U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Notice of Availability of Funds and Funding Opportunity Announcement for:
Veterans Accelerated Learning for Licensed Occupations Project
Announcement Type: Initial
Funding Opportunity Number: FOA-ETA-19-06
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 17.207
Key Dates: The closing date for receipt of applications under this Announcement is
[insert date XX days after the date of publication on Grants.gov]. We must receive applications no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Addresses: Address mailed applications to:
The U.S. Department of Labor
Employment and Training Administration, Office of Grants Management Attention: Melissa Abdullah, Grant Officer
200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716
Washington, DC 20210
For complete application and submission information, including online application instructions, please refer to Section IV.
Executive Summary:
The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, the Department, or we), announces the availability of approximately $2,500,000 in grant funds authorized by the Fiscal Year 2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act, as clarified by language and instructions set forth in House Report 115-244 and Senate Report 115-150 for a Veterans Accelerated Learning for Licensed Occupations project. We expect to fund approximately one to three cooperative agreements (as defined in 2 CFR 200.24) to partnerships (as defined below in Section III.A.) to help increase and expedite attainment of state occupational licenses by veterans and transitioning servicemembers (TSM). Applicants may apply for between $750,000 up to $2,500,000 of funding. Cost-sharing is not required. Applicants may only submit one application.
This announcement solicits applications for a Veterans Accelerated Learning for Licensed Occupations project. The purpose of this program is to increase and expedite attainment of state occupational licenses by veterans and TSM. The project aims to accomplish this by identifying gaps between military education and training in specific military occupations as compared to the education required for related licensed civilian occupations. For example, credit recommendations sometimes identify military education as equivalent to one or two credits of a three-credit course—leaving gaps that are portions of courses. Where these identified gaps represent portions of multiple required courses the project will develop a bridge curriculum, as open educational resources, to address those gaps such that veterans can enter and complete a program of study required to obtain a state license needed to achieve their career objectives. Furthermore, the project seeks to identify instances in which civilian education programs can waive required courses by awarding credit for military training or giving veterans and TSM advanced standing within an existing training program.
This FOA will provide funding for new projects that build on two previous projects. First was a demonstration project funded by DOL, with participation by six states, focused on veterans’ occupational licensure and certification. The final report, Veterans’ Licensing and Certification Demonstration: A Summary of State Experiences, Preliminary Findings, and Cost Estimates, published in September 2015, identified a number of challenges and potential strategies, as discussed below. Second, in 2018, DOL awarded a grant to the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation and its partners to carry out activities similar to those listed in this FOA, which runs through June 30, 2021. Successful applicants to this FOA will build on the foundation of the issues, challenges, and strategies identified in the previous demonstration and any findings or materials that become available from the Kentucky project to support the development and wide dissemination of appropriate accelerated educational and licensing programs as described below.
Background
Military servicemembers on active duty are the beneficiaries of extensive training that prepares them to perform in a range of occupational specialties. Some of those occupational specialties have direct or proximate equivalents in the civilian workforce. Many civilian occupations have regulated pathways for entry, with few accessible mechanisms to recognize skills developed outside of these pathways. As a result, veterans and TSM often find that they lack the relevant civilian occupational credentials required under federal or state law or by an employer to secure employment. Thus, despite their relevant skills and experience, veterans and TSM can encounter lengthy processes and requirements to obtain the credentials needed to enter civilian employment. Those processes and requirements can impose additional time and financial costs on both veterans and taxpayers, who pay both for the initial military training and for re-training outside of the military, primarily through veterans’ federal education benefits.
Governors and states are responding to this issue by recognizing and awarding credit for veterans’ military training and experience through gubernatorial executive orders and state legislation that directs licensing boards. Examples of such efforts may be found in the U.S. Department of Defense’s Academic Credit for Separating Service Member Best Practices, which highlights three states’ strategies for supporting TSM in obtaining academic credit for their military education, training, and experience: http://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/USA4/2016/best-practices/SM-Academic-Credit-BPI6.pdf. However, as the demonstration project identified, even after awarding equivalent credit, there can be remaining skill and education gaps that need to be addressed. The Department seeks to expand these efforts through this FOA.
Shared Competencies in Military and Civilian Occupations
Many civilian occupations use competencies that veterans and TSM may have developed during military training and education. For this project, the Department has identified the following in-demand licensed civilian occupational areas that correspond closely with military training and occupations:
Healthcare occupations;
Protective service occupations, including police and firefighters;
Licensed mechanical/constructions occupations, such as electricians and plumbers; and
Licensed transportation occupations.
Barriers to Licensure for Veterans and TSM
A number of factors can affect the ability of veterans and TSM to attain civilian credentials for occupations, such as those listed above, on a timely basis. The demonstration study identified three types of barriers commonly encountered by veterans and TSM:
Credit. Veterans and TSM who have military training and experience that is equivalent to that of licensed civilians often find that civilian licensing boards are not accustomed to recognizing the military documentation of their training and experience.
Remaining gaps. Veterans and TSM that experience gaps between their military training and experience and civilian licensing requirements may have to participate in duplicative training to attain relevant licensure or certification.
Other barriers. Administrative rules and processes within civilian licensing and credentialing systems may create hurdles for veterans and TSM to obtain licensure or certification unrelated to their ability to competently provide professional services to the public.
Equivalency Challenges
The veterans’ licensing demonstration project found that, to address equivalency challenges, states can assess the equivalency of military training courses and use official documentation to permit veterans with fully or partially equivalent training and experience to sit for civilian licensure examinations or license veterans by endorsement (officially recognize military training and experience to meet civilian requirements). The project identified several strategies for states to accelerate the licensing and certification of veterans. The main challenges and strategies identified were:
To address training gaps, states can work with education institutions to set up accelerated programs for veterans that bridge gaps, provide veterans advanced standing in existing programs, or offer bridge courses that prepare veterans to enter existing programs.
Finally, to address administrative or process challenges, states can assess any non-skill related requirements that might disadvantage veterans, such as fees or length of experience, or take steps to make civilian employment pathways friendlier to veterans through concerted outreach to both veterans and prospective employers.
Bridge Programs
Bridge programs were the most prevalent strategy that states in the earlier demonstration pursued, in some cases developing new programs and, in others, identifying existing accelerated programs and making them more accessible to veterans. When there is partial overlap between the skillset used in a military occupation and the skillset needed for a similar civilian occupation, states can provide shortened training opportunities for veterans that focus on filling specific gaps. Strategies to develop accelerated programs in states include working with education providers to establish bridge programs designed specifically around veterans’ training needs and enabling veterans to waive required courses by awarding credit for military training or giving them advanced standing within an existing training program. Successful applicants that propose implementing one of these “bridge programs” will work with universities and community colleges to develop new programs or expand existing ones.
An example of why bridge curriculum is needed and how it works follows.
