State Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL)

EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION ADVISORY SYSTEM U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Washington, D.C. 20210	CLASSIFICATION
	CORRESPONDENCE SYMBOL OA
	DATE

ADVISORY: TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER NO. XX-XX

TO: STATE GOVERNORS

STATE WORKFORCE AGENCIES

STATE WORKFORCE ADMINISTRATORS

STATE APPRENTICESHIP AGENCIES

STATE DIRECTORS, OFFICE OF APPRENTICESHIP

STATE WORKFORCE LIAISONS

STATE AND LOCAL WORKFORCE BOARD CHAIRS AND DIRECTORS

STATE EDUCATION AGENCIES

FROM: MOLLY E. CONWAY

Acting Assistant Secretary

SUBJECT: Availability of Program Year 18 Funding for State Apprenticeship Expansion

1. Purpose

To announce the availability of $73 million in Program Year (PY 18) funds to States to increase the number of apprentices in Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs). To announce allotment levels and application procedures. To provide guidance on the use of funds.

This guidance announces the phasing out of State Apprenticeship Expansion grants (FOA-ETA-16-13) and plans to further support statewide apprenticeship expansion by granting PY 18 apprenticeship funds appropriated under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-141) to States, as defined at 29 CFR Section 29.2. The term “State” means “any of the 50 States of the United States, District of Columbia, or any Territory or possession of the United States.”

2. Background

In June 2016, the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) published FOA-ETA-16-13, announcing the availability of over $50 million to support statewide apprenticeship expansion efforts. States¹ were encouraged to use these funds to develop and implement a variety of strategies to increase the number of apprentices in RAPs; increase the diversity of apprenticeship participants; expand apprenticeship opportunities in new industries; and increase capacity to support the development and oversight of apprenticeship programs statewide. To build on the successes generated through this earlier funding, ETA is announcing the opportunity for States to obtain funding to support short-term and long-term apprenticeship expansion efforts. Continuation funding to the States is subject to the sole discretion of the Department of Labor (DOL) and contingent upon the availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the grantee’s project, and adequate stewardship of federal funds

According to the November 2018 Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, there are 6.9 million job openings in the United States,² and employers face several issues in filling these openings, including worker skill shortages, gaps in educational attainment, credentialing, and the aging of the U.S. workforce. To accelerate solutions to this important issue, in June 2017, the President issued Executive Order 13801 on Expanding Apprenticeship in America, which lays out an expansive vision for apprenticeship to increase the number of apprentices in the nation to an unprecedented level across all industries.

Apprenticeship is an industry-driven, high-quality career pathway where employers can develop and prepare their future workforce, and individuals can obtain paid work experience, classroom instruction, and a portable, nationally-recognized credential. The Executive Order directs the Federal government to “promote apprenticeships and effective workforce development programs.”

Since January 1, 2017, the Department’s Office of Apprenticeship data indicates more than 499,500³ apprentices have been enrolled in programs across the country, and each day more companies are embracing apprenticeship as a workforce solution. States, with industry and employer partners, are critical leaders in apprenticeship expansion. In recent years, governors and state legislatures have recognized apprenticeship as an effective strategy for meeting the needs of businesses, keeping up with a rapidly changing economy, building a skilled workforce, and accelerating growth that leads to economic opportunity for workers and families. States are raising awareness of apprenticeship, embedding apprenticeship into education and workforce development systems, increasing diversity among apprentices, and investing in new partnerships and programs.

3. Contents

Section	Section Heading	Page #
4	Primary Goals of Apprenticeship Expansion Funding	3
5	Eligible Applicants	4
6	Award Information	4
7	Required Activities	6
8	Funding Restrictions	9
9	Application Submission	10
10	Application Review and Award	13 15
11	Administrative Program Requirements	15
12	ETA Evaluation	16
13	Reporting Requirements	16
14	Grant Recipient Training	18
15	Agency Contacts	18
16	OMB Information Collection	18
17	Action Requested	19
18	References	19
19	Attachments	19
I	Allotment Table	20
II	References	21
III	Project Narrative Required Elements	22
IV	Suggested Timeline/Workplan	26
V	Suggested Performance Outcome Measures Table	30
VI	Budget Narrative Guidance Information	32
VII	Required Governor or Chief Elected Office Letter	34
VIII	Suggested Project Attestation	35

4. Primary Goals of Apprenticeship Expansion Funding

This new funding opportunity has three primary goals:

1. To expand the number of apprentices in RAPs nationwide;

2. To support and encourage RAP diversification, including increasing the diversity of apprentices and growing apprenticeship across industry sectors; and

3. To support the integration of RAPs into state workforce development, education, and economic development strategies and programs, ensuring that apprenticeship is a viable career path for youth, adults, career seekers as well as a valuable workforce development strategy for businesses.

