TechHire Partnership Grants FOA
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Notice of Availability of Funds and Funding Opportunity Announcement for Grant Applications for H-1B TechHire Partnership Grants
Announcement Type: Initial
Funding Opportunity Number: FOA-ETA-16-01
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 17.268
Key Dates: The closing date for receipt of applications under this Announcement is [insert date XX days after date of publication of the one page notice in the Federal Register]. 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: Melissa Abdullah, Grant Officer, Reference FOA/ETA PY 16-01, 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:
America has about 5.4 million open jobs today, substantially more than in any year since 2001.1 The new openings in information technology (IT) fields including software development, network administration, and cybersecurity are projected to grow at a rate that is two-thirds higher than the average for all jobs.2 The average salary in a job that requires IT skills – whether in manufacturing, advertising, retail or banking – is more than 50 percent higher than the average private-sector American job.3 Helping more Americans train and connect to these jobs is an important opportunity to get more people into the middle class, but it is also an economic imperative for America’s continued leadership in global innovation. Today our IT training pipeline is dramatically under-producing workers to fill these good jobs, which is costing employers, workers, and the U.S. economy. As this is the case, communities across the country are in need of more cost-effective, timely, agile, and market-responsive training pipelines for these jobs.
As President Obama said at the launch of his TechHire initiative: “It doesn’t matter where you learned code, it just matters how good you are in writing code. If you can do the job, you should get the job.”4 The good news is that new training models are emerging to take advantage of this opportunity both in universities and community colleges, but also nontraditional approaches like “coding bootcamps”5, high-quality online courses, or competency-based programs at more traditional institutions that can rapidly train workers for a well-paying job or entrepreneurial opportunities, often in just a few months. And new industry-trusted talent placement organizations are helping Americans trained in non-traditional pathways get connected to employers based on their skills even if their resumes may look different from the typical candidate. In addition, the Department of Education is launching experimental efforts to explore the quality and benefits of these accelerated and non-traditional training models with the Education Quality through Innovative Partnerships (“EQUIP”) Title IV Pilot.
The Administration is committed to making sure that Americans who are most in need— specifically youth and young adults ages 17-29, individuals with disabilities, individuals with limited English proficiency, and individuals with criminal records and other unemployed, dislocated, underemployed, and front-line incumbent workers —have access to new, innovative training opportunities that produce quality results, and to the customized guidance and supportive and specialized services to gain employment in and advance to new positions in H-1B occupations and industries. These funds can be used to support training services in occupations for which H-1B visas have been certified, or other occupations in industries in which a significant number of H-1B visas are certified. A list of the H-1B industries that are acceptable for applications under this FOA can be found in Appendix F.
For that reason, The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, or the Department, or we), announces the availability of approximately $100,000,000 in grant funds for the TechHire partnership grant program. We expect to fund approximately 30-40 grants, with individual grant amounts ranging from $2 million to $5 million. This grant program is designed to equip individuals with the skills they need through innovative approaches that can rapidly train workers for and connect them to well-paying, middle- and high-skilled, and high-growth jobs across a diversity of H-1B industries such as IT, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, financial services, and broadband.
These grants are financed by a user fee paid by employers to bring foreign workers into the United States under the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program. This program is authorized under Section 414(c) of the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 (ACWIA), as amended (codified at 29 USC 3224a). Grant awards will be made only to the extent that funds are available.
Grants will be awarded to the lead applicant of a public and private partnership of entities that includes:
the public workforce investment system;
education and training providers, such as community colleges, community-based and faith-based organizations, and “bootcamp” style tech programs; and,
a business-related nonprofit organization, an organization functioning as a workforce intermediary for the expressed purpose of serving the needs of businesses, a consortium of three or more of businesses, or at least three independent businesses
At least $50 million of this funding opportunity will be awarded to applicants proposing programs serving out-of-secondary school6 youth and young adults between the ages of 17 and 29 with barriers to training and employment as their primary target population. Applications must include significant employer engagement, including a minimum of at least three employer partners, or a regional industry association consisting of at least three employers, with demonstrated engagement in the project. Additional partners that reflect the character and resources of the local or regional economy and the community are strongly encouraged. This funding opportunity announcement describes the application submission requirements that are listed in Section VI.B, Content and Form of Application Submission. Finally, the Department is committed to producing strong evidence on the effectiveness of the grantee programs; therefore, full participation in any national evaluation initiated by DOL is a condition of all grants awarded.
While this funding opportunity supports the broader goals of the White House TechHire Initiative (https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/technology/techhire), there is no preference given to designated TechHire communities. This funding opportunity is open to all eligible applicants identified in Section III.A, Eligible Applicants. Further, applicants may propose to serve local, regional, or multi region (national) areas.
Table of Contents:
Funding Opportunity Description
Program Purpose
Targeted Industries and Occupations
Training and Service Strategies that Support Customized Interventions for Employment
Program Authority
Award Information
Award Type and Amount
Period of Performance
Eligibility Information
Eligible Applicants
Required Employer Partners
Optional Partners
Cost Sharing or Matching
Geographic Scope
Other Information
Application and Submission Information
How to Obtain an Application Package
Content and Form of Application Submission
Submission Date, Times, Process, and Addresses
Intergovernmental Review
Funding Restrictions
Other Submission Requirements
Application Review Information
Criteria
Review and Selection Process
Award Administration and Information
Award Notices
Administrative and National Policy Requirements
Reporting
Agency Contacts
Other Information
Transparency
Web-Based Resources
Industry Competency-Model and Career Clusters
Workforce3one Resources
Office of Management and Budget Information Collection
Appendix
Definitions
Labor Market Information
Suggested Outcome Measures Table
Suggested Project Work Plan Format
Suggested Abstract Format
List of H-1B Industries and Occupations
Program Purpose
This Announcement solicits applications for the H1-B TechHire partnership (TechHire) grant program. On March 9, 2015, the President announced the TechHire initiative, a multi-sector approach to train workers with the information technology (IT) skills required for well-paying, middle- and high-skilled, and high-growth jobs across a diversity of industries such as IT, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, financial services, and broadband. Filling these jobs is critical for employers throughout the United States, and the TechHire initiative aims to bring together communities, employers, and workers to meet the demands of the resurging American economy and fuel the next generation of American innovations.
Over the past five years, the United States has enjoyed the longest recorded streak of private-sector job growth in American history. Beginning in February of 2015, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recorded the highest number of open jobs since this data was collected in 2000.7 More than 600,000 of these jobs were well-paid IT positions, and they are only available to job seekers with the appropriate skills and training. Technology-related skills are essential not only to gaining employment in IT industries, but also to accessing middle- to high-skilled jobs across all industries.
Despite this record job growth and the resurgence of the American economy, many Americans face significant barriers to accessing well-paying, middle- and high-skilled technology jobs in high-growth industries such as IT, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, financial services, and other in-demand sectors. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development found that 16 percent of youth and young adults in the United States between the ages of 15 and 29 are not in employment, education, or training.8 The impact of youth unemployment is damaging over the long-term on individual career and financial prospects, as those who experienced youth unemployment are more likely to become unemployed later in life. Moreover, the International Monetary Fund indicates that “youth unemployment also has broader social consequences and contributes significantly to growing income inequality in advanced economies.”9
Similar to the far reaching consequences of youth unemployment, Americans with disabilities are disproportionately unemployed and twice as likely to be poor. The Department of Labor and the White House Council of Economic Advisors found that only one-third of working-age Americans with disabilities were employed between 2010 and 2012. They also identified many emerging opportunities for persons with disabilities in high-growth occupations where computer use is important, as the development of new technologies creates opportunities to overcome particular physical and cognitive limitations, and increase workplace productivity.10
The TechHire grant program will focus on individuals who are at least 17 years of age, out-of-secondary school, and have barriers to training and employment opportunities, including:
Youth and young adults who are out-of-secondary school, between the ages of 17 and 29, and have barriers to training and employment; and
Special populations: individuals with disabilities, individuals with limited English proficiency, or individuals with criminal records with barriers to training and employment.
For complete information on the eligible participants that may be served by projects funded by this grant program, see Section III.F.3, Eligible Participants.
Projects funded by this grant program will help participants begin careers in H-1B occupations and industries which are in-demand and/or high growth in the area applicants are proposing to serve. On a limited basis, this grant program will also enable applicants to work with companies on increasing the skills of existing workers in lower-skilled jobs to move into more highly skilled positions requiring technology-related skills.
These grants will pilot and scale public-private partnerships among the workforce investment system, education and training providers, and business-related nonprofit organizations to address the following goals for the target populations:
Expand access to accelerated learning options that provide the fastest paths to good jobs, such as “bootcamp” style programs, online options, and competency-based programs to give people the skills required for employment in three months to two years among people with historic barriers to accessing employment and training;
Improve the likelihood that those populations complete training and enter employment, through specialized training strategies, supportive services and other focused participant services that assist targeted populations to overcome barriers, including networking and job search, active job development, transportation, mentoring, and financial counseling;
Connect those who have received training or who already have the skills required for employment, but are being overlooked, to employment, paid internships, or Registered Apprenticeship opportunities that allow them to get work experience and prove themselves to hiring employers;
Demonstrate strong commitment to customer-centered design and excellence in customer experience, so that the programs and services reflect real need of employers and participants, through human centered design methodology and other methods of design thinking; 11 and
Ensure that innovations form the basis for broader change and sustainability over time and that a clear strategy exists for adapting to rapidly changing market needs after the initial period of the grant.
To bridge the divide between employers seeking to fill well-paying, middle- and high-skilled, and high-growth jobs across a diversity of H-1B industries and the low-skill workers with barriers to training and employment opportunities, the TechHire grant program will fund approximately 30 to 40 private and public partnerships with grants ranging from $2 million to $5 million. At least $50 million will be awarded for projects serving youth or young adults with barriers to training and employment opportunities and no more than $50 million will be awarded to projects serving special populations. These grants will be awarded based on three critical design elements including:
Target populations: Applicants may apply for funding for one of two types of projects: 1) projects that serve out-of-secondary school youth and young adults between the ages of 17 and 29 with barriers to training and employment, or 2) projects that serve special populations, defined as individuals with disabilities, individuals with limited English proficiency, or individuals with criminal records. These individuals must be at least 17 years of age and out of secondary school. For more information about eligible participants, see Section III.F.3, Eligible Participants.
Leveraged resources: To help ensure a successful project, applicants are expected to secure leveraged resources equal to at least 25 percent of the total requested funds to support grant activities and accomplish the project’s overall goals and milestones. The leveraged resources must be sufficient to allow applicants to meet the proposed performance goals during the grant period of performance. Applicants will be scored on the amount and sufficiency of these resources as described in Section IV.B.3.(6)(b), Leveraged Resources.
Evidence-based design: For applicants that request more than $4 million and up to $5 million in grant funds, applications will be assessed along a continuum of innovation and evidence, from new promising ideas to well-tested ideas being adapted to new contexts. Of particular interest are new promising ideas developed through human centered design methodology and behavioral insight research. We will award up to $5 million to fund projects that have been tested and are supported by evidence and a maximum of $4 million for new programs that do not have the level of supporting evidence as described in Appendix A. Applicants that request more than $4 million in grant funds and do not provide evidence for the proposed training and approach(es) in a separate attachment will not be reviewed. Applicants that propose projects of $4 million or less are not required to submit evidence of program design as an attachment, and this information will not be reviewed from such applicants.
In line with the authority provided by Congress under the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act (ACWIA), grants under this program must focus on preparing and placing individuals into jobs within H-1B occupations and industries. H-1B occupations and industries are occupations for which H-1B visas have been certified, or other occupations in industries in which a significant number of H-1B visas are certified. A list of the H-1B industries that are acceptable for applications under this FOA can be found in Appendix F. Occupations at H-1B skill levels generally require a bachelor’s degree or comparable experience and are middle to-high-skill level. While program participants do not need to have these educational credentials or skill levels to enter the program, they should receive interventions that directly lead to job placement during the grant period in middle- and high-skill jobs and grantees must provide information about the career pathway12 to these jobs.