An educational program that is required to qualify for entry into a licensed occupation has six three-credit courses. Existing credit recommendations for veterans and TSM with prior training in a relevant occupation are as follows:
Course Number |
Current credit award recommendations |
Status |
1 |
3/3 |
Does not need to repeat course |
2 |
2/3 |
Must repeat course |
3 |
1/3 |
Must repeat course |
4 |
1/3 |
Must repeat course |
5 |
0/3 |
Must take course for first time |
6 |
0/3 |
Must take course for first time |
As is, a veteran or TSM would receive credit for only one of the six courses and would need to repeat courses 2, 3, and 4 even though they have learned and practiced portions of the curriculum covered in courses 2, 3, and 4. A single bridge curriculum course designed for veterans and TSM could combine the missing elements of courses 2, 3, and 4. This course would then give them advanced standing in the program and allow them to take the remaining two courses along with all other civilian attendees.
The result of the bridge curriculum would be that instead of needing to take five civilian courses, repeating some content that they have already acquired, veterans and TSM would only need to take three courses (one bridge course and two final courses), thereby reducing the time and cost to obtain the education required for licensure.
For further details and resources see the final report at: https://www.dol.gov/vets/media/Veterans_Demonstration_Final%20Report_9_28_v2.pdf.
Online Availability of Bridge Programs
The veterans’ licensing demonstration project also identified an implementation challenge that organizations implementing bridge programs may encounter. Veterans may be dispersed across large geographic areas and may not be able to access a bridge program that is offered far from where they reside. Furthermore, bridge programs that are developed and offered by a single local postsecondary institution in service areas where there are too few local veterans seeking the training are likely to have low program enrollment and not be financially sustainable. Many educational institutions, both public and private, now offer online courses as a component. Offering bridge courses that are available online and will be widely accepted for credit, for example by all the community colleges in a state or in multiple states that are part of a regional postsecondary consortium, addresses this implementation challenge.
Project Requirements
Under this FOA the partners (further described in Section III.A.) will identify one or more of the following occupational areas for the project: (1) healthcare occupations; (2) protective service occupations, including police and firefighters; (3) licensed mechanical/construction occupations, such as electricians and plumbers; and (4) licensed transportation occupations. Partners will then address the barriers to licensure for veterans and TSM described above by updating or conducting credit and gap analyses and assessing applicable administrative rules and processes. The partners will then address these equivalency and administrative challenges by designing accelerated training programs that include bridge curriculum and other strategies that facilitate licensure for veterans and TSM and streamlining administrative processes to the greatest extent possible.
As described further in Section IV.B.3.A.4(a), the partners must demonstrate their capability to provide or procure relevant experience and expertise in the following areas:
Conducting research on and reviewing licensing requirements and policies across multiple states or geographic areas;
Analyzing military education and training documentation and comparing it with civilian educational and occupational requirements;
Developing curriculum, including online and Open Educational Resources (OER) materials; and
Developing best practices, and recommendations to provide accelerated opportunities for veterans to meet civilian educational and licensing requirements.
The partners will ensure that credits earned in the bridge program designed under the project are transferable to other training and educational programs. They will achieve this by increasing cooperation among institutions within regions or state education systems, as well as through linkages with programs, such as postsecondary career and technical education, pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs, and other programs that lead to credit-bearing coursework for licensed occupations.
The partners will incorporate online and technology-enabled learning strategies into their program design. Online and technology-enabled (including hybrid or a blend of online and classroom instruction) learning strategies provide adults an opportunity to balance the competing demands of work and family with acquiring new knowledge and skills at a time, place, and/or pace that are convenient for them. The partners will consider the use of technology to enable rolling and open enrollment processes, modularize content delivery, develop simulations or other tools to test or assess competency for credit toward degrees and/or occupational licenses, and accelerate course-delivery strategies.
New and emergent strategies are now available to colleges and universities that can improve the quality of online instruction. The partners should consider a range of online and technology-enabled options in the development of the proposal. These could include interactive simulations, personalized and virtual instruction, educational gaming, digital tutors, and strategies for asynchronous and real-time collaboration among learners and instructors. We encourage the partners to develop courses that can be made available at a reasonable cost and offered during the day, at night, on weekends, and virtually to facilitate access for veterans and TSM.
The partners will make all curricula developed under the project available as OER, and successful applications will demonstrate a clear understanding of issues relating to OER attribution and license compatibility. Additionally, the partners will encourage the use and reuse of any OER created through their projects, such as through partnerships for distribution or adaptability for distribution on multiple platforms. We encourage the partners to create digital content that is learning management system agnostic and can be shared using a common course cartridge.
To further the goal of providing training that can reach veterans and TSM wherever they are located, applicants must publicly license all curricula and training materials created or developed with the support of the cooperative agreement under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 License, except as provided in Section III.D.8.
Resources for open-source learning platforms and tools for developing accessible online and technology-enabled learning materials can be found at http://open4us.org/resources/.
In some cases, the use of assessments to verify the transferrable competencies of veterans and TSM may be appropriate, if the partners determine that there is a compelling need to verify competencies before awarding credit. Where possible, we encourage the partners to identify and leverage existing high-quality, industry-based assessments. In the absence of existing assessments, the partners may use a portion of funds to develop assessments for veterans and TSM that verify their transferrable competencies. In such cases, we encourage applicants to work with employers and industry to develop assessments that can significantly strengthen the reliability of student learning outcome measures that are important to employers. We encourage the partners to consider using simulations and other new tools to conduct assessments that identify prior learning experiences that transfer directly to credit toward degrees, occupational licenses, and, thus, future employment for veterans and TSM.
This program is authorized by the FY 2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act, as clarified by language and instructions set forth in House Report 115-150 and Senate Report 115-244.
Funding will be provided in the form of a cooperative agreement.
We expect availability of approximately $2,500,000 to fund approximately one to three cooperative agreements. You may apply for an amount between $750,000 and $2,500,000. 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.
The period of performance is 36 months with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2019. This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities.
Eligible lead applicants must be a public or non-profit organization representing the postsecondary education partner as defined below. There are two required partners (including the lead applicant), one representing postsecondary education interests, and one representing occupational licensing interests.
1. Lead Applicant: a postsecondary education partner, which may be:
A single public or non-profit postsecondary educational institution, as defined in Section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C 1001); or
An existing legal entity representing multiple public and/or non-profit postsecondary educational institutions, such as an association, board, compact, commission, or system.
2. Required Partner: an occupational licensing partner, which may be:
A state regulatory board that oversees multiple licensing entities in the state or states where the educational institutions are located;
An association of multiple state occupational licensing boards or agencies; or
An interstate occupational licensing compact.
We encourage the required partners to include additional partners, particularly those representing multiple states. Additional partners may include but are not limited to:
Additional postsecondary educational institutions or organizations;
An association of state governments (such as an association of governors’ offices, or an association of state legislatures);
A veterans services organization;
One or more state workforce agencies;
A workforce intermediary or technical assistance organization; and/or
A credentialing organization.
