financial aid, federal work study, GI Bill benefits, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) education & training funds, WIA and WIOA, etc.), state and local funding, (e.g., on-the-job training funds, state workforce dollars, funding for participating community colleges, etc.), and private sector investment funds (e.g., training investment funds, social impact bonds, industry association or labor organization funds, etc.).
Please see Section IV.B.2. for information on requirements related to the budget and budget justification.
In addition to the Project Narrative, you must submit attachments. All attachments must be clearly labeled as Attachments. Only those Required and Requested attachments listed below will be excluded from the page limit. You must submit your application in one package because documents received separately will be tracked separately and will not be attached to the application for review. Save all files with descriptive file names of 50 characters or less and be sure to only use standard characters in file names: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, and underscore (_). File names may not include special characters (e.g. &,–,*,%,/,#), periods (.), blank spaces or accent marks, and must be unique (i.e., no other attachment may have the same file name). An underscore (example: my_Attached_File.pdf) may be used to separate a file name.
Required Attachment
The following attachments must be included with the application package and the failure to do so will cause the application package to be screened out. None of these Required attachments will count against the 30-page limit for the Project Narrative.
Abstract: You must submit an up to two-page abstract summarizing the proposed project, including, but not limited to, the scope of the project and proposed outcomes. The proposed project must include the following (also see Appendix F):
Lead Applicant Name:
Lead Applicant City/State:
Primary Partnership Entities:
Legal Name and Type of Private Sector Entity (see A.1.a)
Legal Name and Type of Public Sector Entity (see A.1.b)
Additional Key Partner(s):
Areas Served by Grant (by city, county, and state):
Total Funding Level Requested:
Project Name:
Summary of Program Activities:
Numbers of Individuals to be Served:
Populations to be Served:
Targeted H-1B Industry(s)/Occupations:
Contact Information for each partner: Provide for each the name of the partner, the contact person’s name, and his/her position title, business phone, and business email.
The Abstract is limited to two-page double-spaced single sided 8.5x11 inch pages with 12 point text font and 1 inch margins. When submitting in grants.gov, this document must be uploaded as an attachment to the application package and specifically labeled “Abstract.”
Requested
Attachments
The following attachments are requested, but their omission will not cause the application to be screened out and not reviewed. None of these Requested attachments will count against the 30-page limit for the Project Narrative. If the omission of the attachment will impact scoring, such an impact will be noted in the description of the attachment.
Project/Performance Site Location(s) Form: You should submit a Project/Performance Site Location(s) Form (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15). This form is in the grants.gov application package. 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 announcement. This attachment does not impact scoring of the application.
Indirect Cost Rate Agreement: If you are requesting indirect charges, attach the most recent Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement approved by your Federal Cognizant Agency. (For more information, see Section IV.B.2. and Section IV.E.1.) This attachment does not impact scoring of the application.
Organizational Chart: Section IV.B.3 of the FOA requires applicants to describe their Administrative, Organizational, and Fiscal Capacity. Applicants must submit an organizational chart describing the composition of the partnership. The applicant must clearly identify all relevant leadership, program, administrative, and advisory roles. This attachment will impact scoring of the application.
Work Plan and Performance Tables (see Appendices C and E). This attachment will impact scoring of the application.
Partner Commitment Letters – These attachments will impact scoring of the application. Applicants must provide documentation of the commitments of the required public sector and private sector entities that comprise the primary partnership. If the proposed project is occurring in a State Apprenticeship Agency state, commitment must also be provided by the State Apprenticeship Council. Please see Section III for required partners.) Agreements may come in many forms such as signed memoranda of agreement/understanding, a partnership agreement, non-form substantive letter of commitment, or other types of signed agreements, which demonstrate the roles and responsibilities of each consortium member. All documentation of the commitments must:
Provide partner contact information (name, position title, business phone, and business email).
Be signed by an authorized representative of the organization;
Describe how the partner is involved in the project and the role that it will play throughout implementation;
Identify whether this entity will receive grant funds to support their work;
If the partner is an educational institution, a commitment to join the Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium; and
Identify resources being provided by the organization to support the project (i.e. financial or in-kind contributions).
Documentation
of Institution
of Higher
Education
(IHE)
Accreditation
Status –
Applications that include an IHE
as a the Public Sector Entity for the Primary Partnership (either as
the lead or as a partner) must submit documentation verifying the
IHE’s status as an institution of higher education that is
accredited by an agency that has been recognized by the U.S.
Department of Education. (See Section III.A.1 of the FOA for more
information.)
Employer Commitment Letters – Applicants must demonstrate strong employer engagement (a minimum of 3 employers is required). This attachment will impact scoring of the application. Employer commitment letters must be non-form, substantive letters of commitment that include specific roles and responsibilities of the employer. A regional and/or national industry association may also submit letters of commitment. Employers or regional industry associations must represent the industry(s)/occupations(s) and geographic service areas targeted through the American Apprenticeship grants. Employer commitment letters should:
Provide employer contact information (name, position title, business phone, and business email).
Be signed by an authorized representative of the employer or regional industry association;
Describe how the employer is involved in the project, including their role in providing on-the-job learning via a Registered Apprenticeship program;
Include any interest or plans to join the Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium;
Identify resources being provided by the employer to support the project (i.e. mentors, the donation of equipment, or other financial or in-kind contributions).