Targeted Industries and Occupations
TechHire grants will fund projects that support well-paying, middle- and high-skilled, and high-growth jobs across a diversity of H-1B industries in the area applicants are proposing to serve. “High-growth” jobs, are defined as those which: 1) are projected to add substantial numbers of new jobs to the economy; 2) are being transformed by technology and innovation that require workers to obtain new skill sets; and 3) 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 across the country, such as IT and cyber security, as well as a variety of non-IT industries and occupations that require technology skills, including but not limited to advanced manufacturing, healthcare, and financial services. In fact, over two-thirds of technology jobs are outside of the technology sector.13
To meet the legislative intent of positioning American workers to reduce the need for skilled foreign workers under the H-1B visa program, applicants must design their programs to support occupations for which H-1B visas have been certified, or other occupations in industries in which a significant number of H-1B visas are certified.
Refer to Appendix F to see a list of H-1B industries we have identified as permissible for applications to target under this grant competition. If proposing to target a specific occupation or occupations that fall outside of the identified industries, the application must provide data showing that the occupation is one for which H-1B visas have been certified.
Training and Services Strategies that Support Customized Interventions for Employment and Advancement
Projects funded under this FOA will provide a range of interventions that lead to middle and high-skilled employment, including assessment, coaching and counseling, short-term or accelerated training, and longer-term training leading to degrees and/or industry-recognized credentials. All projects will incorporate a strong up-front assessment component that allows for a customization of services and training to meet the needs of the targeted population(s) to become employed, retain their employment, or advance to a new position. Participants will be assessed and provided training and services in one or more of the following three customized intervention tracks to employment:
Intensive coaching and other short-term, specialized services culminating in direct job placement into middle- and high-skilled jobs, paid internships, or Registered Apprenticeships. Generally, this track is intended to serve individuals who have the skills and competencies to be placed directly into middle- and high-skilled, high growth H-1B occupations, and industries without additional training, but need intensive participant services and job placement services to secure employment in middle and high-wage jobs or Registered Apprenticeship. For example, this track would help individuals who may lack traditional qualifications but do have the skills necessary for employment in middle- and high-skilled jobs.
Short-term or accelerated training that may or may not result in an industry-recognized credential, but will lead to middle- and high- skilled high-growth jobs in H-1B occupations and industries. Generally, this track is intended to serve individuals who need short-term and intensive training (such as “bootcamp” style programs and online options) to refresh or upgrade their skills and competencies and other participant and job placement services that lead to employment in middle and high-skilled jobs.
Training along a career pathway that leads to an industry-recognized credential and employment in middle- and high-skilled jobs in H-1B occupations and industries. Generally, this track is intended to serve individuals who need more intensive training that results in a degree or credential to gain new skills and competencies, as well as other participant and job placement services to support their progression along a career pathway and placement into middle- and high-skilled employment in H-1B occupations and industries upon program completion.
For the third track, a career pathway is defined under this FOA as a combination of rigorous and high-quality education, training, and other services that provide participants with a sequence of education and training courses or career options which allows opportunities for professional growth and upward mobility. Under this FOA, training along a career pathway may start with entry-level occupations, but must lead to employment in middle- and high-skilled occupations in H-1B occupations and industries. We encourage applicants to consider accelerated or more intensive training options that will shorten the time to program completion, credential attainment, and employment.
Within these three customized tracks, employment and training activities can include a variety of specialized services, accelerated training, and related activities that lead to employment in middle- and high-skilled jobs, assist participants in gaining the skills and competencies needed to obtain employment in in-demand or high-growth H-1B occupations and industries, and provide training along a career pathway that leads to an industry-recognized credential and employment in well-paying, middle- and high-skilled, high-growth jobs across a diversity of H-1B industries. In all three customized tracks, projects must also ensure that employment and training strategies are offered that allow individuals to access accelerated training and services based on their individual needs. Projects must also provide information about the career pathway to these jobs.
Training Strategies
We will fund projects with training strategies that may include: on-the-job training (OJT); paid work experience; paid internships; Registered Apprenticeship; competency-based programs that give participants credit for skills they have already developed; innovative programs, such as “coding bootcamps” and other accelerated learning options; online programs; and other training strategies, or any combination of these training strategies. Across all of the strategies listed below, we are interested in training programs that are willing to be reimbursed for training on the basis of specific employment and earnings outcomes of participants. To ensure that these programs meet the needs of the targeted population(s), all training strategies will:
target skills and competencies in demand in the applicant’s regional economy and reflect those industries and occupations for which employers are using H–1B visas to hire foreign workers (see Appendix F);
provide skills development for jobs currently available;
provide accelerated education and work-based training that is appropriate for and meets the needs of the participants and businesses in H-1B occupations and industries;
integrate activities with services to ensure that participants have the necessary support to complete education/training and overcome barriers to employment, as appropriate;
provide job development and placement assistance; and,
result in an industry-recognized credential for longer-term training or enable advancement along a career pathway for shorter term training. We encourage applicants to use program models with demonstrated evidence of success in serving the targeted population(s), especially models shown by rigorous program evaluations to have positive impacts on participants’ employment and earnings outcomes.
On-the-Job Training (OJT)
OJT can bridge the divide between unemployment and employment by addressing gaps in an individual’s skills and what is required for a particular occupation. Individuals who participated in OJT in the past have demonstrated improved labor market attachment and enhanced job tenure, as illustrated by higher rates of job placement and retention. OJT also offers participants a “learn and earn” training option, allowing individuals to learn new skills while earning a regular paycheck.
OJT is distinguished from other types of workplace training, including customized training, in several ways: (1) participants are hired and earn wages from employers during training; (2) it is based on an individualized training plan that reflects the results of an individual skills assessment and analysis of job requirements; (3) training is conducted in the workplace under the direction of one or more of the employer’s supervisory personnel; and (4) the grantee pays the employer a reimbursement to cover the extraordinary costs of the training. Under this FOA, OJT has specific requirements which are detailed in Section IV.E, Funding Restrictions. Incumbent workers are not eligible to participate in OJT.
Paid Work Experience
Work experience is defined as a planned and structured learning experience that takes place in a workplace for a limited period of time. For the purposes of this FOA, work experiences are required to be paid work experiences. The specific requirements of these paid work experience are detailed in Section IV.E, Funding Restrictions. Incumbent workers are not eligible to participate in paid work experience.
Paid Internships
Internships provide a monitored or supervised work or service experience in an individual’s career field where he or she has intentional learning goals and reflects actively on what is learned throughout the experience. These learning goals can include: academic learning, career development, and skill development. Internships are part of a structured program where the grantee establishes the criteria for determining who will participate in these programs; are for a set period of time that is generally limited in duration, but may be flexible to allow interns to spend limited time in the classroom; support the attainment of credentials in the individual’s expected career field (where such credentials exist); relate to training provided through the grant and help participants prepare for employment opportunities on which the grant focuses; and, do not necessarily carry an offer of regular employment upon successful completion of the internship.
For the purposes of this FOA, internships are required to be paid internships. Under this FOA, paid internships have specific requirements which are detailed in Section IV.E, Funding Restrictions. Incumbent workers are not eligible to participate in paid internships.
Registered Apprenticeships
Registered Apprenticeship programs combine job-related technical instruction with structured on-the-job learning experiences. 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 (SAAs). Most Registered Apprenticeship opportunities include on-the-job training and classroom instruction that is provided through apprenticeship training centers, technical schools, community colleges, and even distance learning. Often Registered Apprenticeship sponsors work directly with community colleges that ultimately provide college credit for Registered Apprenticeships. 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.
After completion of a Registered Apprenticeship program, the apprentice earns a nationally recognized credential from the Department of Labor that is portable and stackable. Registered 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 SAAs); (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 personnel; and 5) training results in an industry-recognized credential and/or college credit.
Incumbent Worker Training
Up to 25 percent of participants served by applicants may be incumbent workers, particularly front-line, lower-skilled, and lower-wage workers who need training to upgrade their skills. As such, we encourage you to work with employer partners to develop plans to create career pathways towards and vacancies in middle- and high-skill jobs for low-skill, low-wage workers by using incumbent worker training to move existing workers into higher-skill jobs in H-1B occupations and industries. This may also include customized training, for particular employers or groups of employers.
Other Training Strategies
In addition to the types of training previously listed, a variety of other types of training strategies may include but are not limited to: classroom occupational training that is accelerated and contextualized; distance learning and technology-based learning; and accelerated and competency-based training. Accelerated and competency-based training strategies can rapidly train participants efficiently and effectively for employment. They can include competency-based programs that give participants credit for skills they have already developed and allow participants to move through coursework based on mastery of skills, as well as innovative programs, such as “coding bootcamps” or online programs that prepare those with little technical know-how for jobs in middle- to high-skill and high-growth jobs in H-1B occupations and industries.
Credentialing, while not a training strategy in and of itself, is a valuable component of many training strategies to employers and workers alike. For employers, credentials demonstrate and document a worker’s skills. At the same time, credentials improve a worker’s labor market experience through higher wages, greater mobility, and enhanced job security. Training and Employment Guidance Letter 15-10, Increasing Credential, Degree, and Certificate Attainment by Participants of the Public Workforce System, describes among other pertinent topics, the strategies that state and local workforce agencies, their strategic partners, and ETA discretionary grantees can adopt to both increase the rate of credential attainment among workforce program participants and improve the quality of those credentials.
Program Activities
We will fund projects that incorporate programmatic activities that support customized interventions and training to meet the needs of the targeted population(s) to become employed, retain their employment, and advance to new positions, including but not limited to:
Design of innovative programs that are shaped by a deep understanding of the customer experience for employers and participants in order to improve customer experience and outcomes;
Adapting existing industry-recognized curricula to support direct education and training provided through the grant;
Incorporating entrepreneurial skills training into an overall training strategy;
Obtaining accreditation for employer- and/or industry-recognized credentials;
Other program development activities, such as using subject matter experts from industry, education, and other areas to assist in program design and delivery;
Accessing real-time labor market information, as it relates to identifying the labor market demand, skills transferability, and job openings;
Developing and implementing articulation agreements with colleges, universities, and other education and training partners that allow for recognition of course credits in exchange for the education and/or training provided;
Outreach and recruitment of eligible participants; and
Initial assessment of skill levels, aptitudes, abilities, competencies, integrated participant services, supportive service, and employment needs.
Service Strategies
We will fund projects that incorporate services into strategies that support customized interventions and training to meet the needs of the targeted populations to become employed, retain their employment, and advance to new positions. These strategies may include a wide range of specialized participant services that support the skill development and employment of eligible participants and include but are not limited to the following:
Job development, job search and placement assistance, and where appropriate, career counseling;
Case management services;
Specialized participant services that facilitate successful completion of education/training activities and job placement to become employed, such as vocational rehabilitation services, appropriate assistive technologies, personal assistance services including attendants, readers, and interpreters for individuals with disabilities, community orientation and mobility training (e.g. accessible transportation, bus routes, housing, health clinics), benefits-planning counseling, including information that will help the transition from public assistance to self-sufficiency, financial assistance consultation, behavioral health counseling, mentoring (e.g. job shadowing, job coaching, and other one-on-one or small group coaching or assistance), and relocation assistance; (see Section IV.E, Funding Restrictions); and,
Supportive services that will allow individuals to participate in the training provided through the grant (see Section IV.E, Funding Restrictions).
Only activities and services directly related to the development, implementation, and provision of education, training, job placement assistance, and services that support a participant’s participation in services that lead to direct placement and/or participation in the training program for high-growth H-1B occupations and industries are allowable activities under this grant. Please refer to Section IV.E, Funding Restrictions of the FOA for a list of relevant regulations, cost principles, administrative and other requirements that apply to this Announcement as well as a discussion of costs that are not allowable under this Announcement.