Cooperative agreements will be awarded to the lead partner, which will serve as the grantee and have overall fiscal and administrative responsibility for the project. Sub-grants are not permitted, but contracts are.
Partnership Structure
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 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; and 6) the entity responsible for working with DOL to close out the grant.
The required partner and any additional partners will bring subject matter expertise in one or more of the areas described above in Section I.A and contacts with relevant stakeholders to the partnership.
The lead applicant and required partner may identify and include additional partners as needed. Any additional partners (not to exceed a total of five) may be named in the application or during the period of performance. We also anticipate that some expertise and analysis may need to be acquired through sub-contracts.
This program does not require cost sharing or matching funds. Including such funds is not one of the application screening criteria and applications that include any form of cost sharing or match will not receive additional consideration during the review process. Instead, the agency considers any resources contributed to the project beyond the funds provided by the agency as leveraged resources. Section IV.B.2 provides more information on leveraged resources.
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 |
|
Eligibility |
Section III.A |
|
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 Federal funds request does not exceed the ceiling amount of $1,500,000 |
Section II.A |
|
SAM Registration |
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 |
|
We will consider only one application from each organization. If we receive multiple applications from the same organization, we will only consider the most recently received application that met the deadline. If the most recent application is disqualified for any reason, we will not replace it with an earlier application. Lead applicants submitting an application are not precluded from participating as a partner in a separate application submitted in response to this FOA but may only be the lead applicant on a single application.
This FOA, found at www.Grants.gov and https://www.doleta.gov/grants/find_grants.cfm, contains all of the information and links to forms needed to apply for grant funding.
Applications submitted in response to this FOA must consist of four separate and distinct parts:
(1) The SF-424 “Application for Federal Assistance;”
(4) Attachments to the Project Narrative.
You must ensure that the funding amount requested is consistent across all parts and sub-parts of the application.
(1) SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance”
You must complete the SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance” (available at https://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, the signature of the Authorized Representative on the SF-424 certifies that the organization is in compliance with the Assurances and Certifications form SF-424B (available at https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF424B-V1.1.pdf). You do not need to submit the SF-424B with the application.
In addition, the applicant’s Authorized Representative’s signature in block 21 of the SF-424 form constitutes assurance by the applicant of compliance with the following requirements in accordance with 29 CFR 37.20.
Requirement for DUNS Number
All applicants for Federal grant and funding opportunities must 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: https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do .
Grant recipients authorized to make subawards must meet these 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.
(See, Appendix A to 2 CFR section 25.)
Requirement for Registration with SAM
Applicants must register with the System for Award Management (SAM) before submitting an application. Find instructions for registering with SAM can at https://www.sam.gov .
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.
You must complete the SF-424A Budget Information Form (available at: https://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 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 you expect to purchase 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, not “equipment”. In general, we do not permit the purchase of equipment during the last funded year of the grant.
Supplies: Identify categories of supplies (e.g. office supplies) in the detailed budget and list the quantity and unit cost per item. Supplies include all tangible personal property other than “equipment” (see 2 CFR 200.94 for the definition of Supplies).
Contractual: Under the Contractual line item, delineate contracts and subawards separately. Contracts are defined according to 2 CFR 200.22 as a legal instrument by which a non-Federal entity purchases property or services needed to carry out the project or program under a Federal award. A subaward, defined by 2 CFR 200.92, means an award provided by a pass-through entity 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.
For each proposed contract and subaward, specify the purpose and estimated cost.
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 you must show the costs on other appropriate lines such as Contractual.
Other: Provide clear and specific detail, including costs, for each item so that we are able to determine whether the costs are necessary, reasonable and allocable. List any item, such as stipends or incentives, not covered elsewhere here.
Indirect Costs: If you include indirect costs in the budget, then include one of the following:
a) If you have a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), provide an explanation of how the indirect costs are calculated. This explanation should include which portion of each line item, along with the associated costs, are included in your cost allocation base. Also, provide a current version of the NICRA.
or
b) If you intend to claim indirect costs using the 10 percent de minimis rate, please confirm that your organization meets the requirements as described in 2 CFR 200.414(f). Clearly state that your organization has never received a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), and your organization is not one described in Appendix VII of 2 CFR 200, paragraph (D)(1)(b).
Applicants choosing to claim indirect costs using the de minimis rate must use Modified Total Direct Costs (see 2 CFR 200.68 below for definition) as their cost allocation base. Provide an explanation of which portion of each line item, along with the associated costs, are included in your cost allocation base. Note that there are various items not included in the calculation of Modified Total Direct Costs. See below the definitions to assist you in your calculation.
2 CFR 200.68 Modified Total Direct Cost (MTDC) means all direct salaries and wages, applicable fringe benefits, materials and supplies, services, travel, and up to the first $25,000 of each subaward (regardless of the period of performance of the subawards under the award). MTDC excludes equipment, capital expenditures, charges for patient care, rental costs, tuition remission, scholarships and fellowships, participant support costs and the portion of each subaward in excess of $25,000. Other items may only be excluded when necessary to avoid a serious inequity in the distribution of indirect costs, and with the approval of the cognizant agency for indirect costs.
You will note that participant support costs are not included in modified total direct cost. Participant support costs are defined below.
2 CFR 200.75 Participant Support Cost means direct costs for items such as stipends or subsistence allowances, travel allowances, and registration fees paid to or on behalf of participants or trainees (but not employees) in connection with conferences, or training projects.
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: https://www.dol.gov/oasam/boc/dcd/index.htm.
Note that the SF-424, SF-424A, and budget narrative must include the entire Federal grant amount requested (not just one year).
Do not show leveraged resources on the SF-424 and SF-424A. You should describe leveraged resources in the budget narrative.
Applicants should list the same requested Federal grant amount on the SF-424, SF-424A, and budget narrative. 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 (and match if applicable) is within the responsive range.
A. Preparing the Project Narrative
The Project Narrative must demonstrate your capability to implement the grant project in accordance with the provisions of this Announcement. It provides a comprehensive framework and description of all aspects of the proposed project. It must be succinct, self-explanatory, and well organized so that reviewers can understand the proposed project.
The Project Narrative is limited to 20 double-spaced single-sided 8.5 x 11 inch pages with Times New Roman 12 point text font and 1 inch margins. You must number the Project Narrative beginning with page number 1.
We will not read or consider any materials beyond the specified page limit in the application review process.
The following instructions provide all of the information needed to complete the Project Narrative. Carefully read and consider each section, and include all required information in your Project Narrative. The agency will evaluate the Project Narrative 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)
Scoring under this heading will be based on the extent to which the discussion of the following criteria is clear, logical, and an accurate interpretation of available data. All data sources should include citations that provide information that enables the identification and verification of data.