4. Eligible Applicants

Eligible entities are States, as defined at 29 CFR Section 29.2. The term “State” means “any of the 50 States of the United States, District of Columbia, or any Territory or possession of the United States.”

States (the Governor’s Office) must identify the State agency that will be the grant recipient (e.g., State Workforce Agency eligible for funding under Title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), State Educational Agency, or State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA)). This entity will have sole responsibility for administering the project and will serve as the grant’s fiscal agent. For States with federally recognized SAAs, the SAA must be included as a partner. Each State is limited to one individual application for consideration under this opportunity.

A letter from the Governor (or chief elected official) must be included in the application to designate the applicant Agency authorized to submit the State’s application. If more than one application is received from a State, the one including the designation from the Governor (or chief elected official) will be considered the eligible entity. If more than one application is received from a State and no Governor’s letter (or letter from the chief elected official) is included with either, or more than one application is received from a State and a Governor’s letter is included for both, ETA, in consultation with the Governor (or chief elected official), will make the determination of which Agency will receive the award. No more than one award per State will be executed.

5. Award Information

This funding is authorized by Division H, Title I of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-141), and will be awarded under CFDA Number 17.285.

Applications are due by April/May XX, 2019 <<insert date here: min 30 days after publication>>. Should an application not be received by 11:59:59 P.M. on the closing date of the funding opportunity, the State will forfeit the opportunity to receive this funding.

This funding, although available through a Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL), will be treated by ETA and the Department’s Regional Offices as a discretionary grant, and will be subject to the Terms and Conditions of the Grant Agreement. To the extent that program or policy issues need to be addressed, the Office of Apprenticeship (OA) reserves the right to issue other program guidance in support of these grants (including any forthcoming TEGL or Training and Employment Notice (TEN)), clarify guidance through Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), or through special conditions.

The Department established apprenticeship allotments for States, utilizing the following factors:

• $99,000 set aside for distribution to Guam, Virgin Islands, Palau, Northern Marianas, and American Samoa allocated following the 2/3 formula below.

• The remaining funding is then allocated by formula

  • 1/3 as a minimum allotment to all 57 eligible States

  • 2/3 allocated as follows:

    • Fifty percent is based on each State’s relative share of Total Registered Apprentices (RAPIDS FY 2018 ending 9/30/18);

    • Fifty percent is based on:

      • 33 percent of each State’s relative share of total job openings within Bureau of Labor Statistics designated Region (November 2018 JOLTZ Report, seasonally adjusted July-November 2018);

      • 33 percent of each State’s relative share of total unemployed in areas of substantial unemployment (average 12 months ending 9/30/18);

      • 33 percent of each State’s relative Civilian Share of Total Workforce (average 12 months ending 9/30/18).

The Department applied this funding formula and the available allotments for each state are listed in Attachment I.

Fiscal and Administrative Responsibility:

Upon award, the grantee will have overall fiscal and administrative responsibility for the award, including any performance of sub-awardees. This responsibility may not be delegated. As part of their responsibility for the award, the recipient shall be:

• the point of contact with the Department to receive and respond to all inquiries or communications under this award and any sub-awards;

• the entity with authority to withdraw or draw down funds;

• the entity responsible for submitting to the Department all deliverables under the award, including all related technical and financial reports, regardless of which partnership member performed the work;

• the entity that may request modifications to the award or statement of work;

• the entity with overall responsibility for carrying out programmatic functions of the award, as well as the stewardship of all expenditures under the award;

• the entity responsible for coordinating with the national evaluator; and

• the entity responsible for working with the Department to close out the award at the end of the period of performance.

6. Required Activities

Grantees must use grant funds from this allotment to: fully integrate apprenticeship into state workforce development, education, and economic development strategies and programs; support the rapid development of new registered apprenticeship programs and/or the significant expansion of existing registered programs; support the development and recruitment of a diverse pipeline of apprentices; and build state capacity to make it easier for industry to start registered apprenticeship programs and for apprentices to access opportunities.

System-Level Activities.