Program Authority
Award Type and Amount
Funding will be provided in the form of a grant. Approximately $100 Million is expected to be available to fund approximately 30-40 grants with individual grant amounts ranging from $2 million to $5 million. At least $50 million will be awarded to support projects designated to serve out-of-secondary school youth and young adults with barriers to training and employment as the primary target population and no more than $50 million will be awarded to support projects designed to serve special populations. You may apply for a ceiling amount of up to $5 million. 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.
Applicants should request funding that is commensurate with the scope and scale of the project. As such, regional partnerships are encouraged to apply and support smaller scale projects and programs serving rural communities. Additionally, applicants that request total funding of more than $4 million must provide evidence for the training approach(es) proposed in a separate attachment that will be evaluated by a panel of experts based on the definitions of strong, moderate, and preliminary evidence in Appendix A. Applicants that propose projects of more than $4 million and up to $5 million must propose to replicate, at multiple sites and/or with the targeted and other populations, strategies that have been shown by prior research to have evidence of positive impacts on education and/or employment outcomes. Applicants that request total funding of more than $4 million in grant funds and do not provide evidence for the proposed training approach(es) in a separate attachment will not be reviewed.
To ensure that grant funds result in services to significant numbers of participants, we established goals for the minimum numbers of participants to be served during the period of performance based on the amount of funds requested by the applicant (see table below). The number of participants served should reflect those individuals who receive grant funded services in support of their training and/or education project goals. Applicants must identify in the project narrative (described in more detail in Expected Outcomes and Outputs under Section IV.B.3, Project Narrative) the number of participants to be served through the project, in alignment with the FOA established goals based on the amount of funds requested.
DOL recognizes that individuals with barriers to training and employment opportunities may require more expensive service delivery strategies to create greater access to quality training that leads to employment in well-paying, middle- to high-skilled, and high-growth jobs across a diversity of H-1B industries. In addition, training strategies for middle- and high-skilled occupations frequently have higher upfront costs compared to less intensive training options. While this grant investment is intended to offset costs of support services and training, to help ensure a successful project and meet the minimum goal for participants served, applicants must secure in leveraged resources an amount equal to at least 25 percent of the total requested funds to support higher service and training costs and accomplish the project’s overall goals and milestones. Applicants should ensure public and private leveraged resources are sufficient to meet the service and training needs of all participants served. Leveraged resources are a critical component of the project design and applicants will be scored based on the strength of these leveraged resources as described in section IV.3.(6)(b), Project Narrative.
The Department is also interested in programmatic, financing and technological innovations that deliver high-quality training at substantially lower costs. Long-term sustainability of the project is likely to be impacted by costly training designs, presenting barriers for both individuals and employers after the grant period of performance. Therefore, we are interested in applications that produce quality employment outcomes for a lower cost per participant and, where federal investment is used, applications that propose to scale up the project when the grant is completed. These strategies could include:
requiring that training providers pay for the total or a portion of the cost of training if a participant does not get employed at a certain wage after graduation;
having students take advantage of free training models to lower the overall cost of the training;
focusing on placement of disadvantaged individuals who lack traditional credentials, but who already have the necessary skills and competencies to get employed if they are validated by an industry-trusted organization; and
other innovative approaches.
Figure 1. Minimum Goals for Participants Served during the Grant Period Based on Funding Request* |
|
Funding Request |
Minimum Participants Served |
$2,000,000 –$3,000,000 |
325 |
$3,000,001 - $4,000,000 |
400 |
$4,000,001 - $5,000,000 |
525 – 2,500+ |
*The minimum goals, listed above in Figure 1, identify the minimum number of participants to be served during the grant period, based on the funding amount requested by applicants. These numbers are minimum outcome goals applicants must propose for the numbers of participants to be served through the gran, and applicants are encouraged to serve more than the minimum thresholds. Applicants should propose participant targets based on the FOA requirements and that are appropriate for the scope of their project. Applicants should refer to the scoring criteria for more information on how they will be scored on proposed targets specifically, Section IV.B.3.(2) Expected Outcomes and Outputs.
Period of Performance
The period of performance is 48 months with an anticipated start date of June 1, 2016. This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities. These activities include employment services; the completion of education/training activities and the award of employer- or industry-recognized credentials, if appropriate; placement activities; and, participant follow-up for performance outcomes. We expect that start-up activities such as hiring appropriate program staff, project design activities, negotiation and implementation of OJT contracts, paid work experiences, or paid internship opportunities, will begin immediately. We also expect that grantees will begin serving participants no later than 6 months after the date of grant award. We strongly encourage grantees to develop their project work plans and timelines accordingly. Grantees must plan to expend fully grant funds during the period of performance while ensuring full transparency and accountability for all expenditures.
III. Eligibility Information
Eligible Applicants
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. While this funding opportunity supports the broader goals of the White House TechHire Initiative (https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/technology/techhire), there is no preference given to designated TechHire communities. This funding opportunity is open to all eligible applicants as identified below.
Grants will be awarded to the lead applicant, which will serve as the grantee and have overall fiscal and administrative responsibility for the grant. Eligible lead applicants must be public or non-profit organizations that: 1) meet the definition of one of the three types of eligible entities described below; and 2) apply in partnership with at least one representative of each of the three types of eligible entities (including the lead applicant), which collectively form the “primary partnership.” An eligible entity cannot serve as more than one type of entity for the purpose of meeting the requirements to include three types of entities in the primary partnership.
At least one entity in the primary partnership or an optional partner will serve the function of what is generally referred to as a workforce intermediary, having expertise and credibility with employers and workers in the H-1B occupations and industries targeted through the project, access to and experience with the targeted population(s), as well as the capacity to manage a multi-partner and complex initiative. A range of organizations can serve in the intermediary role, including any of the following: Workforce Development Boards, community colleges, labor unions, industry associations, community-based organizations, non-profit workforce agencies, and state and local government agencies.
Eligible Entities
To be eligible for consideration, applications must include at least one representative of each of the following three types of entities: a) the workforce investment system; b) education and training providers; and c) business-related nonprofit organizations, an organization functioning as a workforce intermediary for the express purpose of serving the needs of businesses, or a consortium of three or more businesses, or at least three independent businesses. Applications that do not include all three entities mentioned above will be considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed. Detailed eligibility requirements for each type of entity are provided below.
The Workforce Investment System
Organizations involved in administering the workforce investment system established under Title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), (including state and local Workforce Development Boards and American Job Center Operators under Section 121 of WIOA and Native American Program entities eligible for funding under Section 166 of WIOA (29 U.S.C. 3221). 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 area, including identifying targeted industries, occupations, regional clusters, and hiring needs, and populations to be served, and providing relevant sources of data, including labor market information, and other tools or reports; 2) assessing potential participants for the grant program; 3) identifying and referring candidates for education and training in the grant program; 4) providing additional supportive services; 5) connecting and placing participants with employers that have job openings; and 6) collecting, tracking, and reporting participant data to ETA.
Education and Training Providers
For the purposes of this FOA, training providers include institutions of higher education as defined in Section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001), joint labor-management training partnerships, non-profit and community-based organizations that offer job training, for-profit organizations that provide job training, and organizations that have been approved as WIOA Eligible Training Providers. While a for-profit education/training provider can be an entity included in the primary partnership, for-profit education/training providers cannot be the lead applicant. Eligible lead applicants must be a public or non-profit organization.
Institutions of higher education include public or other nonprofit educational institutions and must be accredited 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/. We strongly encourage you to check this Web site, as we will use this database in determining your accreditation to ensure eligibility. Generally, institutions of higher education include 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities, and Minority-Serving Institutions (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.
Other eligible training providers include joint labor-management training partnerships, non-profit and community-based and faith-based organizations that offer job training, for-profit organizations that provide job training, and organizations that have been approved as WIOA Eligible Training Providers, such as Registered Apprenticeship programs. These organizations provide a range of customizable and short-term training, competency-based training, and accelerated training (such as “bootcamp” style programs), as well as longer-term training programs that may result in industry-recognized credentials and may include basic skills training, technical skills training, supportive services, and workforce development services. We are especially interested in partnerships that include more than one training provider.
Business-related Nonprofit Organizations, an Organization Functioning as a Workforce Intermediary for the Express Purpose of Serving the Needs of Businesses, a Consortia of Businesses, or at least Three Independent Businesses
The primary partnership must include at least one business-related nonprofit organization, an organization functioning as workforce intermediaries for the expressed purpose of serving the needs of businesses, a consortium of three or more businesses, or at least three independent businesses. Business-related nonprofit organizations include trade or industry associations such as local Chambers of Commerce, Technology Associations, Chief Information Officer Roundtables, small business federations, and labor-management organizations. However, while a for-profit consortium of businesses can be an entity included in the primary partnership, it cannot be the lead applicant. Eligible lead applicants must be a public or non-profit organization.
Any of these organizations can provide expertise on the skills needs of the workplace. Businesses and business associations lend their expertise on skills development by: 1) defining the program goals and activities; 2) informing program design; 3) identifying necessary skills and competencies; 4) identifying career pathways; 5) providing resources to support education/training (such as equipment, instructors, funding, internships, Registered Apprenticeship, or OJT and other work-based learning activities); 6) providing assistance with program design and implementation; 7) hiring qualified participants who complete grant-funded education and training programs; and 8) helping to solicit employer feedback on the skills and competencies of workers completing training and placed into employment. Organizations functioning as workforce intermediaries for the expressed purpose of serving the needs of businesses lend their expertise by: 1) having credibility with employers and workers; 2) serving as partner, coordinator, and management services organizations; and 3) bringing together project partners to plan, govern, manage, and track performance of customized services to program participants and employers.
Partnership Structure
As noted above, the lead applicant must apply as part of a primary partnership that includes at least one representative of each of the three types of eligible entities defined in the preceding section. In the required Abstract (see Section IV.B.4, Attachments to the Project Narrative), you must clearly identify the lead applicant and each member of the primary partnership.
The lead applicant will serve as the grantee, 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.
Required Employer Partners
To ensure that projects have strong employer engagement, applicants are required to partner with at least three employers or a regional industry association with at least three employer partners representing the H-1B occupations and industries and service areas targeted through the projects. To satisfy this requirement, applicants must engage three or more independent employers, a consortium of at least three employers, a regional industry association with at least three employers, or provide evidence of designation as a “Manufacturing Community” through the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP).
For applicants that include a consortium of at least three employers, a regional industry association, or “Manufacturing Community” designated by IMCP as an entity in the primary partnership, this consortium of employers, regional industry association, or Manufacturing Community can also serve as the required employers or regional industry association, if appropriate. We encourage applicants to form additional partnerships with employers, consortia of employers, and regional industry associations.
To demonstrate the active involvement of employers, applicants should provide signed documentation of employer, employer consortium or regional industry association commitments – such as signed memoranda of understanding, an organizational charter, a partnership agreement, or other types of signed agreements – which demonstrate the engagement of each employer or regional industry association. Applicants will be scored based on the inclusion of this documentation, as well as the level and quality of employer involvement in the project in Section IV.B.3, Project Narrative.
At minimum, this documentation of commitment should:
Include the signature of an authorized representative, such as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), or other authorized representative with sufficient authority to commit to the partnership, from at least three employers, an employer consortium or regional industry association with at least three employers;
Describe employer commitments to consider hiring qualified participants who complete grant-funded education and training programs;
Identify the H-1B occupations and industries targeted by the proposed project that are represented by each required employer. If an employer or an employer-member of an employer consortium or a regional industry association provides employment opportunities in more than one of the H-1B occupations and industries to be served by the grant, the employer can represent more than one industry/occupation targeted through the project;
Demonstrate that the employers or employer-members of an employer consortium or a regional industry association are located in an area(s) served by the project, and that all areas served have employer representation. If an employer or employer-member of an employer consortium or a regional industry association provides employment opportunities in more than one area to be served by the grant, the employer can represent more than one service area targeted through the project;
Describe how the employers are involved in the project, including their role in providing OJT, Registered Apprenticeship, paid work experience, paid internships, or other work-based training opportunities with specific numbers of targeted participants if applicable; and
Identify what specific resources, such as mentors, the donation of equipment, or other contributions, are being provided by those employers to support the proposed project, if any.