Describe in both quantitative and qualitative terms, the need for the project, including the nature and scope of the problem, and the consequences of not addressing the need. (6 points)
Clearly identify the military occupation(s) and closely related civilian occupation(s) that require licensure that will be targeted by the proposed project. The minimum number of civilian occupations is one; there is no maximum number of occupations for this project. Include the relevant Military Occupation Classification (MOC) codes and titles. If available, provide data on the estimated number of servicemembers employed in the military occupation, TSM in those MOC returning to the project’s target area, and/or veterans employed in related licensed civilian occupations either nationwide, in a region or in states involved in the project. Full points will be awarded to those applications that strongly tie the chosen occupations to data showing estimates of servicemembers that may best qualify for those occupations. (4 points)
Describe the current and future projected demand for employment in the selected civilian occupation(s). 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. Identify and cite the current range of wages offered for the selected civilian occupations, based on national, state, or local data. (2 points)
(c) Current Licensing Conditions (6 points)
Clearly describe the requirements for and consistency or variation of licensure requirements of the civilian occupation(s) nationwide or across states involved in the project. (4 points)
Clearly describe the current training available to veterans and TSM to gain civilian licenses and why current training does not adequately meet their needs and/or adequately account for their previous related military training. (2 points)
(2) Project Design (50 points)
Propose methods that the project will use to produce the outcomes and outputs described in the following section. Scoring under this heading will be based on the extent to which the discussion of the following criteria is clear, logical, and comprehensive.
Clearly explain how the military training which veterans and TSM receive that is relevant to the selected civilian occupation(s) will inform your identification of the factors below. (2 points)
Credit recommendations; and
Remaining gaps that inform your development of accelerated training programs, including curricula.
Clearly explain how the project will update existing or conduct new credit and gap analyses by performing the actions below. (4 points)
Obtaining documentation on military programs of instruction, review awarded credits and credit recommendations from sources that make military credit recommendations;
Scanning for existing national analysis or determining if a new gap analysis needs to be undertaken; engage state licensing boards (or multi-state associations of such boards);
Engaging educational institutions or systems and/or regional associations of postsecondary education boards to identify areas of equivalency for credit, and remaining gaps; and
Identifying any subject matter experts who will perform or assist in the analyses.
Clearly explain how the proposed project will assess administrative, non-skill related requirements for licensure. (2 points)
Clearly describe how the proposed project will build upon and contribute to the body of knowledge on facilitating veterans and TSM transition to civilian employment in licensed occupations. (2 points)
(b) Accelerated Training Program Development Strategy (12 points)
Thoroughly describe your plan to develop accelerated training programs with associated curricula under the project. (6 points)
Explain how you will develop bridge programs and associated curricula.
Identify which other strategies you will use to accelerate veterans’ and TSMs’ attainment of occupational licenses, such as credit for previous military training or advanced standing in existing programs.
Explain how you will develop laboratory exercises, simulations, lectures, and other products, as applicable.
If you plan to develop new assessments for use in the bridge program, detail the steps you will take to develop them.
Clearly describe your plan to engage subject matter experts in the project. (2 points)
Identify the subject matter experts who will develop curriculum, and, if applicable, assessments or the type of subject matter experts you will seek.
Clearly describe your strategy to streamline administrative, non-skill related requirements to licensure identified in the research phase by working with relevant stakeholders to streamline such requirements. (4 points)
(c) Availability of Accelerated Training Programs (8 points)
Describe a logical, feasible approach to ensure that the accelerated training programs developed under the project are made available as open educational resources before the end of the period of performance. (4 points)
Clearly describe how you will create technology-driven innovations in career training and education by openly licensing all work under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY) license. We encourage you to search OER repositories for open learning objects and, where appropriate, re-use these learning objects instead of duplicating existing objects as components of their proposed programs. In cases where no existing OER is appropriate to the specific needs of proposed programs, applicants are encouraged to consider the most efficient and practical means of acquiring or developing content. For example, you may propose to license or purchase content or purchase existing intellectual property where the cost to do so is not substantially greater than licensing alone. (2 points)
Clearly describe how you will use technology to make the accelerated training program available to working adults, such as by using rolling and open enrollment processes, modularizing content delivery, developing simulations or other tools to test or assess competency for credit toward degrees and/or occupational licenses, and accelerating course delivery strategies. (2 points)
Dissemination and Outreach Strategy (6 points)
Clearly describe your plan to disseminate the analyses and accelerated training program(s) developed under the project. (4 points)
Identify the relevant stakeholders, such as veterans groups, nonprofits that serve veterans, education or licensing consortia, state licensing boards, and community colleges and thoroughly describe your approach to reach out to these groups and make them aware of the program(s). (2 points)
(e) Partnership Strategy (8 points)
Thoroughly outline each partner’s anticipated contributions to the project by performing the actions below. You must discuss each of the required partners and additional partners as described in Section III.A above. (2 points)
Clearly identify the project activities for which each partner will be responsible;
Clearly describe how the responsibilities will be shared between the lead applicant, required partner and any additional partners;
Clearly describe the types of agreements the lead applicant has in place or will put in place with each partner;
Clearly explain how the project will leverage partnerships to disseminate the analyses and accelerated training programs developed under the project and perform outreach to stakeholders. (2 points)
Clearly explain how the project will leverage partnerships to streamline administrative, non-skill-related requirements for licensure. (2 points)
Submit copies of letters of commitment from your required partner and any additional partners. The letters of commitment do not count against the page limit. These letters should not be “form letters;” they must specifically indicate each key partner’s knowledge and experience about the proposed project activities and understanding of their areas of responsibility and ability to impact the success of the project. Strong letters of commitment will also detail non-binding examples of the partners’ planned contributions to the grant. (2 points)
(f) Project Work Plan (6 points)
Attach a Work Plan that explains how you will implement the activities described in the Project Design. Please see attached suggested format in Appendix C. The Work Plan does not count against the total page limit but must not exceed four pages printed on one side. Note that for this project it is not required that all project activities be spread evenly over the period of performance. (6 points)
Demonstrate a cohesive, well-designed, and feasible approach to implement the project.
Thoroughly describe the activities, timeframes, deliverables, and key implementers required to implement the strategies described in this Project Design section within the grant period of performance.
Include realistic timeframes for accomplishing all start-up activities immediately following the start of the grant period of performance.
Thoroughly explain which partners will contribute to the project activities and timeline.
Clearly identify and describe deliverables, including the new intellectual property (such as books, courses, modules, seminars, tutoring systems, simulations, etc.) that will be developed with grant funds, and/or describe which existing OER or other licensed intellectual property will be improved with grant funds. Quantify the number of deliverables and provide a brief description of them, such as “1 Licensed Practical Nursing curriculum.” Specify the expected date you will provide each deliverable to the Department.
(3) Expected Outputs and Outcomes (14 points)
Clearly identify the output(s) and outcome(s) that will result from the project. Scoring under this heading will be based on the extent to which the discussion of the following criteria is clear, logical, and comprehensive.