The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is [140 days from issuance]. Applications must be submitted either electronically on http://www.grants.gov or in hard copy by mail or in hard copy by hand delivery (including overnight delivery). Hard copy applications must be received at the address below no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date. Applications submitted on grants.gov must also be successfully submitted (as described below) no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date. You are cautioned that applications should be submitted before the deadline to ensure that the risk of late receipt of the application is minimized. Applications sent by e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (FAX) will not be accepted.
Applicants submitting applications in hard copy by mail or overnight delivery 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 application by DOL. Applicants submitting applications in hard copy are also required to include in the hard copy submission an identical electronic copy of the application 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.
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, Office of Grants Management, Attention: Sara Gallagher Williams, Grant Officer, Reference FOA/DFA PY 14-02, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716, Washington, DC 20210. Mail delivery in the Washington DC area may be delayed due to mail decontamination procedures. Hand-delivered applications will be received at the above address. All overnight delivery submissions 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 4:00:00 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. You are strongly advised to initiate the process as soon as possible and to plan for time to resolve technical problems if necessary. Note that validation does not mean that your application has been accepted as complete or has been accepted for review. Rather, grants.gov only verifies that certain parts of an application have been submitted.
We strongly recommend that before you begin to write the application, you should immediately initiate and complete the “Get Registered” registration steps at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp. You 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 timely 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 applicants walk through the process. We strongly recommend that you download the “Organization Registration Checklist” at
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 earlier in Section IV.B.1., you must have a DUNS Number and you must register with SAM before submitting an application.
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 DUNS 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/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-3-username-password.html
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 SAM – 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 individual as the AOR, thereby giving him or her permission to submit applications. To learn more about AOR Authorization visit: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-4-aor-authorization.html, or to track AOR status visit: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-5-track-aor-status.html
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 an application is submitted through Grants.gov, the name of the AOR on file will be inserted into the signature line of the application. You must register the individual who is able to make legally binding commitments for your 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 registration in SAM is expired. Only applications that have been successfully submitted by the deadline and later successfully validated will be considered. It is your sole responsibility 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, enough 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 enough 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, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .rtf or .pdf files. If submitted in any other format, the applicant bears the risk that compatibility or other issues will prevent DOL from considering the application. We will attempt to open the document but will not take any additional measures in the event of problems with opening
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/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html.
We encourage 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, you may subscribe to “Grants.gov Updates” at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/manage-subscriptions.html
If you 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. You take a significant risk by waiting to the last day to submit through 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, you 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 Cost Principles, now found in the Office of Management and Budget’s Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance), codified at 2 CFR Part 200. 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.
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 subaward or contract under the grant or subaward; and ii) any rights of copyright to which the recipient, subrecipient 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. Additionally, the Federal government has the right to require intellectual property developed under a competitive Federal award process to be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. This license allows subsequent users to copy, distribute, transmit and adapt the copyrighted Work and requires such users to attribute the Work in the manner specified by the recipient.
If applicable, and a Creative Commons Attribution license is not required, 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.”
Fair Labor Standards Act
To the extent the project will enroll individuals under the age of 18, applicants must comply with the child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, particularly the hazardous occupation provisions that apply to the employment of 16 and 17-year-olds in nonagricultural occupations. See 29 C.F.R. 570.50-.68.
Withdrawal of Applications: Applications may be withdrawn by written notice to the Grant Officer at any time before an award is made.
We have instituted procedures for assessing the technical merit of applications to provide for an objective review of applications and to assist you in understanding the standards against which each application will be judged. The evaluation criteria are based on the information required in the application as described in Sections IV.B.2. (Project Budget). and IV.B.3. (Project Narrative). Reviewers will award points based on the evaluation criteria described below:
Criterion |
Points (maximum) |
(See Section IV.B.3.a.(1) Statement of Need) |
15
|
(See Section IV.B.3.a.(2) Expected Outcomes and Outputs) |
15 |
(See Section IV.B.3.a.(3) Project Design) |
56 |
(See Section IV.B.3.a.(5) Organizational, Administrative, and Fiscal Capacity) |
11 |
(See Section IV.B.2. Project Budget) |
3 |
TOTAL |
100 |
Statement
of Need (up to 15 points)
American Apprenticeship Need Assessment
(7 points)
Points
will be awarded based on the extent to which:
The applicant provides strong evidence of the skill gaps in the workforce in the selected region(s), the gaps in the training available to address these skill gaps, and that American Apprenticeship is a viable solution. (3 points).