We particularly encourage partnerships that include multiple employers in an industry cluster, which is a concentration of interconnected businesses, suppliers, research and development, service providers, and associated institutions in a particular field that are linked by common workforce needs. Working with multiple businesses helps ensure that training prepares workers for a range of employer needs in a specific industry, making participants more employable and giving businesses a stronger employee pool.
Optional Partners
Beyond the required partners, we strongly encourage you to collaborate with other partners that may include: economic development agencies; state and local governments, including government agencies such as Vocational Rehabilitation agencies, State Medicare Agencies, State Apprenticeship Agencies, Child Care agencies; foundations and philanthropic organizations; other Federally-funded programs, such as Adult Basic Education, Vocational Rehabilitation State Grants, Social Security disability benefits, Centers for Independent Living, Employment Networks, Small Business Development Centers, as well as other programs administered by the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce, Transportation, and/or Energy; providers of supportive and specialized services; and disability service providers, community-based organizations, or faith-based organizations with proven capacity to reach and engage youth and young adults and individuals with disabilities, limited English proficiency, or criminal records as they are key providers of basic skills training, technical skills training, supportive services, and workforce development services in communities across the country.
Cost Sharing or Matching
Cost sharing or matching funds are not required for this program. Please note that any resources contributed to the project are considered leveraged resources and do not constitute cost sharing or matching funds. Cost sharing or match is not one of the application screening criteria. However, 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.3.(6), Project Budget and Budget Justification.
Geographic Scope
Applicants may propose to serve a local, regional, or multi-regional area within or across state lines. A local area is defined as part or all of a single local Workforce Development Area (formerly referred to as “workforce investment areas” under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998). A regional area is defined as two or more contiguous local Workforce Development Areas that may or may not cross state lines. A multi-regional area is defined as two or more non-contiguous local Workforce Development Areas that may or may not cross state lines. For regional or multi-regional applications, an organization representing the workforce investment system, such as a state or local Workforce Development Board or American Job Center Operator, should be included as a partner in at least 50 percent of the local Workforce Development Areas served.
Rural communities are encouraged to collaborate through regional partnerships or with other regions to support smaller scale projects that can be aggregated to meet the minimum funding and participant request and participants served requirements.
Other Information
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.
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 does not exceed the ceiling amount of $5,000,000 |
Section II.A |
|
Lead Applicant is eligible and all primary partners are included |
Section III.A |
|
Applicant has registered with SAM and maintains an active account |
Section IV.B.1 |
|
SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance |
Section IV.B.1 |
|
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 |
|
For applicants that request more than $4 million in grant funds, an attachment is provided that identifies the evidence for the proposed training approach(es). |
Section II.A |
|
Number of Applications To Be Submitted
You may only submit one application as the lead applicant in response to this FOA. However, you may submit one application as lead applicant, and in addition may be included as a partner in one or more applications submitted where you are not the lead applicant.
Multiple applications from an organization as lead applicant are not allowed. If multiple applications are received, the most recent application submitted will be reviewed. If the most recent application is disqualified for any reason, we will not replace it with an earlier application.
Eligible Participants
The intent of this FOA is to fund projects that provide services, education, and training for individuals with barriers to training and employment opportunities. You may propose projects that target one of the two types of populations with barriers to training and employment opportunities listed below. Applicants proposing to serve type (2) as their target population must identify the specific population within this category type their project will target:
out-of-secondary school youth and young adults between the ages of 17 and 29 with barriers to employment and training; and
special populations with barriers to training and employment, specifically, individuals with disabilities, individuals with limited English proficiency, or individuals with a criminal record. You must identify the specific population within this category type your project will target.
Within these categories, grantees may serve a wide range of individuals, such as veterans, minorities, Indian and Native Americans, foreign-trained immigrants, underrepresented populations in H-1B industries including women, and other individuals.
While we recognize that some individuals may fall within the definitions for more than one of the two types of populations with barriers to training and employment opportunities, applicants should propose projects that specifically target only one of the target populations referenced above.
Definitions of the two types of populations with barriers to training and employment opportunities are listed below:
Youth and Young Adults with Barriers to Training and Employment Opportunities
For the purpose of this FOA, we define “youth and young adults with barriers to training and employment” as individuals who are out-of-secondary school and between the ages of 17 and 29 who lack the educational attainment, work experiences, and/or skill-level necessary to secure full-time employment in middle or high-skill jobs. These individuals are unemployed or underemployed where access to training, education, and supportive services is essential to acquire the skills necessary for better paying and higher skilled jobs.
For projects targeting this population, at least 75 percent of participants served by the project must be youth and young adults with barriers to training and employment opportunities, as defined above. The remaining 25 percent may be unemployed, dislocated, underemployed, and incumbent workers, particularly incumbent workers in lower-skill, lower-wage, and front-line jobs in need of upskilling.
Special Populations with Barriers to Training and Employment Opportunities
For the purpose of this FOA, we define “special populations with barriers to training and employment” as an individual with disabilities, an individual with Limited English Proficiency, or an individual with a criminal record. Special populations must also be at least 17 years of age and out-of-secondary school. These individuals may have limited skills, lack work experience, and/or face other barriers to economic success. Individuals within these populations must be unemployed, dislocated, or underemployed in part-time or full-time low-wage, low-skilled jobs, where access to training, education, and support services is essential to acquire the skills necessary for better paying and higher skilled jobs.
At least 50 percent of participants served by the project must be special populations with barriers to training and employment, as defined above. The remaining 50 percent may be unemployed and underemployed workers in need of employment and training assistance, or incumbent workers, particularly incumbent workers in lower-skill, lower-wage, and front-line jobs in need of upskilling. No more than 25 percent of the participants served may be incumbent front-line workers in need of upskilling.
Figure 2. Requirements for Eligible Participants
Target Population |
Percent of Project Participants from the Target Population |
Percent of Project Participants from Other Populations |
Funding Available for Award |
1. Youth and Young Adults with Barriers to Training and Employment (ages 17-29) |
75% Required |
25% may be:
|
At Least $50 Million |
2. Special Populations with Barriers to Training and Employment |
50% Required |
50% may be:
No more than 25% of the participants served may be incumbent front-line workers |
No More than $50 Million |
For the purposes of this FOA, the following definitions apply:
i. Unemployed workers: We define “unemployed worker” as an individual who is without a job and who wants and is available to work.
ii. Dislocated workers: This term refers to individuals who were terminated or laid off or have received a notice of termination or layoff from employment; or were self-employed but are now unemployed.
iii. Incumbent workers: This term refers to individuals who are employed, particularly in lower-skill, lower-wage, and front-line jobs, but need training to upgrade their skills to secure full-time employment, advance in their careers, or retain their current occupations in an H-1B occupations and industries. Front-line incumbent workers are workers who typically are employed in lower-skilled and/or entry level positions and where attaining new skills and competencies could help advance them into middle- and high-skilled jobs.
The training provided to incumbent workers is developed with an employer or employer association. Where possible, applicants serving incumbent workers are encouraged to demonstrate how they or employers they partnered with to provide incumbent worker training will work to backfill job vacancies left by participating incumbent workers who have moved into higher-skill jobs.
iv. Underemployed workers: This term refers to individuals who lost their job but have not yet reconnected with a full-time job commensurate with the individual’s level of education, skills, and wage or salary earned before the individual’s loss of permanent employment, or who have obtained only episodic, short-term, or part-time employment.
Participants served through the project must pursue a middle- and/or high-skilled occupation, and develop the competencies to enable them to enter middle and high-skilled jobs along a career pathway in H-1B occupations and industries during the grant period of performance. Typically, this includes having the educational prerequisites and prior experience to be trained and placed directly into highly skilled occupations or along a career pathway to such occupations in H-1B industries or occupations; however, individuals without educational prerequisites and/or prior experience can be served if the applicant can provide evidence that the training program will provide them with the competencies and skills necessary to enable them to enter middle- and high-skilled jobs during the grant period of performance.
38 U.S.C. 4215 requires grantees to provide priority of service to 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.
How to Obtain an Application Package
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.
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.
SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance”
You must complete the SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance” (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF424_2_1-V2.1.pdf).
In the address field, fill out the nine-digit (plus hyphen) zip code. Nine-digit zip codes can be looked up on the USPS website at https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction!input.action.
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 subawards must be aware of the following requirements related to DUNS Numbers:
Grant recipients must notify potential subawardees that no entity may receive a subaward from you unless the entity has provided its DUNS number to you.
Grant recipients may not make a subaward 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. A recipient 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.
If an applicant has not fully complied with these requirements by the time the Grant Officer is ready to make a Federal award, the Grant Officer may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant.
Project Budget
You must complete the SF-424A Budget Information Form (available at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF424A-V1.0.pdf). 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, including the source and amount, 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 subrecipient agreements, including purpose and estimated costs. See Section VI.B.2.f. for more information on the distinction between contractor and subrecipient.
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 Costs – 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 percent 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 percent de minimis rate. See Section IV.B.4. and Section IV.E.1. for more information. Additionally, the following link contains information regarding the negotiation of Indirect Cost Rates at DOL: 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. If minor inconsistencies are found between the budget amounts specified on the SF-424, SF-424A, and the budget narrative, ETA will consider the SF-424 the official funding amount requested. However, if the amount specified on the SF-424 would render the application nonresponsive, the Grant Officer will use his or her discretion to determine whether the intended funding request is within the responsive range.
Project Narrative
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:
(1) Statement of Need (18 points)
Targeted Industries and Occupations (4 points)
Scoring under this criterion will be based on the extent to which the discussion of the following factors is clear, logical, and an accurate interpretation of labor market data. All data sources should include citations that provide information that enables the identification and verification of data.
Clear identification and description of the high-growth H-1B industry(ies) and occupations targeted by the proposed program. (Refer to Appendix F to see a list of permissible industries. If proposing to target a specific occupation or occupations that fall outside of the identified industries, the application must provide data showing that the occupation is one for which H-1B visas have been certified.)
Detailed description of the current and future projected demand for employment in the selected high-growth H-1B occupations and industries, including how the demand coincides with the proposed project. Applicants must cite the source for the projected demand, such as Bureau of Labor Statistics or other DOL sources, state workforce agencies’ sources, employers, or other written labor market information provided by employers, or other knowledgeable parties. Strong evidence with citations that identifies the average, current wages offered for the selected well-paying, high-growth H-1B industry(ies) and occupations, based on national, state, or local data. To the extent possible, data should reflect the service area proposed.
Complete description of the training, skills, competencies, and degrees/credentials necessary for entry into or retention of the selected high-growth H-1B occupations and industries.
Clear assessment of the current training available to meet these needs and why it is not providing the needed capacity to prepare people within the proposed service area with barriers to training and employment opportunities for the identified occupations because of lack of scale, resources, support systems, etc.
Employer Engagement (8 points)
Comprehensive description of the specific role(s) of each employer, employer consortium and/or regional industry association with at least three employers or an industry association committed to the project, and how these roles support the goals of the project, including identifying their involvement with the following activities, as applicable: OJT, paid-work experience, paid internships, Registered Apprenticeships, incumbent worker training, or other training opportunities to be provided through these partnerships; providing assistance with program design; prioritizing job openings to consider hiring qualified participants who complete grant-funded education and training programs; plans to work with the program to upskill front-line incumbent workers and other incumbent workers; and plans to work with the program to hire unemployed participants to backfill job vacancies left by incumbent worker participants who move into higher-skill jobs.
Clear description and feasible proposal for how the applicant will leverage existing partnerships and develop new partnerships with independent employers, consortia of employers, and regional industry associations throughout the life of the grant.