Describe in detail the outputs and outcomes that will be produced under the project.
Credit and Gap Analyses. Clearly describe your approach to identify and document the specific credit and gap analyses that will be updated or produced under the project for the selected occupation(s). (4 points)
Accelerated Training Program(s). Describe the accelerated training program(s) and associated curricula that you will develop under the project and made available through online open educational resources. (6 points)
Include an estimate of how many veterans and TSM will gain access to the program(s) and in what geographic locations (e.g. statewide, regionally, or nationally).
Include an estimate of how many relevant stakeholders you will inform about the opportunities, such as veterans advocacy groups, non-profits that serve veterans, education or licensing consortia, state licensing boards, community colleges, and others as relevant.
Describe the types of laboratory exercises, simulations, lectures, and other products that the project will produce, as applicable.
If you plan to develop assessments for use in the bridge program, describe the type of assessments.
Project Summary and Recommendations. Clearly explain how you will develop a summary of the project and provide recommendations for implementing the accelerated learning program which will provide guidance on implementation by educational institutions and/or licensing boards. (4 points)
(4) Organizational, Administrative, and Fiscal Capacity (14 points)
Describe your organizational, administrative, and fiscal capacity and that of your partners, as applicable. Scoring under this heading will be based on the extent to which the discussion of the following criteria is clear and comprehensive.
(a) Capacity of Lead Applicant and Partners (12 points)
As the lead applicant, thoroughly describe your capacity to manage the project, as well as the role of any partners included in management of the project, including identifying a plan for efficient and effective communication between staff at all levels of the project, including partners. (2 points)
Clearly identify the members of your partnership and detail each partner’s specific area(s) of expertise. Your partnership must have capacity in the four areas listed below. If none of the partners have expertise in an area, identify the type of contract you will seek to procure expertise in that area. (4 points)
Conducting research on and reviewing licensing requirements and policies across multiple states or geographic areas.
Analyzing military education and training documentation and comparing it with civilian educational and occupational requirements.
Developing curriculum, including online and OER materials.
Developing best practices and recommendations to provide accelerated opportunities for veterans to meet civilian educational and licensing requirements.
Thoroughly describe the capacity of each partner involved in the project to effectively implement each of the components of the project design for which it is responsible. Explain how the lead applicant or partners will continue offering the accelerated training program developed under the project after federal financial assistance has ended. (2 points)
Describe at least one example of a multi-partner occupational licensing, curriculum development, employment, or veterans/TSM research project led by the lead applicant or required partner, or an additional partner. (2 points)
Fully describe your procurement processes, systems, and procedures and, if applicable, those of your partners. (2 points)
(b) Financial and Performance Reporting Systems (2 points)
Describe 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. (2 points)
(5) Budget and Budget Justification (4 points)
Clearly and logically describe how your proposed expenditures will support the activities that you have described in the project narrative. (2 points)
(b) Additional Instructions (2 points)
Clearly describe the costs associated with each line item on the SF-424A and ensure that the totals on the SF-424A and Budget Narrative align. (2 points)
In addition to the Project Narrative, you must submit attachments. All attachments must be clearly labeled as Attachments. We will only exclude those attachments listed below from the page limit.
You must not include additional materials such as résumés or general letters of support. You must submit your application in one package because documents received separately will be tracked separately and will not be attached to the application for review.
Save all files with descriptive file names of 50 characters or less and 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). You may use an underscore (example: my_Attached_File.pdf) to separate a file name.
Requested Attachments
Abstract.
You must submit an up to two-page abstract summarizing the proposed project. Omission of the abstract will not result in your application being screened out, however the lack of the required information in the abstract may impact scoring. See III.C.1 for a list of items that will result in the screening out of your application. The abstract must include:
the lead applicant’s name,
the lead applicant’s city/state,
the required partner’s name,
the total funding level requested,
the project’s title,
a brief summarization of the proposed project, including, but not limited to, the scope of the project and proposed outcomes,
the targeted military and civilian occupation(s),
any additional partners’ names, and
public contact information.
The Abstract is limited to two-page double-spaced single sided 8.5x11 inch pages with 12 point text font and 1 inch margins. When submitting in grants.gov, this document must be uploaded as an attachment to the application package and specifically labeled “Abstract.”
Work Plan. For Work Plan requirements, see Section IV.B.3.A.2.f. Omission of this attachment will impact scoring.
Signed Letters of Commitment from Partners: You must submit copies of letters of commitment from your required partner and any additional partners, for requirements see Section IV.B.3.A.2.e.iv. Do not include general letters of support with your application or ask your elected officials to send such letters to the Department. Omission of this attachment will impact scoring.
Indirect Cost Rate Agreement: If you are requesting indirect costs based on a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement approved by your Federal Cognizant Agency, then 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.
Documentation from the Internal Revenue Service that verifies the applicant’s non-profit 501(c)(3) status, if applicable. All applicants applying as a non-profit 501(c)(3) must submit this verification even if the applicant is a current DOL grantee. This attachment does not impact scoring of the application.
All applicants are requested to submit FOA Financial System Assessment information. See Section V.B.2 for a sample template and additional instructions. This attachment does not impact the scoring of the application.
We will accept applications under this Announcement until [insert date XX days after the date of publication on Grants.gov]. We must receive your application either electronically on https://www.grants.gov or in hard copy by mail or in hard copy by hand delivery (including overnight delivery) no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date.
Applicants are encouraged to submit their application before the closing date to ensure that the risk of late receipt of the application is minimized. We will not review applications received after 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date. We will not accept applications sent by e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (FAX).
All applications submitted by mail or overnight delivery submission must be received at the designated place by the specified closing date and time. Applicants submitting applications in hard copy by mail or overnight delivery must submit a ‘‘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 must also include in the hard copy submission an identical electronic copy of the application on compact disc (CD) or flash drive. If we identify discrepancies between the hard copy submission and CD/flash drive copy, we will consider the application on the CD/flash drive as the official submission for evaluation purposes. Failure to provide identical applications in hardcopy and CD/flash drive format may have an impact on the overall evaluation.
If an application is physically submitted by both hard copy and through https://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 https://www.grants.gov.
We will grant no exceptions to the mailing and delivery requirements set forth in this notice. Further, we will not accept documents submitted separately from the application, before or after the deadline, as part of the application.
Address mailed applications to the:
U.S. Department of Labor
Employment and Training Administration
Office of Grants Management
Attention: Melissa Abdullah, Grant Officer
Reference FOA-ETA-19-06
200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716
Washington, DC 20210
Please note that mail decontamination procedures may delay mail delivery in the Washington DC area. We will receive hand-delivered applications at the above address at the 3rd Street Visitor Entrance. 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.
2. Electronic Submission through Grants.gov
Applicants submitting applications through Grants.gov must ensure successful submission no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date. Grants.gov will subsequently validate the application.