The applicant provides evidence of innovations (see Appendix B) and training needed to develop and bring to scale quality American Apprenticeship programs for selected industry(s) and region(s). (4 points)
Industry and Labor Market Information (8 points)
Points will be awarded based on:
The extent to which the applicant can demonstrate through the use of labor market information that its selected industries/occupations are high growth industry(s)/occupation(s) for which employers currently seek H-1B visas. (2 points)
The extent to which the applicant demonstrates an understanding of H-1B-relevant skills, abilities, and degrees/credentials required in the H-1B industries and occupations targeted in the proposal; and as applicable, how the project can be scaled to support skill needs across multiple employers. (3 points)
The quality of the evidence provided on average wages offered for the selected high-growth H-1B industry(s) and/or occupation(s), based on national, state, or local data. (1 points)
The quality of the demographic data provided by the applicant that demonstrates a strong likelihood of potential participation of underrepresented groups - including women, young men and women of color, persons with disabilities, low-skilled populations, veterans, including transitioning service members, among others - in the American Apprenticeship project. (2 points)
Expected
Outcomes and Outputs (up to 15 points)
Project goals, milestones, outputs and outcomes (10 points)
Points will be awarded based on:
The overall reasonableness and feasibility of the goals, milestones, outputs and outcomes. Applicants must demonstrate that goals, milestones, outputs and outcomes are appropriate for the overall project design, and will lead to the successful implementation of the project. Reviewers will consider the extent to which the applicant has proposed appropriate Optional Measures - in addition to the Required Measures - that will allow the applicant to more accurately measure the impact of the project. Reviewers also will consider the extent to which this information is clearly organized in a table and allows for full transparency (e.g., See suggested performance template in Appendix E). (6 points)
Whether the proposed goals, milestones, outputs, and outcomes represent a logical sequence in the short-term, intermediate-term, and long-term. Applicants must demonstrate that the projections for the Required Measures are appropriate and feasible based on the project design, while being sufficiently challenging. Reviewers also will award points based on whether the targets, milestones and outputs fit into the overall timeline of grant implementation. Applicants that propose a goal for the number of apprentices served that is fewer than the goal established at Section II.A. Service Levels Goals Based on Funding Request will receive zero (0) points for this section. (4 points)
Capacity to Report and Evaluate Outcomes (5 points)
Points will be awarded based on:
The extent to which the applicant demonstrates its commitment and ability to report data to DOL and that rigorous performance reporting will be taken into account in staffing and budgeting plans. If known, applicant identifies a person/position for data coordination and describes any experience with performance tracking systems. (2 points)
The strength of applicant’s capabilities to work with program partners to effectively collect and report on milestones, outputs, and outcomes described in the application, including procedures for collecting outcomes after participants have completed the program. (2 points)
The strength of the applicant’s performance plan to analyze and assess data to help ensure continuous improvement throughout the grant period project. (1pt)
Project
Design (up to 56 points)
Reviewers will score based on the extent to which the application (1) reflects a coherent and feasible approach to meet the identified goals, milestones, outputs and outcomes addressed above; (2) proposes innovative strategies to create and/or expand American Apprenticeship in H-1B industries or occupations (see Appendices A and B); and (3) includes a work plan that will reasonably ensure completion of work.
Expand and Innovate 21st Century American Apprenticeships
Expanding American Apprenticeships in H-1B industries and occupations (8 points)
Points will be awarded based on:
The extent to which the applicant demonstrates strong American Apprenticeship expansion strategies including activities that will allow the applicant to achieve greater scale for existing apprenticeship programs or for new programs to lay the foundations for future scale at a statewide, multi-state, regional, or national level and general timelines. (e.g., signing up additional employers, launching additional sites, etc.). Reviewers will consider the likelihood that strategies will address the workforce skills and training issues identified in the statement of need as well as how well strategies align with the goals, milestones, outputs and outcomes of the project. (4 points)
The strength of efforts to promote apprenticeship with employers and increase awareness of the value and benefits of American Apprenticeships as an effective approach to address the skill needs industry. (3 points)
The degree to which the applicant has identified strategies to expand American Apprenticeship opportunities in IT occupations in fields such as computer systems and software design; or other occupations applicable across a number of industries that require IT skills in computer programming, informatics, data processing and digital skills (for example health care informatics or computer numerical control (CNC) machining, etc.). (1pt)
Innovations to Increase the Return on Investment in Apprenticeship (8 points)
Points will be awarded based on:
The extent to which the project design takes into account all major costs necessary to achieve key outcomes/milestone. Reviewers will consider whether the applicant details the major costs associated with the project and provides a reasonable plan to cover the total costs of the project through grant and leveraged resources. The reasonableness and feasibility of the applicant’s approach to cost savings, and the impact of leveraged resources that will allow grant funds to be utilized strategically. Reviewers will consider whether the applicant’s approach is sufficient to ensure that all costs can be covered to implement a comprehensive project design and to ensure adequate leveraged resources for all apprentices to complete training. (3 points)
The extent to which the applicant proposes strategies that (1) reduce the upfront investment to create or scale an apprenticeship program, such as consortia based approaches to developing curriculum, leveraging existing industry standards or curriculum, or creating online and remote platforms for distributing training content; and (2) accelerate the amount of time an employer or apprentice must invest before reaching full proficiency in a skill – such as flexible/accelerated learning models, competency based progression strategies that accelerate the amount of time an employer or apprentice must invest before reaching full proficiency in a skill. (3 points)
The extent to which the applicant incorporates mechanisms to quantify benefits of apprenticeship training to employer sponsors and externally to new employer partners interested in scaling the model. These mechanisms can include industry-specific measures of value for employers such as decreased material wastage in manufacturing or improved patient outcomes in healthcare, etc. (2 points)
Innovations to Expand Access to Underrepresented Populations: (8 points)
Points will be awarded based on:
The strength of the applicant’s participant outreach and recruitment plan and the likelihood that it will result in underrepresented populations having access to apprenticeship opportunities (i.e., women, young men and women of color, persons with disabilities, low-skilled populations, veterans, including transitioning service members and others). (3 points)
The quality of the innovations and strategies proposed and the likelihood that they will break down barriers and increase opportunities for members of underrepresented populations to use apprenticeship as a pathway into skilled occupations and industries. (3 points)
Note: Reviewers will consider whether the applicant will provide access to quality pre-apprenticeships and/or other innovative models that serve as on-ramps to American Apprenticeship opportunities. Please see Appendix B for more models.