Clear demonstration of employer support in the form by attaching at least three partnership agreements, letters, evidence of designation as a “Manufacturing Community” through the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) ,or other documentation (as described in Sections III.B, Required Employer Partners and IV.B.4, Attachments to the Project Narrative). Applicants that fail to provide documentation identifying at least three employer partners will receive zero points for this rating factor.
Detailed explanation of the employer roles included in the attached partnership agreements, letters, or other documentation (as described in Section IV.B.4, Attachments to the Project Narrative).
Targeted Population and Service Area (6 points)
Clear identification of the specific targeted population of individuals within the proposed service area with barriers to accessing training and employment opportunities (as defined in III.F.3, Eligible Participants ) to be served through the project. If serving target population type (1) youth and young adults with barriers to training and employment opportunities, applicants must identify their commitment to serve at least 75 percent of the total participants from this population. If serving target population type (2) special populations with barriers to training and employment opportunities, applicants must identify which specific population within this type they are targeting and must identify their commitment to serve at least 50 percent of the total participants from this population. If applicable, applicants must identify whether or not participants outside of the two categories of populations with barriers to training and employment opportunities, such as unemployed workers, underemployed workers, and incumbent workers, will be served through the project.
Strong evidence that specifies the number or percentage of people within the targeted population and, if applicable, people outside the targeted population located in the proposed service area(s) and their demographic characteristics, using available data sources. In reference to geographic scope, applicants should cite the most relevant data available, based on national, state, or local data. Examples of applicable data sources are provided in Appendix B.
Detailed description of the barriers to training and employment, service, and education and/or training needs of the targeted population and, if applicable, any barriers to training and employment opportunities for individuals outside of the targeted population, in the proposed service area(s), including educational attainment levels, workforce participation rates, unemployment rates, career level, work experience, and age. Applicants must identify these barriers and needs for all identified targeted populations.
(2) Expected Outcomes and Outputs (10 points)
Your performance in meeting your outcome projections may impact our decision to award you any future grants.
Projected Performance Outcomes (6 points)
Comprehensive numerical outcome projections for each of the seven outcome measures, identified and defined in Appendix C – (1) Total Participants Served, (2) Total Participants Enrolled in Education/Training Activities, (3) Total Participants Completing Education/Training Activities, (4) Total Participants Who Complete Education/Training Activities and Receive a Degree or Other Credential, (5) Total Number of Unemployed Participants who Obtain Employment, (6) Total Number of Incumbent Worker Participants that Advanced into a New Position, and (7) Median earnings – that reflect the program’s expected results for participants. Applicants must provide the targets in raw numbers for each of the outcome measures; percentages, percent increases, or other types of data projections are not acceptable. The targets must be provided for each year of the grant as well as for the total grant period; and applicants must present their information in a performance outcomes table (see Appendix C for a sample format), to be included as an attachment to the project narrative. The table should be formatted to include sub-totals for each type of targeted population group served for each outcome goal, as appropriate, as well as total sums for each outcome goal.
Feasible description that explains how the outcome projections are appropriate numerical targets for the program design by providing an explanation of how the targets were derived and how the targets fit into the overall timeline of grant implementation.
Ability to Report Outcomes (2 points)
Clear identification of existing or planned systems for tracking participant-level data on characteristics, services, activities, and employment outcomes of participants served through the project to report to the Department during the life of your grant. In addition you must describe in detail how you will use these systems to regularly to sasses progress towards identified performance goals; and
Comprehensive explanation of how you will collect employment outcomes of participants during the grant period of performance, including the processes and procedures for collecting these outcomes after participants have completed the program, as necessary.
Cost Effectiveness (2 points)
Clear description that demonstrates that the number of participants to be served meets or exceeds the minimum number of participants served for the requested grant amount as illustrated in Figure 1, Minimum Goals for Participants Served during the Grant Period Based on Funding Request (See Section II.A).
Strong evidence that demonstrates how the cost(s)-per-participant proposed aligns with similar programs the applicant, partners, or other organizations have conducted, including a justification for how costs may differ for the proposed program, based on the characteristics of the population(s) served.
(3) Project Design (46 points)
Outreach and Recruitment (8 points)
Comprehensive description of the participant outreach and recruitment plan for engaging the targeted population of individuals with barriers to training and employment opportunities, as well as other populations to be served, including unemployed, dislocated, underemployed, and incumbent workers, as applicable. Clear identification of outreach partners and the process to ensure collaboration between the applicant, applicant’s outreach partners, and other relevant partners in these activities.
Complete description of the types of strategy(ies) to reach the targeted population and other population(s) you propose to serve (such as partnering with the public workforce system, job clubs, community organizations, faith-based organizations, business entities, or using online social media).
Assessment Strategy (6 points)
Complete description of the process to be used to determine whether individuals are eligible to be served through the program and likely to be good candidates for successfully completing the program.
Detailed description of the assessment process that will be used after eligibility determination has been made to determine which of the three customized intervention tracks to employment, as described in Section I.C, Training and Service Strategies that Support Customized Interventions for Employment, is appropriate for participants, as applicable. In addition, a clear explanation of the process for assessing competencies or credentials to demonstrate to employers an individual’s labor market value.
Employment and Training Strategy (12 points)
Clear description of feasible education and training strategies that will be used to serve the targeted population of people with barriers to accessing training and employment, as well as other unemployed workers, underemployed workers, and incumbent workers, as applicable, following completion of the assessment process.
Clear identification and explanation of the specific education and training activities, including those that incorporate an earnings component (such as OJT, paid work experience, paid internship, or Registered Apprenticeship), and any other training activities within each strategy.
Thorough explanation of the way that education and training strategies will be matched with the skill needs of employers and, where appropriate, leverage existing standards, assessments, curricula, etc. that have proven effectiveness.
Thorough and convincing description of how the proposed education and training strategies are appropriate for the targeted population of people with barriers to accessing training and employment, as well as other unemployed workers, underemployed workers, and incumbent workers, as applicable, to be served and how the strategies will address the barriers to employment, skills, training gaps, and other needs of participants identified in the Statement of Need.
Clear and convincing demonstration that participants will have, upon completing the grant program, the necessary industry- or employer recognized-skills and experience desired by employers to be hired, such as degree(s), industry-recognized credential(s), portfolios of work, etc.), as appropriate. Longer-term training or training along a career pathway must result in a degree or industry-recognized credential.
Detailed description of how the program will provide information on and opportunities for entering into and progressing along a career pathway. As applicable, clearly identify the specific type(s) of documentation to be gathered from an employer(s) to validate the completion and attainment of skills obtained by incumbent workers as a result of training.
Supportive Services and Specialized Participant Services Strategies (8 points)
Clear description that demonstrates the proposed service strategy(ies) to be used to support the project’s proposed employment and training strategies for the targeted population of people with barriers to training and employment opportunities is feasible. If applicable, identify the proposed service strategy(ies) to be used to support the project’s proposed employment and training strategies for unemployed, underemployed, and incumbent workers served through the project.
Thorough description of the specific services included in these strategies such as specialized participant services, case management services, and other types of services necessary to address barriers to training, employment, and employment retention.
Strong evidence that supports the effectiveness of the services you propose to address barriers to training, employment, and employment retention, as applicable; and
Clear description of how you will provide these services to participants, identifying the specific service providers (or specifying a plan to procure specific types of service providers) and how these services will be administered through effective case management.
Job Placement Strategies (6 points)
Clear and convincing explanation that the proposed job placement strategies will ensure that participants from the targeted population with barriers to training and employment opportunities will obtain employment in middle- to high-skilled H-1B occupations and industries. Comprehensive description of the specific job placement service/activities included in these strategies. If applicable, provide a clear description of the proposed job placement strategies to be used for unemployed, underemployed, and incumbent workers to avert layoff, retain employment, and/or receive wage increases or promotions through the project. You must identify the specific job placement services/activities included in these strategies.
Clear description of how you will provide job placement services to participants, identifying the specific organization(s) that will be responsible for job placement and rationale for why that organization is well positioned to serve this role.
Project Work Plan (6 points)
Detailed project work plan that demonstrates a cohesive, well-designed, and feasible approach to implement the project.
Comprehensive description of the activities, timeframes, deliverables, and key implementers required to implement the training and service strategies described in this Project Design section within the grant period of performance. Include detailed timeframes for accomplishing all start-up activities immediately following the start of the grant period of performance and serving participants no later than 6 months after the grant start date.
(4) Organizational, Administrative, and Fiscal Capacity (10)
Capacity of Lead Applicant and Partners (6 points)
Detailed description of the lead applicant’s capacity to manage the project, as well as the role of any partners included in management of the project, including and identifying a plan for efficient and effective communication between staff at all levels of the project, including partners.
Complete description of the capacity of all entities involved in the project to effectively implement each of the components of the program approach, as appropriate.
Fully describe the applicant’s procurement processes, systems, and procedures and, if applicable, those of partners.
Examples of Employment and Training Programs (2 points)
Detailed description of at least two examples of multi-partner, multi-service employment and training programs led by an entity in the primary partnership, or other partner(s).
Financial and Performance Reporting Systems (2 points)
Comprehensive description of the systems and processes used that enable timely and accurate financial and performance reporting. Identify whether reports (program and financial) for the most recent grant(s) from ETA or other sources have been submitted on time, and describe the grants management practices used to complete grant activities within the period of performance.
(5) Past Performance (10 points)
Programmatic Capability - Funding Assistance Management or Past Accomplishments (6 points)
If you have received federally and/or non-federally funded assistance agreements (assistance agreements include Federal grants and cooperative agreements but not Federal contracts) similar in size, scope, and relevance to the proposed project that have been completed within the last five years, as of the closing date of this Announcement, you must submit a detailed list of 3 such agreements and include the name, title, organization, email address and telephone number of an individual from the previous grantor entity or agency for each. For each agreement, thoroughly describe two significant performance goals and the outcomes of those goals to demonstrate if and how the applicant successfully completed and managed each agreement. The outcomes must be clearly demonstrated in numerical form for ETA to determine if, in fact, the goals were met or exceeded. In evaluating applicants under these factors, we will consider the information provided and may also consider relevant information from other sources, including information from our files and from current/prior grantors (e.g., to verify and/or supplement the information provided).
If you have not received any federally and/or non-federally funded assistance agreements or received fewer than 3 agreements, then describe and document in detail past accomplishments achieved operating a comparable program. Thoroughly explain how your experience operating a comparable program prepared the partners to undertake the complexities of operating the proposed project. Describe in detail how long the comparable program has been in operation, and include a grantor or third party contact name and telephone number for each, as applicable.
Experience with the Target Population or Proposed Program Design (4 points)
Detailed description of your experience serving the proposed target population and/or administering a program with similar design elements to the project proposed in the application.
(6) Budget and Budget Justification (6 points)
You must provide a budget narrative (as described in Section IV.B.2) based on the activities outlined in the project narrative.
Budget Narrative (2 points)
Clear description of how proposed expenditures will support service, training, and job placement for the targeted population of people with barriers to accessing training and employment, as well as other unemployed workers, underemployed workers, and incumbent workers, as applicable.
Thorough identification of costs associated with each line item on the SF-424A.
Leveraged Resources (4 points)
Detailed description that indicates the project will leverage resources equal to at least 25 percent of the total requested funds to support grant activities, including a complete account of these leveraged resources, and demonstration of how these leveraged resources and grant funds will cover the cost per participant. Applicants will be scored based on the extent to which they fully demonstrate that 25 percent or more in leveraged resources will be provided.
Full description of any leveraged funds and other resources that will be provided to support grant activities and how these funds and other resources will be used to contribute to the projected outcomes for the project, including any leveraged resources related to the provision of supportive services for program participants. This includes funds and other resources leveraged from businesses, labor organizations, education and training providers, and/ or Federal, state, and local government programs. Applicants will be scored based on the extent to which they fully demonstrate the leveraged resources provided, the type(s) of leveraged resources provided, the strength of commitment to provide these resources, the breadth and depth of the resources provided, and how well these resources support the proposed grant activities. Detailed description of which costs will be paid by the grant and which costs 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, 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, Project Budget for information on requirements related to the budget and budget justification.