We describe the submission and validation process in more detail below. The process can be complicated and time-consuming. You are strongly advised to initiate the process as soon as possible and to plan for time to resolve technical problems. Note that validation does not mean that your application has been accepted as complete or has been accepted for review by the agency. Rather, grants.gov only verifies the submission of certain parts of an application.
a. How to Register to Apply through Grants.gov
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.
We strongly recommend that you follow the complete online instructions for registration at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html. We recommend that you 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.
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 Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). When an application is submitted through Grants.gov, the name of the AOR that submitted the application is inserted into the signature line of the application, serving as the electronic signature. The EBiz POC must authorize the individual who is able to make legally binding commitments on behalf of your organization as the AOR; this step is often missed and it is crucial for valid submissions.
b. How to Submit an Application to DOL via Grants.gov
Grants.gov applicants can apply online using Workspace. Workspace is a shared, online environment where members of a grant team may simultaneously access and edit different webforms within an application. For a complete workspace overview, refer to: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html
For access to complete instructions on how to apply for opportunities, refer to:
https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html
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. Grants.gov will send the applicant AOR an email acknowledgement of receipt and a tracking number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) with the successful transmission of the application, serving as proof of their timely submission. The applicant will receive two email messages to provide the status of the application’s progress through the system.
The first email 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 (24-48 hours) 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, DOL will not consider the application.
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 https://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 WorkforceGPS at: https://strategies.workforcegps.org/resources/2014/08/11/16/32/applying-for-eta-competitive-grants-a-web-based-toolkit-for-prospective-applicants-438?p=1.
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 https://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 Grants.gov Contact Center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, it is closed on Federal holidays. If you are experiencing difficulties with your submission, it is best to call the Grants.gov Support Center and get a ticket number.
Late Applications
For applications submitted on Grants.gov, we will consider only applications successfully submitted no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date and then successfully validated. You take a significant risk by waiting to the last day to submit through Grants.gov.
We will not consider any hard copy application received after the exact date and time specified for receipt at the office designated in this notice, unless we receive it 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% 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% 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.)
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 113-235, Division G, Title I, section 105, and Training and Employment Guidance Letter number 05-06 for further clarification: https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2262 .
Pursuant to 2 CFR 2900.13, to ensure that the Federal investment of DOL funds has as broad an impact as possible and to encourage innovation in the development of new learning materials, the grantee will be required to license to the public all work created with the support of the grant under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY) license. Work that must be licensed under the CC BY includes both new content created with the grant funds and modifications made to pre-existing, grantee-owned content using grant funds.
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 grantee. Notice of the license shall be affixed to the Work. For general information on CC BY, please visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 .
Instructions for marking your work with CC BY can be found at https://wiki.creativecommons.org/Marking_your_work_with_a_CC_license .
Questions about CC BY as it applies to this specific funding opportunity should be submitted to the ETA Grants Management Specialist specified in Section VII.
Only work that is developed by the recipient in whole or in part with grants funds is required to be licensed under the CC BY license. Pre-existing copyrighted materials licensed to, or purchased by the grantee from third parties, including modifications of such materials, remain subject to the intellectual property rights the grantee receives under the terms of the particular license or purchase. In addition, works created by the grantee without grant funds do not fall under the CC BY license requirement.
The purpose of the CC BY licensing requirement is to ensure that materials developed with funds provided by these grants result in work that can be freely reused and improved by others. When purchasing or licensing consumable or reusable materials, the grantee is expected to respect all applicable Federal laws and regulations, including those pertaining to the copyright and accessibility provisions of the Federal Rehabilitation Act.
Separate from the CC BY license to the public, the Federal Government reserves a paid-up, nonexclusive and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use, and to authorize others to use for Federal purposes: i) the copyright in all products developed under the grant, including a subaward or contract under the grant or subaward; and ii) any rights of copyright to which the recipient, subrecipient or a contractor purchases ownership under an award (including, but not limited to, curricula, training models, technical assistance products, and any related materials). Such uses include, but are not limited to, the right to modify and distribute such products worldwide by any means, electronically or otherwise. The grantee may not use Federal funds to pay any royalty or license fee for use of a copyrighted work, or the cost of acquiring by purchase a copyright in a work, where the Department has a license or rights of free use in such work. If revenues are generated through selling products developed with grant funds, including intellectual property, DOL treats such revenues as program income. Such program income is added to the grant and must be expended for allowable grant activities.
If applicable, the following needs to be on all products developed in whole or in part with grant funds:
“This workforce product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The product was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The U.S. Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it.”
Withdrawal of Applications: You may withdraw an application by written notice to the Grant Officer at any time before an award is made.
A. CRITERIA
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). Reviewers will award points based on the evaluation criteria described below.
Section IV.B.3 (Project Narrative) of this FOA has several “section headers” (i.e. IV.B.3.A(1), Statement of Need). Each of these “section headers” of the Project Narrative include one or more “criteria”, and each criterion includes one or more “rating factors”, which provide detailed specifications for the content and quality of the response to that criterion. Each of the rating factors have specific point values assigned. These point values are the number of points possible for the application to earn for the rating factor.
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 score each “rating factor” based on how fully and convincingly the applicant responds. For each “rating factor” under each “criterion,” panelists will determine the score based on whether the applicant thoroughly meets, partially meets, or fails to meet the rating factor, based on the definitions below:
TABLE 1:
Standard Rating |
Definition |
Standard for Calculating Points |
Thoroughly Meets |
The application thoroughly responds to the rating factor and fully and convincingly satisfies all of the stated specifications. |
Full Points |
Partially Meets |
The application responds incompletely to the rating factor or the application convincingly satisfies some, but not all, of the stated specifications. |
Half Points |
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.
|
Zero points |
In order to receive the maximum points for each rating factor, 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 requirements of this FOA.
TABLE 2:
Criterion |
Points (maximum) |
|
18 |
|
6 |
|
6 |
|
6 |
|
50 |
|
10 |
|
12 |
|
8 |
|
6 |
|
8 |
|
6 |
|
14 |
|
14 |
|
14 |
|
12 |
|
2 |
(See Section IV.B.3,A.(5) Budget and Budget Justification) |
4 |
|
2 |
|
2 |
TOTAL |
100 |
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 of funds and/or other relevant factors. 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 https://www.grants.gov , which constitutes a binding offer by the applicant.
Prior to making an award, ETA will review information available through its own records and any OMB-designated repository of government-wide 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 [OMB Guidance to Agencies on Government-wide Debarment and Suspension (Non-procurement)]. 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.
NOTE: As part of the Employment & Training Administration’s Risk Review process, The Grant Officer will determine:
If the applicant had any restriction on spending for any ETA grant due to adverse monitoring findings ; or
If the applicant received a High Risk determination in accordance with Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 23-15.
Depending on the severity of the findings and whether the findings were resolved, the Grant Officer may at his/her discretion, elect to not fund the applicant for a grant award regardless of the applicant’s score in the competition.