The level of commitment to and integration of strategies that will ensure underrepresented workers persist in the apprenticeship program, exemplified by: (2 points)
The breadth of supportive services to ensure persistence in training for workers served through the project. This includes identifying the specific service providers or specifying a plan to procure specific types of services. Supportive services may include WIA supportive services, specialized participant services, case management services, dependent care assistance, transportation assistance, mentoring, and other types of services that might be needed for a participant to succeed in training and employment.
The extent to which the applicant includes other innovative retention strategies such as effective mentorship matching, frequent monitoring, pre-testing for required skills, etc.
Partnership and Policy Innovations that
Create a Supportive Ecosystem for Apprenticeship:
(8 points)
Points will be awarded based on:
The level of engagement and collaboration with a broad range of required and optional partners, (described in Section III.A.) to create the conditions that support significant expansion of American Apprenticeship opportunities. The extent to which the applicant’s project: (3 points)
Aligns apprenticeship with the public workforce (i.e., agency/entity that administers WIA Title I at the State and/or local WIB level);
Collaborates with educational institutions and training providers (i.e., community college or university systems, adult education agencies, career and technical education agencies, vocational rehabilitation agencies, state workforce education coordinating boards, and/or other post-secondary education agencies). Reviewers will consider letters of commitment from educational institutions to join the Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium.
Collaborates with the State Apprenticeship Agency and State Apprenticeship Councils (in states where they exist).
The extent to which partner commitments, contributions, and leveraged resources, as well as the type of role each key partner are sufficient to ensure success of the project. For example: (3 points)
Developing or scaling an American Apprenticeship program;
Promotion and outreach;
Providing assistance with program design, curriculum and/or training;
Providing facilities and/or personnel to provide related technical instruction and on-the-job learning;
Identifying, recruiting, and/or serving potential program participants, including participants from underrepresented populations (such as, women, young men and women of color, persons with disabilities, low-skilled populations, veterans, including transition service members, among others);
Carrying out administrative functions; and
Other roles, as applicable.
The extent to which the applicant has documented the commitments of the public partner to aid project sustainability. The level of commitment to sustainability is measured by: (2 points)
Examples of policy driven efforts to sustain apprenticeship, sector-focused training strategies, and system alignment efforts. For example, reviewers may consider plans to establish or modify state, local, or institutional policies and/or other mechanisms to support employer demand for apprenticeship (e.g., tax credits, training vouchers/grants, utilization requirements, leveraging of existing systems or resources, or others).
Examples of strategies to align long-term funding streams behind the apprenticeship model including federal funds from a diverse array of partners (e.g., Pell/Title IV financial aid, Federal Work-Study, GI Bill benefits, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) education & training funds, WIA and WIOA, etc.), state and local funding, (e.g., on-the-job training funds, state workforce dollars, funding for participating community colleges, etc.), and private sector investment funds (e.g., training investment funds, social impact bonds, industry association or labor organization funds, etc.)
21st Century American Apprenticeship Sector Focus and Employer Commitments (8 points)
Points will be awarded based on:
The strength of employer engagement in the project and a discussion of their commitment to work with DOL (or federally-recognized State Apprenticeship Agencies) to register new apprenticeship programs and hire apprentices. Reviewers will consider whether applicants have identified at least 3 employers who are actively engaged in the project and have describe the employer role. Reviewers will also consider the strength of the employers’ letters of commitment9 including any leveraged resource commitments and contributions to the project. (6 points)
The extent to which the applicant identifies regional or national industry representation and coordination through industry associations or through other evidence such as designation as a “Manufacturing Community” through the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP). (2 points)
Innovations in American Apprenticeship Training (8 points)
Points will be awarded based on:
The quality of the American Apprenticeship programs to be developed. Reviewers will consider the extent to which applicants transform and adapt alternative work-based learning programs or rigorous education-based internship models into American Apprenticeship programs, and significantly expand existing and successful registered programs. The extent to which a clear process has been articulated for how the partnership will develop any new standards of apprenticeship. The strength of program innovations (see examples in Appendix B.) and clear understanding of the key characteristics of the program including the estimated time for apprentices to complete the program. (3 points)
The clarity by which the applicant describes the strategies that will be used to employ and train apprentices, including a plan for selecting apprentices in order to meet the service goals established at Section II.A. of the FOA within the 60 month period of performance. For applicants proposing to serve incumbent workers/existing workforce, reviewers will award points based on the extent to which projects will result in significantly upskilling workers (e.g., taking workers with entry/low skills and moving them into middle-skill jobs with higher wages). Proposals that seek to utilize apprenticeship models that make only modest improvements in the skills of current workforce will receive fewer points than those that make significant improvements. (2 points)
The strength of the education and training activities that support the apprenticeship including both the on-the-job learning and related technical instruction portions of the American Apprenticeship program(s). (2 points)
The extent to which the applicant provides a roadmap for how the American Apprenticeship program will lead to job advancement, college credit, and/or industry-recognized credentials for newly hired (and as applicable, incumbent/existing workers). (1 point)
Work
Plan (8 points)
Points
will be awarded based on:
The comprehensiveness and clear organization of the project work plan to account for all functions/activities identified in the application (3 points)