In addition to the Project Narrative, the applicant must submit attachments. All attachments must be clearly labeled as Attachments. Only those attachments listed below will be excluded from the page limit. Additional materials such as resumés or general letters of support must not be included. The applicant must submit the 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 Attachments
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.
Abstract: The applicant 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: (1) lead applicant name; (2) lead applicant city/state; (3) primary partnership entities – specifically, the workforce investment system, education and training providers, and business-related nonprofit organizations, an organization functioning as a workforce intermediary for the express purpose of serving the needs of businesses, a consortia of businesses, or at least three independent businesses; (4) area to be served; (5) total funding requested; (6) total leveraged resources; (7) project title/name; (8) summary of program activities and list of credentials to be awarded; (9) population to be served – you must identify the targeted population of people with barriers to training and employment opportunities, including identifying the total percentage of the targeted population to be served, and identify other populations to be served, such as unemployed workers, dislocated workers, underemployed workers, and incumbent workers, as applicable; (10) targeted H -1B industry(ies)/occupation(s); (11) required employer or regional industry association partners; (12) additional key partners (optional partners); and, (13) public contact information. The Abstract is limited to two 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.”
Evidence of Program Design: Applicants that propose projects of more than $4 million (up to $5 million) must propose to replicate, at multiple sites and/or with the targeted and other populations, strategies that have been shown by prior research to have evidence of positive impacts on education and/or employment outcomes. This evidence must be included as an attachment of no more than 5 pages describing the supporting evidence that will be evaluated by an expert review panel based on the definitions of strong, moderate, and preliminary evidence provided in Appendix A. The strength of evidence may be one factor used in determining grant awards. Applicants that propose projects of $4 million or less are not required to submit evidence of program design as an attachment, and this information will not be reviewed from such applicants.
Requested Attachments
The following attachments are requested, but their omission will not cause the application to be screened out. If the omission of the attachment will impact scoring, such an impact will be noted in the description of the attachment.
Documentation of Employer Commitment: You will be scored on the documentation of employer(s),regional industry association, or designation as a “Manufacturing Community” through the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) commitment that includes signatures from the employer(s) or regional industry association as described in Section III.B, Required Employer Partners, and description of their role(s) and responsibility(ies) in the project. This documentation does not eliminate the need to follow the procurement requirements specified at 29 CFR 95.40 – 48 where the parties enter into a contract for supplies or services, if applicable.
Performance Outcomes Table: You will be scored on the completion and detail of the projected performance outcomes information in a performance outcomes table. For an example, see Appendix C, Suggested Outcome Measures Table. The table should be formatted to include sub-totals for each type of targeted population group served for each outcome goal, as appropriate, as well as total sums for each outcome goal.
Documentation of Commitment to Participate in Evaluation, if selected: You may be required to participant in a Federal evaluation of the TechHire grant program. The evaluation may include an experimental impact evaluation where eligible participants will be randomly assigned to the program or to a control group that does not receive the program. You must submit a statement of commitment to participate in a national evaluation initiated by DOL, for the applicant and all partners, including employers or regional industry associations. The evaluation may involve making records on participants, employers, and funding available; providing access to program and partner personnel and participants; and following evaluation procedures as specified by the evaluator(s) under the direction of DOL ETA and the Chief Evaluation Office, including after the period of operation. This attachment does not impact scoring of the application.
Organizational Chart: You must provide an organizational chart that identifies all relevant leadership, program, administrative, and advisory positions for the project. This attachment does not impact scoring of the application.
Career Pathways Overview: If proposing career pathway training strategies, you must provide an overview of the career pathways along which participants will be trained and/or provided services. Career pathways integrate academic and occupational skills training aligned with employer-validated work readiness standards and competencies. The clear sequence of training and/or credentials demonstrates a progression of marketable skills in various occupations in a particular industry sector. Individual components of career pathways include: (1) Integrated education and career-focused training programs that offer accelerated and/or contextualized remediation; (2) Multiple entry and exit points that allow individuals with varying levels of skills enter or advance within the industry, including through assessment and credits for prior learning; (3) Technology-based or enhanced solutions that provide personalized student support services and career guidance; (4) Competency-based courses and programs that include performance-based assessments and direct assessment training courses; and (5) Stacked and latticed credentials. This attachment will only impact scoring of your application if your project proposes career pathway training strategies.
Indirect Cost Rate Agreement: If an applicant requests indirect costs based on a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement approved by the applicant’s Federal Cognizant Agency, the applicant must attach the most recently approved Agreement. (For more information, see Section IV.B.2. and Section IV.E.1.) This attachment does not impact scoring of the application.
The closing date for receipt of applications under this Announcement is [insert date XX days after date of publication of the one page notice in the Federal Register]. 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. The applicants 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: Melissa Abdullah, Grant Officer, Reference FOA-ETA-PY 16-01, 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. Applicants 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 applicants’ 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 applicants begin to write the application, they should immediately initiate and complete the “Get Registered” registration steps at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html. 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 the Step-By-Step Guide to Organization Registration to help applicants walk through the process. We strongly recommend that you download the Guide at http://www.grants.gov/documents/19/18243/GrantsgovOrganizationRegistrationGuide.pdf/be70525d-59aa-45ee-b196-5e8951faca0a 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 and at 2 CFR Part 2900 (Uniform Guidance-DOL specific). Disallowed costs are those charges to a grant that the grantor agency or its representative determines not to be allowed in accordance with the Cost Principles or other conditions contained in the grant. Applicants, whether successful or not, will not be entitled to reimbursement of pre-award costs.
As specified in the Uniform Guidance Cost Principles, indirect costs are those that have been incurred for common or joint objectives and cannot be readily identified with a particular final cost objective. An indirect cost rate is required when an organization operates under more than one grant or other activity, whether Federally-assisted or not. You have two options to claim reimbursement of indirect costs.
Option 1: You may use a NICRA or Cost Allocation Plan (CAP) supplied by the Federal Cognizant Agency. If you do not have a NICRA/CAP or have a pending NICRA/CAP, and in either case choose to include estimated indirect costs in your budget, at the time of award the Grant Officer will release funds in the amount of 10 percent of salaries and wages to support indirect costs. Within 90 days of award, you are required to submit an acceptable indirect cost proposal or CAP to your Federal Cognizant Agency to obtain a provisional indirect cost rate. (See Section IV.B.4. for more information on NICRA submission requirements.)
Option 2: Any organization that has never received a negotiated indirect cost rate, with the exceptions noted at 2 CFR 200.414(f) in the Cost Principles, may elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10 percent of modified total direct costs (see 2 CFR 200.68 for definition) which may be used indefinitely. If you choose this option, this methodology must be used consistently for all Federal awards until such time as you choose to negotiate for an indirect cost rate, which you may apply to do at any time. (See 2 CFR 200.414(f) for more information on use of the de minimis rate.)
Under this FOA, an entity that receives a grant to carry out a project or program may not use more than 10 percent of the amount of the grant to pay administrative costs associated with the program or project. Administrative costs could be direct or indirect costs.
Administrative costs do not need to be identified separately from program costs on the SF-424A Budget Information Form. However, they must be tracked through the recipient’s accounting system. To claim any administrative costs that are also indirect costs, the applicant must obtain an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement from its Federal Cognizant Agency or be eligible to use the 10 percent de minimis rate, as specified above.
[The following information applies to programs funded under ETA’s appropriation. Work with Grant Officer to determine applicability.]
None of the funds appropriated under the heading “Employment and Training” in the appropriation statute(s) may be used by a recipient or subrecipient of such funds to pay the salary and bonuses of an individual, either as direct costs or indirect costs, at a rate in excess of Executive Level II. This limitation does not apply to contractors providing goods and services as defined in the Audit Requirements of the OMB Uniform Guidance (see 2 CFR 200 Subpart F). Where States are recipients of such funds, States may establish a lower limit for salaries and bonuses of those receiving salaries and bonuses from subrecipients of such funds, taking into account factors including the relative cost-of-living in the State, the compensation levels for comparable State or local government employees, and the size of the organizations that administer Federal programs involved including Employment and Training Administration programs. See Public Law 113-76, Division H, Title I, section 105, and Training and Employment Guidance Letter number 05-06 for further clarification: http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2262.
4. Intellectual Property Rights
The Federal Government reserves a paid-up, nonexclusive and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use, and to authorize others to use for Federal purposes: i) the copyright in all products developed under the grant, including a 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 recipient 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 recipient 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.”
For the purposes of grants awarded under this FOA, the following will apply: Organizations may only use grant funds to pay for the wages of participants in three specific activities: OJT, paid work experience, and paid internships.
Work Experience and Internships
Work experience and internships are defined as a planned, structured learning experience that takes place in a workplace for a limited period of time, and for the purposes of this Announcement must be paid. Labor standards apply in any work experience where an employee/employer relationship, as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), exists. For more information on the FLSA, applicants may visit http://www.dol.gov/whd/.
For a work experience or internship that supports training, you will need to document how the work experience or internship is connected to and supports the education and training activities included in the grant. Grantees have flexibility in the design and implementation of work experience and internships; however, they must meet the following parameters:
Provide an individual with monitored or supervised work or service experience in his or her expected career field where the individual has prescribed learning goals and reflects actively on what he or she is learning throughout the experience. These learning goals can include: a) academic learning, career development, and skill development; and b) the attainment of credentials in the individual’s expected career field;
Are part of structured programs where the grantee established the criteria for determining who will participate in these programs; and
Are for a set period of time.
Incumbent Worker Salaries
For applicants that are implementing other training strategies, the following applies:
Incumbent worker salaries paid by the employer are NOT allowable costs to be reimbursed under this grant.
6. On-the-Job Training
Under this Announcement, on-the-job training (OJT) is only available for unemployed individuals. Incumbent workers are not eligible for OJT under this FOA and grantees are specifically prohibited from spending grant funds on payment of wages of incumbent workers. OJT is provided under a contract with an employer in the public, private-nonprofit, or private sector. Under the OJT contract, the employer pays wages to the participant and occupational training is provided for the participant in exchange for the reimbursement to the employer of a percentage of the participant’s wage rate to compensate for the employer’s extraordinary costs of training the individual (subject to the policy exceptions described below). The OJT contract must not be with an employer who has previously exhibited a pattern of failing to provide OJT participants with continued long-term employment with wages, benefits, and working conditions that are equal to those provided to regular employees who have worked a similar length of time and are doing the same type of work. The OJT contract must be limited to the period of time required for a participant to become proficient in the occupation for which the training is being provided. Funds provided to employers for OJT must not be used to directly or indirectly assist, promote, or deter union organizing.
The following are additional restrictions for OJT:
Eligible participants cannot be currently employed by the employer;
Participant placements may only occur in private for-profit and non-profit sectors (i.e., the grant does not allow for public sector placements);
No placement may be made in staffing agencies providing workers on a temporary basis to employers for which the agency receives compensation from an employer;
The period of reimbursement should be an adequate length to ensure the participant has acquired the technical skills needed for employment but no longer than 12 months. Individuals may not be co-enrolled in other ETA programs for the purpose of extending OJT beyond 12 months. Twelve months exceeds the average length of time for current OJT activities, so grantees should negotiate contracts with employers that lead to transitioning participants to permanent employment as soon as possible. Grantees may establish contracts that will be longer than 12 months; however, the reimbursement for each individual that participates in OJT cannot be longer than 12 months.