All applicants are requested to submit the following information (suggested template below) for ETA to assess the applicant’s Financial System. This information will be taken into account as one component of ETA’s Risk Review Process. Applicants may use the suggested template or answer the questions in a separate attachment. It is unlikely that an organization will be able to manage a Federal grant without the following system/processes in place. Applicants are expected to have these in place before applying for a grant with ETA.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR -EMPLOYMENT
AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION (ETA) |
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SECTION A: PURPOSE |
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The financial responsibility of
grantees must be such that the grantee can properly discharge the
public trust which accompanies the authority to expend public
funds. Adequate administrative and financial systems including
the accounting systems should meet the following criteria as
contained in 2 CFR 200 and 2 CFR 2900. |
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SECTION B: GENERAL |
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1. If your organization publishes a general information pamphlet setting forth the history, purpose and organizational structure of your business, please provide this office with a copy; otherwise, complete the following items: |
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a. When was the organization founded/incorporated (month, day, year) |
b. Principal officers |
Titles |
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c. Employer Identification Number: |
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d. Number of Employees |
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2. Is the organization affiliated
with any other organization: Yes No |
3. Total Sales/Revenues in most
recent accounting period. (12
months) |
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SECTION C: ACCOUNTING SYSTEM |
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1. Has any Government Agency rendered an official written opinion concerning the adequacy of the accounting system for the collection, identification and allocation of costs under Federal contracts/grants? Yes No |
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a. If yes, provide name, and address of Agency performing review: |
b. Attach a copy of the latest review and any subsequent correspondence, clearance documents, etc. |
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Note: If review occurred within the past three years, omit questions 2-8 of this Section and Section D. |
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2. Which of the following best describes the accounting system: |
State administered |
Internally Web-based Developed
|
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3. Does the accounting system identify the receipt and expenditure of program funds separately for each contract/grant? |
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Yes |
No |
Not Sure |
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4. Does the accounting system provide for the recording of expenditures for each grant/contract by the component project and budget cost categories shown in the approved budget? |
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Yes |
No |
Not Sure |
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5. Are time distribution records maintained for an employee when his/her effort can be specifically identified to a particular cost objective? |
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Yes |
No |
Not Sure |
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6. If the organization proposes an overhead rate, does the accounting system provide for the segregation of direct and indirect expenses? |
|
Yes |
No |
Not Sure |
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7. Does the organization have an
approved indirect cost rate or cost allocation plan? |
|
Yes |
No |
Not Sure |
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8. Does the accounting/financial system include budgetary controls to preclude incurring obligations in excess of:
|
|
Yes |
No |
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9. Does the organization have an internal control structure that would provide reasonable assurance that the grant funds, assets and systems are safeguarded? |
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Yes |
No |
Not Sure |
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SECTION D: FINANCIAL STABILITY |
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1. Is there any legal matter or an
ongoing financial concern that may impact the organization's
ability to manage and administer the grant? Yes
No |
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SECTION E: FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
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1. Did an independent certified public accountant (CPA) ever examine the financial statements? Yes No |
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2. If an independent CPA review was
performed please provide this office with a copy of their latest
report and any management letters issued.
Enclosed N / A |
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3. If an independent CPA was engaged to perform a review and no report was issued, please provide details and an explanation below: |
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SECTION F: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION |
|
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1. Use this space for any additional information (indicate section and item numbers if a continuation) |
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All award notifications will be posted on the ETA Homepage (https://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:
a. Non-Profit Organizations, Educational Institutions, For-profit entities 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)
b. 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)), 2 CFR Part 180 (OMB Guidance to Agencies on Government-wide Debarment and Suspension (Non-procurement), and, where applicable, 2 CFR Part 200 (Audit Requirements).
c. 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.
d. 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.
e. 29 CFR Part 32—Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance.
f. 29 CFR Part 35— Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Age in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance from the Department of Labor.
g. 29 CFR Part 36—Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance.
h. 29 CFR Part 38 – Implementation of the Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity Provisions of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
i. 29 CFR Parts 29 and 30—Labor Standards for the Registration of Apprenticeship Programs, and Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship and Training, as applicable.
j. Department of Labor will follow the procedures outlined in the Department’s Freedom of Information ACT (FOIA) regulations (29 CFR Part 70). 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 (see 29 CFR § 70.26) as well as all FOIA exemptions and Procedures. See generally 5 U.S.C. § 552, 29 CFR Part 70.
k. General Terms and Conditions of Award—See the following link: https://www.doleta.gov/grants/resources.cfm
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.
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).
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 and the Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act of 2008), 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: https://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:
(1) 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);
(2) Federal awards to entities that had a gross income, from all sources, of less than $300,000 in the entities' previous tax year; and
(3) Federal awards, if the required reporting would disclose classified information.
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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. You must not extract information from data supplied by ETA for any purpose not stated in the grant agreement.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
You must 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.
You must abide by the following definitions of contract, contractor, subaward, and subrecipient:
Contract: Contract means a legal instrument by which a non-Federal entity (defined as a state, local government, Indian tribe, institution of higher education (IHE), nonprofit organization, for-profit entity, foreign public entity, or a foreign organization that carries out a Federal award as a recipient or subrecipient) purchases property or services needed to carry out the project or program under a Federal award. The term as used in this FOA does not include a legal instrument, even if the non-Federal entity considers it a contract, when the substance of the transaction meets the definition of a Federal award or subaward (see definition of Subaward below).
Contractor: Contractor means an entity that receives a contract as defined above in Contract.
Subaward: Subaward means an award provided by a pass-through entity (defined as a non-Federal entity that provides a subaward to a subrecipient to carry out part of a Federal program) to a subrecipient for the subrecipient to carry out part of a Federal award received by the pass-through entity. It does not include payments to a contractor or payments to an individual that is a beneficiary of a Federal program. A subaward may be provided through any form of legal agreement, including an agreement that the pass-through entity considers a contract.
Subrecipient: Subrecipient means a non-Federal entity that receives a subaward from a pass-through entity to carry out part of a Federal program; but does not include an individual that is a beneficiary of such program. A subrecipient may also be a recipient of other Federal awards directly from a Federal awarding agency.
You must follow the provisions at 2 CFR 200.330-.332 regarding subrecipient monitoring and management. Also see 2 CFR 200.308(c)(6) regarding prior approval requirements for subawards. When awarding subawards, you are required to comply with provisions on governmentwide suspension and debarment found at 2 CFR Part 180 and codified by DOL at 29 CFR Part 98.
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 https://www.doleta.gov/grants/docs/GCFAQ.pdf .
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.
As a condition of grant award, grantees are required to participate in an evaluation if undertaken by DOL. The 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. 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 evaluation. As a part of the evaluation, as a condition of award, grantees must agree to: (1) make records available to the evaluation contractor on: participants, employers, and funding; (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) in the case of an impact analysis, 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 evaluation contractor under the direction of DOL.