Whether the applicant includes feasible and realistic activities (e.g., capacity-building, start-up, and training), timeframes (including the registration of the apprenticeship program(s) and enrollment of apprentices within 12 months of grant award), deliverables, and key partners required to implement the project. (3 points)
The extent to which the applicant describes processes that might accelerate the work, and identified how any potential barriers to timely completion of goals would be overcome. (1pt)
The strength of the explanation of all how the
project milestones, outputs, and outcomes fit into the program
design and overall timeline of grant implementation. (1 points)
Organizational,
Administrative, and Fiscal Capacity (11 points)
Points
will be awarded based on:
The extent to which the organization has a project staffing plan which shows that it has capacity to carry out the proposed project. Reviewers will assess the level of qualifications and experience of executive and administrative staff as well as other personnel such as board members, advisors and consultants to fulfill the needs and requirements of the proposed project, including the ability to manage a strategic partnership, fiscal and administrative management, outreach and promotion, and other key areas of the project management. (3 points)
The strength of administrative controls to properly manage, monitor and report Federal funds and performance. The degree to which the applicant explains how the proposed project will use accounting and performance systems and processes that enable timely and accurate financial and performance reporting, and allow for expeditious procurement procedures that comply with Federal, state (if applicable), and other relevant laws and requirements, including across partners, as applicable. (2 points)
The extent to which the applicant provides a process and reasonable timeframe for hiring the project manager and key staff (e.g., fiscal, administrative, performance reporting/case management, etc.) to ensure the project can begin immediately. (2 points)
The capacity of the lead organization to facilitate communications among all levels of the project and across consortium members. (2 points)
The extent to which the applicant provides strong examples of experience working with multi-partner programs, including the management process used that led to measurable results for workers and employers. (2 points)
Budget and Budget Justification (3 points)
Points will be awarded based on:
The extent to which the budget is reasonable based on the activities outlined in the project narrative and that the proposed expenditures will support the expansion of apprenticeship opportunities for both employers and individuals. (2 points)
The strength and feasibility of the applicant’s plan to leverage external resources to ensure that the applicant meets the goals for the numbers of apprenticeship (see Section II.A.), as well as the other outcomes and outputs proposed in response to Section IV.B.3.a. Reviewers will consider the breadth of cash and/or in-kind support (e.g., Pell/Title IV financial aid, federal work study, GI Bill benefits, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) education & training funds, WIA and WIOA, etc.), state and local funding, (e.g., on-the-job training funds, state workforce dollars, funding for participating community colleges, etc.), and private sector investment funds (e.g., training investment funds, social impact bonds, industry association or labor organization funds, etc.). (1 point)
Merit Review and Selection Process
A technical merit review panel will carefully evaluate applications against the selection criteria to determine the merit of applications. These criteria are based on the policy goals, priorities, and emphases set forth in this FOA. Up to 100 points may be awarded to an applicant, depending on the quality of the responses provided. The final scores (which may include the mathematical normalization of review panels) will serve as the primary basis for selection of applications for funding. The panel results are advisory in nature and not binding on the Grant Officer. The Grant Officer reserves the right to make selections based solely on the final scores, but reserves the right to interview applicants to gain further detail on plans described in the application and to clarify information, or to take into consideration other relevant factors when applicable. Such factors may include the geographic distribution of funds, partnership structures, scope of innovation (see Appendix B.), level of expansion (i.e., goals for new apprentices), and/or other relevant factors. The Grant Officer may also take into consideration the mix of industries and/or occupations.
Before
awards are made, the Grant Officer will review your eligibility
against the requirements at Section III Eligibility
Information of the FOA.
Specifically, the Grant Officer will
review your Primary Partnership
Composition to ensure compliance with Section III. A.1-A.3. 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.
Risk Review Process
Every application will be evaluated to determine the risks posed by applicants. Prior to making an award, ETA will review information available through any OMB-designated repository of governmentwide eligibility qualification or financial integrity information, such as Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), Dun and Bradstreet, and “Do Not Pay.” Additionally, ETA will comply with the requirements of 2 CFR Part 180 codified by DOL at 29 CFR Part 98 (Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement)). This risk evaluation may incorporate results of the evaluation of the applicant’s eligibility (application screening) or the quality of its application (merit review). If ETA determines that an award will be made, special conditions that correspond to the degree of risk assessed may be applied to the award. Criteria to be evaluated include:
(1) Financial stability;
(2) Quality of management systems and ability to meet the management standards prescribed in the Uniform Grant Guidance;
(3) History of performance. The applicant’s record in managing awards, cooperative agreements, or procurement awards, if it is a prior recipient of such Federal awards, including timeliness of compliance with applicable reporting requirements and if applicable, the extent to which any previously awarded amounts will be expended prior to future awards;
(4) Reports and findings from audits performed under Subpart F – Audit Requirements of the Uniform Grant Guidance or the reports and findings of any other available audits and monitoring reports containing findings, issues of non-compliance or questioned costs;
(5) The applicant’s ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements imposed on recipients.
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 application.
Selection of an organization as a grantee does not constitute approval of the grant application as submitted. Before the actual grant is awarded, we 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. We reserve the right to not fund any application related to this FOA.
.