Typically, the negotiated reimbursement percentage for OJT may be as high as 50 percent of the participant’s hourly wage. However, for grants awarded under this Announcement, the negotiated reimbursement percentage may be as high as 90 percent of the participant’s hourly wage based on employer size, as follows: up to 90 percent of the participant’s wage rate for employers with 50 or fewer employees; up to 75 percent of the participant’s wage rate for employers with 51-250 employees; and up to 50 percent for employers with more than 250 employees. We also encourage grantees to negotiate lower rates or variable rates (such as starting at the maximum allowable reimbursement rate and reducing the subsidy over time) where possible to ensure that the maximum number of participants will be served by the project.
Finally, grantees must develop sound OJT contracts. The contract process sets the ground-rules for OJT with an employer and assists in making the determination if an employer is eligible to provide an OJT opportunity. The contract must include the federally-required elements of an OJT agreement; however, states, counties or municipalities may have additional OJT contract requirements. Contracts also outline the terms and conditions that the employer and OJT provider agree to provide for an OJT experience. Contracts with an employer can be set up for a specific period of time but need not necessarily specify the individual trainees to whom they apply. This allows the employer to provide training to more than one trainee. If an employer only has one position or plans to limit the training experience to one employee, then a contract must also include the individual trainee’s information. For these grants, contracts must provide that the employer is responsible for documenting skills gained by participants during the training period. It should also include a description of how the reimbursement level was determined. For sample templates and other resources, grantees may access ETA’s online technical assistance related to an OJT contract at the following web address: https://ojttoolkit.workforce3one.org/page/contracts_and_mods
7. Use of Funds for Supportive Services
Grantees may use up to 10 percent of grant funds to provide supportive services to individuals who are participating in education and training activities provided through the grant. Under this Announcement, supportive services for training participants include services such as transportation, child care, dependent care, housing, and needs-related payments that are necessary to enable an individual to participate in education and training activities funded through this grant. Supportive services can include needs-related payments (NRPs) that are necessary to enable individuals to participate in training activities funded through this grant. Supportive services activities may include, but are not limited to, provision of the actual supportive service (i.e. childcare); providing participants with a voucher for the service (i.e. public transportation cards or tokens); or providing a stipend directly to the participant. Where stipends for supportive services are provided, the stipend amount must be for costs of a specific supportive service (i.e. childcare), rather than simply based on an unidentified need.
For the purposes of this FOA, grantees may use grant funds, up to the percentage specified above to provide supportive services only to individuals who are participating in education and training activities provided through the grant when: 1) they are unable to obtain such services through other programs, and 2) such services are necessary to enable individuals to participate in education and training activities under the grant. Grantees may establish limits on the provision of supportive services or provide their subrecipients with the authority to establish such limits, including a maximum amount of funding and maximum length of time for supportive services to be available to participants. Grantees must ensure that their use of grant funds on supportive services is consistent with their organization’s established written policy on the provision of supportive services. Additionally, we encourage grantees to leverage other sources of funding for supportive services, including formula funds.
8. Use of Funds for Specialized Participant Services
Under this Announcement, Specialized Participant Services are defined as group-based or one-on-one services that address specific barriers to employment facing the targeted population(s). Such services may include but are not limited to: appropriate assistive technologies, personal assistance services including attendants, readers, and interpreters for individuals with disabilities, community orientation and mobility training (e.g. accessible transportation, bus routes, housing, health clinics), benefits-planning counseling, including information that will help participants in the transition from public assistance to self-sufficiency, financial assistance consultation, behavioral health counseling, mentoring, and relocation assistance, job coaching, networking, and job search assistance. Specialized Participant Services should not duplicate available supportive services funded through other programs. In addition, grantees can spend up to 25 percent of their total budget for Specialized Participant Services.
9. Use of Funds for Incentive Payments to Collect Employment Outcomes
For purpose of this FOA, grantees may use up to 1.5 percent of grant funds for the provision of gift cards or other payments to participants for providing information on their employment status after they leave the program, for the purposes of increasing reported employment and retention outcomes to the Department. These incentive payments must be tied to the goals of the grant. You must have policies and procedures in place governing the awarding of incentive payments and the incentives provided under the grant must comply with these organizational policies.
10. Prohibition on Use of Funds for Economic Development
General economic development projects do not meet the requirements for training and development of job opportunities in high-growth H-1B occupations and industries. Examples of general economic development that may not meet this standard include but are not limited to infrastructure investments in businesses, increases in inventory, participation in trade shows, revolving loan accounts, new or additional equipment used for purposes other than training activities, capital asset purchases, and other costs not specifically related to increases in actual job opportunities. However, nothing in this Announcement is intended to discourage coordination of grant activities with economic development projects, so long as the funds from this grant are not used for the infrastructure and other investments detailed above.
11. Sub-Grant Profit
For commercial organizations, the earning of profit is not an allowable cost item. For governmental, non-profit, and public or non-profit educational institutions, earnings above actual costs incurred are to be treated as program income. Any program income earned must be used for program purposes.
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 your 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).
Section IV.B.3 (Project Narrative) of this FOA has several “section headers” (i.e. IV.B.3.(1), Statement of Need). Each of these “section headers” of the Project Narrative include one or more “criterion,” which have specific point values assigned as described in the table below (Table 2. Evaluation Criteria). Each “criterion” includes several “rating factors,” which provide detailed specifications for the content and quality of the response to that “criterion.” As an example, Organizational, Administrative, and Fiscal Capacity of the Project Narrative below illustrates the structure of the evaluation criteria and specifically, the “section header”, “criterion”, and “rating factor”:
Example of the Evaluation Criteria Structure:
Organizational, Administrative, and Fiscal Capacity (10) – (Section Header)
Capacity of Lead Applicant and Partners (6 points) – (Criterion)
(Rating Factor)
(Rating Factor)
Examples of Employment and Training Programs (2 points) – (Criterion)
(Rating Factor)
Financial and Performance Reporting Systems (2 points) – (Criterion)
(Rating Factor)
The evaluation criteria are based on the information required in the application as described in IV.B.3, Project Narrative. Reviewers will award points based on evaluation criteria described in Table 2 below. In order to receive the maximum points for each criterion or sub-criterion, applicants must provide a response to the requirement that fully describes the proposed program design and demonstrates the quality of approach, rather than simply re-stating a commitment to perform prescribed activities. In other words, applicants must describe why their proposal is the best strategy and how they will implement it, rather than that the strategy contains elements that conform to the TechHire requirements.
Panelists reviewing applications under this FOA will evaluate the quality of applicants’ responses to each individual requirement in Section IV.B.3, Project Narrative as explained below. Then scores will be calculated automatically based on the ratings assigned to each requirement.
Standards for Evaluating the Applicant’s Response to each Requirement
Section IV.B.3, Project Narrative provides a detailed explanation of the information an application must include (i.e. a comprehensive work plan for the whole period of performance with feasible and realistic dates). Reviewers will rate each “rating factor” based on how fully and convincingly the applicant responds. For each “rating factor” under each “criterion,” panelists will determine whether the applicant thoroughly meets, partially meets, or fails to meet the “rating factor,” based on the definitions below:
Standard Rating |
Definition |
Thoroughly Meets |
The application thoroughly responds to the rating factor, and fully and convincingly satisfies all of the stated specifications. |
Partially Meets |
The application responds incompletely to the rating factor or the application convincingly satisfies some, but not all, of the stated specifications. |
Fails to Meet |
The application does not respond to the rating factor or the application does respond to the rating factor but does not convincingly satisfy any of the stated specifications. |
Standards for Calculating Point Values
Within each “criterion,” each “rating factor” is weighted equally. For example, if a “criterion” is worth 5 points and has 5 “rating factors,” each “rating factor” is worth 1 point. Scores for each “rating factor” will be calculated based on the panelist’s assigned rating as explained in the table below:
If a rating factor is rated… |
…the rating factor will receive: |
Thoroughly Meets |
Full points |
Partially Meets |
Half points |
Fails to Meet |
Zero points |
Scores for each “criterion” will be calculated automatically by totaling the points received for each “rating factor” listed under that “criterion.” For example, if a “criterion” is worth 5 points and has 5 “rating factors,” and the panelist rates 2 “rating factors” at thoroughly meets, 2 “rating factors” at partially meets, and 1 “rating factor” as fails to meet, the applicant would receive 3 out of a possible total 5 points (1x2 + 0.5x2 + 0) for that “criterion.” The following table provides the maximum points available under each “criterion.”
Table 2. Evaluation Criteria
|
Points (maximum) |
See Section IV.B.3. (1) Statement of Need |
18 |
|
4 |
|
8 |
|
6 |
See Section IV.B.3.(2) Expected Outcomes and Outputs |
10 |
|
6 |
|
2 |
|
2 |
See Section IV.B.3.(3) Project Design |
46 |
|
8 |
|
6 |
|
12 |
|
8 |
|
6 |
|
6 |
See Section IV.B.3.(4) Organizational, Administrative, and Fiscal Capacity |
10 |
|
6 |
|
2 |
|
2 |
See Section IV.B.3.(5) Past Performance |
10 |
|
6 |
|
4 |
See Section IV.B.3.(6) Budget and Budget Justification |
6 |
|
2 |
|
4 |
TOTAL |
100 |
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 or to take into consideration other relevant factors when applicable. Such factors may include the geographic distribution, representation among various H-1B industries/occupations, distribution among target populations, and strength of evidence (as defined in Appendix A). In the event the Grant Officer considers the strength of evidence as a determining factor in selection, the Grant Officer will prefer applications that are evaluated to have strong evidence by the expert review panel referred to in section IV.B.4.g. 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
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 recipient 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.
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:
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) and 2 CFR 2900 (DOL’s Supplement to 2 CFR Part 200)
Profit Making Commercial Firms – Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) – 48 CFR part 31 (Cost Principles), and 2 CFR Part 200 (Administrative Requirements) and 2 CFR 2900 (DOL’s Supplement to 2 CFR Part 200).
Appeal - The TechHire training program is authorized under section 414(c) of the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 (ACWIA), as amended (codified at 29 USC 3224a). Therefore, appeal under sections 186 of the Workforce Investment Act or the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act is not available.
All entities must comply with 29 CFR Part 93 (New Restrictions on Lobbying), 29 CFR Part 94 (Governmentwide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Financial Assistance)), 29 CFR Part 98 (Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension, and drug-free workplace requirements), and, where applicable, 2 CFR Part 200 (Audit Requirements).
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.
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.
29 CFR Part 32—Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance.
29 CFR Part 35— Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Age in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance from the Department of Labor.
29 CFR Part 36—Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance.
29 CFR Part 38 – Implementation of the Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity Provisions of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
29 CFR Parts 29 and 30—Labor Standards for the Registration of Apprenticeship Programs, and Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship and Training, as applicable.
General Terms and Conditions of Award—See the following link: http://www.doleta.gov/grants/pdf/2015template.pdf
Other Legal Requirements:
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 solicitation and maintain that hiring practice. If a faith-based organization is awarded a grant, the organization will be provided with more information.
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 2 CFR 200.450 for more information).
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.
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 recipient/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. Grantees who 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 recipient 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-recipient 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 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 recipient 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.
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.
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.
Sub award: 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.
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.
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 Uniform Guidance requires that an entity’s procurement procedures ensure that all procurement transactions are conducted, as much as practical, to provide full and open 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.
Special Program Requirements
ETA Evaluation
As a condition of grant award, TechHire grantees are required to participate in a national evaluation. The national evaluation may include an implementation assessment across grantees, an impact and/or outcomes analysis of all or selected sites within or across grantees, and a benefit/cost analysis or assessment of return on investment to employers. 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). We may require applicants to collect data elements to aid the TechHire evaluation. 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 4) 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). 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 Personally Identifiable Information (PII) through written agreements, and other PII and records management practices.
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. While grantees are required to propose goals for the seven outcome categories identified in Section IV.B.3.(2) Expected Outcomes and Outputs, which are specific to this FOA, you will also be required to report outcomes in alignment with outcomes identified in WIOA, as applicable.