You must meet DOL reporting requirements. Specifically, you must submit the reports and documents listed below to DOL electronically:
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. For other guidance on ETA’s financial reporting, reference Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 02-16 and on our webpage at https://www.doleta.gov/grants/financial_reporting.cfm.
You must submit a quarterly progress report within 45 days after the end of each calendar year quarter. The report must include quarterly information on grant activities, performance goals, and milestones. The last quarterly progress report will serve as the grant’s Final Performance Report. This report must provide both quarterly and cumulative information on the grant activities. It must summarize project activities, employment outcomes and other deliverables, and related results of the project, and must thoroughly document the training or labor market information approaches that you used. Submission requirements will be provided to grantees upon award. We will also provide you with guidance about the data and other information that is required to be collected and reported on either a regular basis or special request basis.
For further information about this FOA, please contact Michael Lessmeier, Grants Management Specialist, Office of Grants Management, at (202) 693-3323. Applicants should e-mail all technical questions to [email protected] and must specifically reference FOA-ETA-19-06, and along with question(s), include a contact name, fax and phone number. This Announcement is available on the ETA Web site at https://www.doleta.gov/grants and at https://www.grants.gov.
DOL maintains a number of web-based resources that may be of assistance to applicants. For example, the CareerOneStop portal (https://www.careeronestop.org), which provides national and state career information on occupations including information on occupational certifications (https://www.careeronestop.org/Toolkit/Training/find-certifications.aspx) and state occupational licenses (https://www.careeronestop.org/Toolkit/Training/find-licenses.aspx); and the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) Online (https://online.onetcenter.org) which provides occupational competency profiles and supports an extensive military to civilian crosswalk, see: https://www.onetcenter.org/crosswalks.html#military and https://www.mynextmove.org/vets/find/military. In addition, CareerOneStop provides an online reverse crosswalk (civilian to military) at: https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/civilian-to-military-translator.aspx. See also Appendix B—Resources.
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 https://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.
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 WorkforceGPS at: https://workforcegps.org.
We encourage you to view the online tutorial, “Grant Applications 101: A Plain English Guide to ETA Competitive Grants,” available through WorkforceGPS at: https://strategies.workforcegps.org/resources/2014/08/11/16/32/applying-for-eta-competitive-grants-a-web-based-toolkit-for-prospective-applicants-438?p=1.
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 https://strategies.workforcegps.org.
We created a technical assistance portal at https://www.workforcegps.org/resources/browse?id=b8dd0aa1ecfb4b2282d6cd30c7248790 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.
SkillsCommons (https://www.skillscommons.org) offers an online library of curriculum and related training resources to obtain industry-recognized credentials in manufacturing, IT, healthcare, energy, and other industries. The website contains thousands of Open Educational Resources (OER) for job-driven workforce development which were produced by grantees funded through the US Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) program. Community colleges and other training providers across the nation can reuse, revise, redistribute, and reorganize the OER on SkillsCommons for institutional, industry, and individual use.
OMB Information Collection No 1225-0086, Expires May 31, 2019.
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 YOUR GRANT APPLICATION TO THIS ADDRESS. ONLY SEND COMMENTS ABOUT THE BURDEN CAUSED BY THE COLLECTION OF INFORMATION TO THIS ADDRESS. SEND YOUR GRANT APPLICATION TO THE SPONSORING AGENCY AS SPECIFIED EARLIER IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.
This information is being collected for the purpose of awarding a grant. DOL will use the information collected through this “Funding Opportunity Announcement” to ensure that grants are awarded to the applicants best suited to perform the functions of the grant. This information is required to be considered for this grant.
Signed __________________, 2019, in Washington, D.C. by:
Melissa Abdullah
Grant Officer, Employment and Training Administration
Competency Assessment: Assessment to verify the transferrable competencies of veterans and transitioning servicemembers before awarding credit.
Accelerated Training Programs: Course credit for previous military training, advanced standing in existing programs, or bridge curriculum.
Bridge Curriculum: Accelerated programs for veterans that bridge gaps, provide veterans advanced standing in existing programs, or offer bridge courses that prepare veterans to enter existing programs.
Credit analysis: Analysis of credits gained during military occupational training as compared to credits gained during training for similar civilian occupations.
Credit gap: Discrepancy between the training servicemembers receive in a selected occupation and the training that civilians receive.
Credit recommendations: Recommendations of civilian academic credit (semester hour) points to be awarded for specific military education or training courses basic on an equivalency analysis.
Gap analysis: Analysis of the significant differences between military occupational training and training for similar civilian occupations.
Military Occupation Code (MOC): The Services have their own terminology for referring to military occupations. Within the Department of Defense, the term Military Occupation Code (MOC) is used to refer to the military occupations across all of the Services.
Open educational resources (OER): Free and openly licensed educational materials that can be used for teaching, learning, research, and other purposes.
Transitioning servicemembers (TSM): An individual separating or retiring from the U.S. Armed Forces. TSMs are considered as those Servicemembers who are within 12 months of separation or within 24 months of retirement
Credit analysis: Guide To The Evaluation Of Educational Experiences In The Armed Services: https://2014.accreditation.ncsu.edu/pages/3.4/3.4.4/College_Credit_for_Service.pdf
Gap analysis: A Comparison of Selected Military Health Care Occupation Curricula with a Standard Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Curriculum: https://www.ncsbn.org/16_NCSBNAnalyiss_MilitaryLPNVN.pdf
State demonstration strategies: Veterans’ Licensing and Certification Demonstration: A Summary of State Experiences, Preliminary Findings, and Cost Estimates: https://www.dol.gov/vets/media/Veterans_Demonstration_Final%20Report_9_28_v2.pdf
Resources for open-source learning platforms and tools for developing accessible online and technology-enabled learning materials can be found at http://open4us.org/resources/.
Best Practices on Awarding Academic Credit: Academic Credit For Separating Service Member Best Practices
http://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/USA4/2016/best-practices/SM-Academic-Credit-BPI6.pdf
Improving Access to Licensed Occupations for Veterans and Military Families, National Conference of State Legislatures, 2018, http://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/barriers-to-work-veterans-and-military-spouses.aspx
National Occupational Licensing Database at: http://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/occupational-licensing.aspx with information on the licensing requirements for 34 subbaccalaurate occupations for all 50 states.
Activity |
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Implementer(s) |
Costs |
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Time |
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Activity #1 |
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Strategy Total: Year 1: Year 2: Year3: |
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Start Date: End Date” Milestones” |
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Deliverable #1 |
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Strategy Total: Year 1: Year 2: Year3: |
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Start Date: End Date” Milestones |
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Activity #2 |
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Strategy Total: Year 1: Year 2: Year3: |
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Start Date: End Date” Milestones |
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Deliverable #2 |
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Strategy Total: Year 1: Year 2: Year3: |
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Start Date: End Date” Milestones |
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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.
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