1. Administrative Program Requirements
All grantees will be subject to all applicable Federal laws, regulations—including the OMB Uniform Guidance, and the terms and conditions of the award. The grant(s) awarded under this FOA will be subject to the following administrative standards and provisions:
a. Non-Profit Organizations, Educational Institutions, and State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments – 2 CFR Part 200 (Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards)
b. Profit Making Commercial Firms – Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) – 48 CFR part 31 (Cost Principles), and 2 CFR Part 200 (Administrative Requirements).
c. All entities must comply with 29 CFR Part 93 (New Restrictions on Lobbying), 29 CFR Part 94 (Government wide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Financial Assistance)), 29 CFR Part 98 (Government wide Debarment and Suspension, and drug-free workplace requirements), and, where applicable, 2 CFR Part 200 (Audit Requirements).
d. 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.
e. 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.
f. 29 CFR Part 32—Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance.
g. 29 CFR Part 35— Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Age in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance from the Department of Labor.
h. 29 CFR Part 36—Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance.
i. 29 CFR Parts 29 and 30—Labor Standards for the Registration of Apprenticeship Programs, and Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship and Training, as applicable.
k. Special Terms and Conditions of Award—See Appendix C, AMERICAN APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMMATIC REQUIREMENTS
2. Other Legal Requirements:
a. 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 an applicant 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 this grant opportunity and maintain that hiring practice. If a faith-based organization is awarded a grant, the organization will be provided with information on how to request such an exemption.
b. 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).
c. Transparency Act Requirements
You must ensure that you have 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:
Except for those excepted from the Transparency Act under sub-paragraphs 1, 2, and 3 below, you must ensure that you 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, you 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.
d. Safeguarding Data Including Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
Applicants submitting applications in response to this FOA must recognize that confidentiality of PII and other 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 an application, you 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 and TEGL NO. 39-11 (issued June 28, 2012). 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 application, you agree 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:
1. You must ensure that PII and sensitive data developed, obtained, or otherwise associated with DOL/ETA funded grants is securely transmitted.
To ensure that such PII is not transmitted to unauthorized users, all PII and other sensitive data transmitted via e-mail or stored on CDs, DVDs, thumb drives, etc., must be encrypted using a Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 compliant and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) validated cryptographic module. You must not e-mail unencrypted sensitive PII to any entity, including ETA or contractors.
You must take the steps necessary to ensure the privacy of all PII obtained from participants and/or other individuals and to protect such information from unauthorized disclosure. You must maintain such PII in accordance with the ETA standards for information security described in TEGL NO. 39-11 and any updates to such standards we provide to you. If you wish to obtain more information on data security should contact their Federal Project Officer.
You must ensure that any PII used during the performance of your grant has been obtained in conformity with applicable Federal and state laws governing the confidentiality of information.
You further acknowledge that all PII data obtained through your ETA grant must 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 ETA. Accessing, processing, and storing of ETA grant PII 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 ETA.
Your employees and other personnel who will have access to sensitive/confidential/proprietary/private data must be advised of the confidential nature of the information, the safeguards required to protect the information, and that there are civil and criminal sanctions for noncompliance with such safeguards that are contained in Federal and state laws.
You must have their policies and procedures in place under which your employees and other personnel, before being granted access to PII, acknowledge 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.
You must not extract information from data supplied by ETA for any purpose not stated in the grant agreement.
Access to any PII created by the ETA grant must 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 in the grant agreement.
All PII data must 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 validated software products based on FIPS 140-2 encryption. In addition, wage data may only be accessed from secure locations.
PII data obtained by the grantee through a request from ETA must not be disclosed to anyone but the individual requestor except as permitted by the Grant Officer or by court order.
You must permit ETA to make onsite inspections during regular business hours for the purpose of conducting audits and/or conducting other investigations to assure that you are complying with the confidentiality requirements described above. In accordance with this responsibility, you must make records applicable to this Agreement available to authorized persons for the purpose of inspection, review, and/or audit.
You must retain data received from 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, you agree that all data will be destroyed, including the degaussing of magnetic tape files and deletion of electronic data.
e. Record Retention
You must be prepared to follow Federal guidelines on record retention, which require you to maintain all records pertaining to grant activities for a period of at least three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report. See 2 CFR 200.333-.337 for more specific information, including information about the start of the record retention period for awards that are renewed quarterly or annually, and when the records must be retained for more than three years.
f. Use of Contracts and Subawards
You must abide by the following definitions of contract, contractor, subaward, and subrecipient:
Contract: Contract means a legal instrument by which a non-Federal entity (defined as a state, local government, Indian tribe, institution of higher education (IHE), nonprofit organization, for-profit entity, foreign public entity, or a foreign organization that carries out a Federal award as a recipient or subrecipient) purchases property or services needed to carry out the project or program under a Federal award. The term as used in this FOA does not include a legal instrument, even if the non-Federal entity considers it a contract, when the substance of the transaction meets the definition of a Federal award or subaward (see definition of Subaward below).
Contractor: Contractor means an entity that receives a contract as defined above in Contract.
Subaward: Subaward means an award provided by a pass-through entity (defined as a non-Federal entity that provides a subaward to a subrecipient to carry out part of a Federal program) to a subrecipient for the subrecipient to carry out part of a Federal award received by the pass-through entity. It does not include payments to a contractor or payments to an individual that is a beneficiary of a Federal program. A subaward may be provided through any form of legal agreement, including an agreement that the pass-through entity considers a contract.
Subrecipient: Subrecipient means a non-Federal entity that receives a subaward from a pass-through entity to carry out part of a Federal program; but does not include an individual that is a beneficiary of such program. A subrecipient may also be a recipient of other Federal awards directly from a Federal awarding agency.
You
must follow the provisions at 2 CFR 200.330-.332 regarding
subrecipient monitoring and management. Also see 2 CFR 200.308(c)(6)
regarding prior approval requirements for subawards. When awarding
subawards, you are required to comply with provisions on
governmentwide suspension and debarment found at 2 CFR Part 180 and
codified by DOL at 29 CFR Part 98.
g. Closeout of Grant Award
Any entity that receives an award under this announcement must close its grant with ETA at the end of the final year of the grant. Information about this process may be found in ETA’s Grant Closeout FAQ located at http://www.doleta.gov/grants/docs/GCFAQ.pdf.