Sustainability
Grantees must allow adequate time during the period of performance to conduct sustainability planning that involves the public workforce system and other key partners, where appropriate, to help ensure that their strategic partnership(s) and core training, placement, and retention activities, or labor market information and exchange activities, are sustained after the grant ends. Grantees will be required to submit a written sustainability plan to ETA before the end of the grant. We remind grantees that the expenditure of any grant funds on activities related to sustainability and sustainability planning must be consistent with the grantees’ statement of work, and in accordance with all relevant rules and regulations that apply to their grants including Federal rules and regulations on outreach, fundraising, lobbying, and all other relevant and applicable rules and regulations.
You must agree to meet DOL reporting requirements. Quarterly financial reports, quarterly progress reports, and MIS data must be submitted by the recipient electronically. You must agree to provide the reports and documents listed below:
1. Quarterly Financial Reports
A Quarterly Financial Status Report (ETA 9130) is required until such time as all funds have been expended or the grant period has expired. Quarterly reports are due 45 days after the end of each calendar year quarter. 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 within 45 days after the end of each calendar year quarter. This report includes a quarterly narrative report that details all grant activities that occurred during the quarter, as well as a quarterly performance report which is produced online using a data file upload function that contains participant records. In order to submit these quarterly reports, the grantee will be expected to track participant-level data on all individuals who are provided grant-funded services and enrolled in education/training and other services provided through the grant. Performance reporting for these grants will align with the WIOA performance reporting requirements.
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 training or labor market information approaches that you used.
We will provide you with an online reporting system along with detailed formal guidance about the data and other information that is required to be collected and reported on either a regular basis or special request basis. As noted above, these grants will align with WIOA performance reporting requirements, including the online reporting system. Grantees must agree to meet DOL reporting requirements.
For further information about this FOA, please contact Aiyana Pucci, Grants Management Specialist, Office of Grants Management, at (202) 693-3403. Applicants should e-mail all technical questions to [email protected] and must specifically reference FOA-ETA-16-01, 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.
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.14
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. For example, the CareerOneStop portal (http://www.careeronestop.org), which provides national and state career information on occupations; the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) Online (http://online.onetcenter.org) which provides occupational competency profiles; and America's Service Locator (http://www.servicelocator.org), which provides a directory of our nation's One-Stop Career Centers.
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.
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, Cost Principles, and Accrual Accounting.
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 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:
Melissa Abdullah
Grant Officer, Employment and Training Administration
Appendix A: Definitions
Strength of Evidence Definitions
Strength of Evidence |
Strong |
Moderate |
Preliminary |
Prior Research Studies Supporting Effectiveness or Efficacy of the Proposed Practice, Strategy, or Program |
(1) More than one well-designed and well-implemented experimental study or well-designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental study; or
(2) one large, well-designed and well-implemented randomized controlled, multisite trial |
(1) At least one well-designed and well-implemented experimental or quasi-experimental study, with small sample sizes or other conditions of implementation or analysis that limit generalizability;
(2) at least one well-designed and well-implemented experimental or quasi-experimental study that does not demonstrate equivalence between the intervention and comparison groups at program entry but that has no other major flaws related to internal validity; or
(3) correlational research with strong statistical controls for selection bias and for discerning the influence of internal factors |
(1) Evidence that the proposed practice, strategy, or program, or one similar to it, has been attempted previously, albeit on a limited scale or in a limited setting, and yielded promising results that suggest that more formal and systematic study is warranted; and
(2) a rationale for the proposed practice, strategy, or program that is based on research findings or reasonable hypotheses, including related research or theories in education and other sectors |
Internal Validity (i.e. Strength of Causal Conclusions) and External Validity (Generalizability) |
High internal validity and high external validity |
High internal validity and moderate external validity; or, Moderate internal validity and high external validity |
Theory and reported practice suggest the potential for efficacy for at least some participants and settings |
Definition of Career Pathway
For the purpose of this Announcement, the term “career pathway” means a combination of rigorous and high-quality education, training, and other services that:
Aligns with the skill needs of industries in the economy of the State or regional economy involved;
Prepares an individual to be successful in any of a full range of secondary or postsecondary education options, including Registered Apprenticeships;
Includes counseling to support an individual in achieving the individual’s education and career goals;
Includes, as appropriate, education offered concurrently with and in the same context as workforce preparation activities and training for a specific occupation or occupational cluster;
Organizes education, training, and other services to meet the particular needs of an individual in a manner that accelerates the educational and career advancement of the individual to the extent practicable;
Enables an individual to attain a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent and at least one recognized postsecondary credential; and
Helps an individual enter or advance within a specific occupation or occupational cluster.
Definition of Competitive Integrated Employment
For this Announcement, ETA adopts the meaning given to the term “competitive integrated employment” in section 7 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 705), as amended by WIOA Section 404:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-113publ128/pdf/PLAW-113publ128.pdf
(11) COMPETITIVE INTEGRATED EMPLOYMENT
.—The term ‘‘competitive integrated employment’’ has the meaning given the term in section 7 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 705), for individuals with disabilities.
Appendix B: Labor Market Information
Traditional labor market information is produced by agencies of the Federal or state governments and is provided free of charge. Other data that is aggregated from job postings, or from resumes or online career profiles of individuals may be available from certain vendors of what is sometimes referred to as ‘real-time’ LMI. To learn more about the various sources of such data, please see: ETA Real-Time LMI Environmental Scan of Vendors and Workforce Development Users available using the following link: https://winwin.workforce3one.org/view/Real-Time%20LMI,%20R-T%20LMI,%20RT%20LMI/info
Each state produces industry and occupational employment projections every two years for the state and for selected local areas within a state. This information is the primary source to identify what is considered to be high-growth based on whether or not the industry or occupation has a projected growth rate that is at least above average for all industries or occupations, respectively, or above another determined threshold than the average rate. These employment projections data are available from each State’s labor market information agency. Links to state LMI websites can be found using the following link: http://www.servicelocator.org/StateProfiles.asp
Information on skills and competencies required for occupations can be found in O*NET OnLine or My Next Move including related education and training requirements and credentials. Information on industry sector competencies can be obtained for 26 industry sectors from the competency model frameworks on the DOL-sponsored Competency Model Clearinghouse site using the following link:
www.CareerOneStop.org/CompetencyModel
Data from the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey on occupational wages is available for the nation and states through state LMI websites, CareerOneStop, O*NET OnLine and My Next Move, and from the Bureau of Labor Statistics website using the following link:
Appendix C: Suggested Outcome Measures Table
|
Outcome Measure |
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1 |
Total Participants Served Total number of all participants served (receiving a grant-funded service and/or grant-funded education/training). Figures provided for total participants that receive services and total participants enrolled in Education/Training Activities should not exceed total participants served. |
Year 1: Year 2: Year 3: Year 4: |
Total: |
1a |
Target Population (please specify) |
Sub-Total |
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1b |
Other population(s) (please specify) |
Sub-Total |
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Targets for all Participants |
|
2 |
Total Participants Enrolled in Education/Training Activities |
Year 1: Year 2: Year 3: Year 4: |
Total: |
3 |
Total Participants Completing Education/Training Activities |
Year 1: Year 2: Year 3: Year 4: |
Total: |
4 |
Total Participants Who Complete Education/Training Activities AND Receive a Degree or Other Credential |
Year 1: Year 2: Year 3: Year 4: |
Total: |
5 |
Total Number of Unemployed Participants who Obtain Employment Total number of all unemployed participants who obtain employment. Incumbent Workers should not be included in this outcome |
Year 1: Year 2: Year 3: Year 4: |
Total: |
6 |
Total Number of Incumbent Worker Participants that Advanced into a New Position This includes incumbent workers that advanced into a new position with their current employer or a new employer following the completion of a training program. Incumbent workers that did not advance into a new position (i.e. retained their existing position or layoff aversion) following the completion of a training program should not be included in this outcome. |
Year 1: Year 2: Year 3: Year 4: |
Total: |
7 |
Median earnings
|
Year 1: Year 2: Year 3: Year 4: |
Total: |
Please Note:
Applicants should provide targets in raw numbers; percentages or other types of data projections are not acceptable with the exception of Outcome 1: Total Participants Served sub-totals.
For the “Total Participants Served” outcome measure, in addition to providing a total for all participants served, applicants should also include sub-totals for the target population and other populations to be served, as appropriate.
Applicants should provide targets for each year of the grant and for the total grant period. The figure provided for the total should equal the sum of the projections for each year.
While grantees are required to propose goals for the seven outcome categories identified in Section IV.B.3.(2) Expected Outcomes and Outputs, which are specific to this FOA, you will also be required to report outcomes in alignment with outcomes identified in WIOA, as applicable.
Appendix D: Suggested Project Work Plan Format |
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Please Note:
Applicants may replicate this chart in order to submit information on all activities and deliverables proposed during the period of performance.
Applicants should provide the name of the institution engaged in each activity or producing each deliverable, including any partner organizations, if applicable.
Appendix E: Suggested Abstract Format
1. Lead Applicant Name: __________
2. Lead Applicant City/State: __________
3. Primary Partnership Entities:
Workforce Investment System: __________
Education and Training Provider(s): __________
Business-related Nonprofit Organizations, an Organization Functioning as Workforce Intermediary for the Express Purpose of Serving the Needs of Businesses, a Consortia of Businesses, or at least Three Independent Businesses: __________
4. Area to be served by Grant (by city, county, and state):
State: __________
Counties: __________
Cities: __________
Additional State(s): __________
Additional Counties: __________
Additional Cities: __________
5. Total Funding Level Requested: __________
6. Total Leveraged Resources: __________
7. Project Title/Name: __________
8. Summary of Program Activities and List of Credentials to be Awarded: __________
9. Target Population to be Served & Percent of Total Participants Served: __________
Other population(s) to be served: __________
10. Targeted H-1B Industry(s)/Occupations: __________
11. Required Employer or Region Industry Partner(s): __________
12. Additional Key Partner(s): __________
13. Public Contact Information: __________
Appendix F: H-1B Industries
TechHire grants will fund projects that support well-paying, middle- and high-skilled, and high-growth jobs across a diversity of H-1B industries. To meet the legislative intent of positioning American workers to reduce the need for skilled foreign workers under the H-1B visa program, applicants must design their programs to support occupations for which H-1B visas have been certified, or other occupations in industries in which a significant number of H-1B visas are certified. A list of these industries is below. To view specific occupations for which H-1B visas have been certified, visit the Department of Labor’s Foreign Labor Certification Data Center Web site (http://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/performancedata.cfm) for the latest database of occupations approved under H-1B petitions.
According to recent data, a wide range of industries may meet these criteria in local and regional areas across the country, such as Information Technology (IT), Cyber Security, and Broadband, as well as a variety of non-IT industries and occupations that require technology skills, including but not limited to advanced manufacturing, healthcare, and financial services. In fact, more than two-thirds of technology jobs are outside of the technology sector.
Applicants should review below the list of industries that are using H–1B visas to hire foreign workers to assist your program alignment.
H-1B Industries that are using a significant number of visas to hire foreign workers include:
IT and IT related industries such as Cyber Security and Broadband
Healthcare
Advanced Manufacturing
Financial Services
Educational Services
These are the H-1B industries that we have identified as permissible for applicants to target under this grant competition. Applications that propose to train participants in occupations that do not fall within these industries must show that they are occupations for which H-1B visas have been certified. This may be shown by using the data provided on DOL’s Foreign Labor Certification Data Center Web site.
5 Bootcamps may be short, intensive, and rigorous courses of training.
6 Secondary school generally refers to the last four years of formal instruction. The standard U.S. qualification awarded to students who graduate from secondary school after 12 years of formal instruction is a High School diploma, or equivalent secondary diploma or certificate.
11 Human centered design and customer-centered methodologies are approaches to systems design that consider usability and particularly, the needs and limitations of a system’s users and or customers.
12 For the full definition of career pathway, see Appendix A.
13 http://www.executiveboard.com/sites/exbd/human-resources/talent-neuron/us-it-talent-market/index.page
14 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.
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| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-30 |