3. Other Administrative Standards and Provisions
Except as specifically provided in this FOA, our acceptance of an application 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 ensure that all procurement transactions are conducted, as much as practical, to provide open and free competition. If an application identifies a specific entity to provide goods or services, the award does not provide the justification or basis to sole source the procurement, i.e., avoid competition.
4. Special Program Requirements
a. ETA Evaluation
As a condition of grant award, American Apprenticeship grantees are required to participate in a national evaluation. The national evaluation may include an implementation assessment across grantees as well as an impact and/or outcomes analysis of all or selected sites within or across grantees. Conducting an impact analysis could involve random assignment (which involves random assignment of eligible participants into a treatment group that would receive program services or enhanced program services, or into control group(s) that would receive no program services or program services that are not enhanced). The department may require applicants to collect elements to aid the American Apprenticeship evaluation, assess the Return on Investment to employers, and assess the overall project impact. As a part of the national evaluation, grantees must agree to: (1) make records on participants, employers, and funding available; (2) provide access to program operating personnel, participants and operational and financial records and any other pertaining documents to calculate program costs and benefits; and (3) facilitate the assignment by lottery of participants to program services (including the possible increased recruitment of potential participants) and follow evaluation procedures as specified by the national evaluator under the direction of DOL including after the grant period of performance.
Additionally, grantees must ensure compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232G; 34 CFR Part 99). The grantees must establish policies for compliance, including policies for accessing student education records when connected with audit or evaluation of Federal or State programs and enforcement of or compliance with Federal legal requirements of those programs, standard practices or agreements for disclosing PII through written agreements, and other PII and records management practices.
In addition to any required national evaluation, a select number of grantees may be asked to volunteer to participate in a demonstration of a particular recruitment and/or retention strategy that could be used with the Apprenticeship program. The demonstration may focus on testing the following non-exhaustive list of topics: improving or refining existing recruitment techniques; expanding recruitment efforts by testing new modes of recruitment; better targeting recruitment for specific populations; and offering new services or enhancing existing services that could improve the retention of targeted populations.
Please note that applicants will be held to outcomes provided and failure to meet those outcomes may result in technical assistance or other intervention by ETA, and may also have a significant impact on decisions about future grants with ETA.
You must agree to meet DOL reporting requirements. Quarterly financial reports, quarterly progress reports, and MIS data must be submitted by the grantee electronically. Additionally, grantees must submit information on job openings on a national apprenticeship job bank. You must 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. On the final Financial Status Report, you must include any subaward amounts so we can calculate final indirect costs, if applicable. You must use DOL’s Online Electronic Reporting System and information and instructions will be provided to grantees.
2. Quarterly Performance Reports
You must submit a quarterly progress report, including individual record level data, within 45 days after the end of each calendar year quarter. The report must include quarterly information on grant activities, performance goals, and milestones. The last quarterly progress report will serve as the grant’s Final Performance Report. This report must 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 must thoroughly document the apprenticeship training approaches that you used. We will provide you with formal guidance about the data, reporting system, and other information that is required to be collected and reported on either a regular basis or special request basis.
Apprenticeship Job Bank
You must participate in DOL’s Apprenticeship job openings database that will be accessible to the public. This will help launch a national campaign to advertise apprenticeship opportunities to a wider audience and help facilitate the matching of willing workers with apprenticeship sponsors.
National Media Campaigns
You must participate in National Media Campaigns initiated by the DOL by providing success stories, photos, testimonials, to promote and advance the American Apprenticeship Initiative.
For further information about this FOA, please contact Jeannette Flowers, Grants Management Specialist, Office of Grants Management, at (202) 693-3322. Applicants should e-mail all technical questions to [email protected] and must specifically reference FOA/DFA PY 14-02, 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. 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 all applications in this grant competition, we will publish the Abstracts required by Section IV.B.4., and selected information from the SF-424 for all applications on the department’s public website or similar publicly accessible location. Additionally, we will publish a version of the Project Narrative required by Section IV.B.3. for all those applications that are awarded grants, on the department’s website or a similar location. No other attachments to the application will be published. The Project Narratives 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 business confidential information is information that is not usually disclosed outside your organization and disclosing this information 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.10
Abstracts will be published in the form originally submitted, without any redactions. Applicants should not include any proprietary or confidential business information or PII in this summary. In the event that an applicant submits proprietary or confidential business information or PII, DOL is not liable for the posting of this information contained in the Abstract. The submission of the grant application constitutes a waiver of the applicant’s objection to the posting of any proprietary or confidential business information contained in the Abstract. Additionally, the applicant is responsible for obtaining all authorizations from relevant parties for publishing all PII contained within the Abstract. In the event the Abstract contains proprietary or confidential business information or PII, the applicant is presumed to have obtained all necessary authorizations to provide this information and may be liable for any improper release of this information.
By submission of this grant application, the applicant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the United States, the U.S. Department of Labor, its officers, employees, and agents against any liability or for any loss or damages arising from this application. By such submission of this grant application, the applicant further acknowledges having the authority to execute this release of liability.
In order to ensure that proprietary or confidential business information or PII is properly protected from disclosure when DOL posts the winning Project Narratives, applicants whose Project Narratives will be posted will be asked to submit a second redacted version of their Project Narrative, with any proprietary, confidential commercial/business information, and PII redacted. All non-public information about the applicant’s and consortium members’ staff (if applicable) should be removed as well.
The department will contact the applicants whose Project Narratives will be published by letter or email, and provide further directions about how and when to submit the redacted version of the Project Narrative.
Submission of a redacted version of the Project Narrative will constitute permission by the applicant for DOL to make the redacted version publicly available. We will also assume that by submitting the redacted version of the Project Narrative, the applicant has obtained the agreement to the applicant’s decision about what material to redact of all persons and entities whose proprietary, confidential business information, or PII is contained in the Project Narrative. If an applicant fails to provide a redacted version of the Project Narrative within 45 days of DOL’s request, DOL will publish the original Project Narrative in full, after redacting only PII. (Note that the original, unredacted version of the Project Narrative will remain part of the complete application package, including an applicant’s proprietary and confidential business 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 clearly is proprietary, confidential commercial/business information, or PII. The redaction of entire pages or sections of the Project Narrative 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. See 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.”
Web-Based Resources
DOL maintains a number of web-based resources that may be of assistance to applicants. American Apprenticeship technical assistance resources, including our Toolkit/Quick Start Action Planner, can be found at http://www.doleta.gov/oa. Also we encourage you to visit the 21st Century Registered Apprenticeship Community of Practice (COP), an online resource to share information and learn from peers regarding the innovative apprenticeship strategies and partnerships being used to train U.S. workers. Visit our COP at https://21stcenturyapprenticeship.workforce3one.org/.
A pre-recorded Prospective Applicant webinar will be available for viewing no later than 30 days from this FOA. For further details, please visit our apprenticeship homepage at http://www.doleta.gov/oa.
Other web resources include the Career One-Stop 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; America's Service Locator (http://www.servicelocator.org), which provides a directory of our nation's One-Stop Career Centers; and the Office of Disability Employment Policy resources page (http://www.dol.gov/odep/resources), which provides technical assistance, policies and practices for people with disabilities.
C. 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.
D. Workforce3One Resources
1. We encourage you 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: https://www.workforce3one.org/find/?sr=1&ps=20&sort=5.
2. We encourage you 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.
3. We created Workforce System Strategies to make it easier for the public workforce system and its partners to identify effective strategies and support improved customer outcomes. The collection highlights strategies informed by a wide range of evidence such as experimental studies and implementation evaluations, as well as supporting resources such as toolkits. We encourage you to review these resources by visiting http://strategies.workforce3one.org/.
4. We created a technical assistance portal at https://etareporting.workforce3one.org/page/financial that contains online training and resources for fiscal and administrative issues. Online trainings available include but are not limited to Introduction to Grant Applications and Forms, indirect Costs, Federal Cost Principles, and accrual accounting.
E. Connecting to Other Partners and Resources
Applicants and organizations interested in Registered Apprenticeship that would like to potentially connect with other groups or possible partners, such as nonprofit organizations, foundations, training providers, and employers are encouraged to visit and, if interested, share information on an apprenticeship clearing house web resource created and managed by Skills for America’s Future: http://forums.skillsforamericasfuture.org. Note that the views expressed in the materials or resources prepared by private sector organizations do not necessarily reflect official U.S. Department of Labor positions or policy. Inclusion of these resources here does not represent an official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Labor of the organizations, their programs, products or services.
OMB Information Collection No 1225-0086, Expires January 31, 2016.
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 ANNOUNCEMENT.
This information is being collected for the purpose of awarding a grant. The information collected through this “Funding Opportunity Announcement” will be used by the U.S. Department of Labor to ensure that grants are awarded to the applicants 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 a grant.
Signed XXXXX, in Washington, D.C. by:
Sara Gallagher Williams
Grant Officer, Employment and Training Administration
Appendix List
Appendix A List of H-1B occupations
Appendix B Elements of Innovation
Appendix C Programmatic Requirements
Appendix D Suggested Work Plan Template
Appendix E Suggested Performance Table Template
Appendix F Suggested Abstract Template
1 See Appendix B for Elements of Innovation
2 Stephen Steigleder and Louis Soares, “Let’s Get Serious About Our Nation’s Human Capital: A Plan to Reform the U.S. Workforce Training System” (Washington: Center for American Progress, 2012)
3 Jennifer Erickson and Michael Ettlinger, eds., “300Million Engines of Growth: A Middle-Out Plan for Jobs,
Business, and a Growing Economy” (Washington: Center for American Progress, 2013).
4 National Center for Education Statistics, Projections of Education Statistics through 2021, Table. 20, http://nces.ed.gov/programs/projections/projections2021/tables/table_20.asp
6 The U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology leads Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). For more information about MEP, please visit http://www.nist.gov/mep/.
7 Workforce intermediaries can help broker local, regional and national workforce solutions. Often they help job seekers find jobs and employers find workers, convene employers and community partners to determine workforce trends, and may assist in blending and braiding funding and services to create more impactful workforce solutions.
8 The Benefits and Challenges of Registered Apprenticeship: The Sponsors’ Perspective. by Karin Martinson, Robert Lerman, Lauren Eyster, Kate Chambers (2009)
9 Letters of commitment will not count against the 30-page page limit for the project narrative.
10 OMB Memorandum 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.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | DEPARTMENT OF LABOR |
| Author | frugoli.pam |
| Last Modified By | Smyth, Michel - OASAM OCIO |
| File Modified | 2014-12-04 |
| File Created | 2014-12-04 |