Grant funds must be directed to support system alignment activities including all of the system-level activities listed below. Additionally, States are expected to expand upon current work while also beginning new work, and not merely restate or resubmit previous statements or work commenced through previous solicitations and funding opportunities.

• Strategic planning and capacity building to support system alignment, and acquiring subject matter expertise to embed apprenticeship as a key workforce development strategy for employers within the State. This includes enhancing the capacity of state and local staff to conduct outreach and work with employers to start new programs and creating coordinated business engagement strategies.

• Outreach and communication activities for engaging industry, jobseekers, parents, educators, underrepresented populations, and other critical stakeholders; explaining the benefits of apprenticeship and generating further support across the State; and facilitating system alignment.

• Partner engagement activities, such as industry roundtable events, peer-to-peer exchanges, state apprenticeship partnership institutes; inter-agency partnership development; secondary and post-secondary educational institution partnerships; and apprenticeship trainings to further support system alignment.

• Youth Apprenticeship development should be developed as both a system-level and service-delivery strategy to recruit and serve new talent from the bottom-up.

• Apprenticeship incentives such as state apprenticeship training funds, state-level incentives/credits for RAPs, support for apprenticeship training costs and supportive services for apprentices, and other types of support for employers, industry associations, or workforce intermediaries.

• Integration of apprenticeship program opportunities and/or apprenticeship program sponsors into the eligible training provider lists approved for training assistance through WIOA to allow referrals to career seekers registering for training-related services.

• Apprenticeship program administration activities to enhance the efficiency of program review and registration, program quality, and outcome measurement, as well as grant management activities associated with these funds, such as project management, data collection and grant reporting, grant monitoring, and evaluation.

• Data sharing and integrity upgrades which should include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Modernization of state workforce data systems to ensure tracking of apprentices receiving grant-funded services.

  • Modernization of IT systems, such as enhancing data collection capabilities and reporting of programmatic data (discussed in further detail in Section 13).

    • This includes ensuring data collection and reporting capability for these grant to report individual record level data (PIRL layout to be specified by ETA); an associated Quarterly Narrative Report (QNR); and, employer record to capture apprenticeship outreach efforts (to be specified by ETA).

      • In addition to grantee performance reporting noted above, the State can consider leveraging the Office of Apprenticeship’s RAPIDS 2.0 apprenticeship registration system. Currently 37 states are using this agile system at no cost to manage all apprenticeship programming occurring in the State.

Program-Level Activities. Grant funds must be directed to include the following program-level activities that support comprehensive service delivery:

• The development of curricula and standards for RAPs.

• Support and technical assistance for sponsors in the development of apprenticeship programs and registration standards.

• Support and training for mentors of apprentices.

• Recruitment, screening and enrollment of registered apprentices, including those from underrepresented populations, such as women, youth, communities of color, Native Americans, Veterans, and persons with disabilities.

• The development of pre-apprenticeship programs and other on-ramps to apprenticeship to help support the enrollment of apprentices, for example through direct entry from a pre-apprenticeship into a RAP as a means of selection. For expenditures to be allowable, pre-apprenticeship programs must meet the definition and framework established through Training and Employment Notice No. 13-12, Defining a Quality Pre-Apprenticeship Program and Related Tools and Resources, available at: https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?docn=5842. NOTE: Pre-apprentices shall not be considered participants for the purposes of this grant.

• A portion of grant funds must be used to support participants/apprentices in on-the-job learning and related instruction. Eligible participants are persons 16 years of age and older who are not enrolled in an apprenticeship program at the time of initial grant service.

• Up to 10 percent of grant funds may be used to provide supportive services to enrolled participants.

Eligible Participants and Minimum Service Levels. Applicants must design strategies that will serve at least the minimum number of participants provided below for their allotment range. ETA encourages applicants to serve more than the minimum thresholds. Future funding levels may be determined utilizing factors that reward States for surpassing these minimum thresholds.

Minimum Goals for Participants Served During the Grant Period Based on Allotment
Allotment		Minimum Participants Served*
$400,000 - $500,000		225
$500,001 - $750,000		315
$750,001 - $1,000,000		440
$1,000,001 - $2,225,000		800
$2,225,001 - $4,000,000		1,550

*The goals listed above identify the minimum number of new apprentices in RAPs the project must serve during the grant period, based on the funding amount. These are minimum goals applicants must propose for the numbers of apprentices to be served through the grant, and applicants are strongly encouraged to serve more than the minimum thresholds. NOTE: Pre-apprentices shall not be considered participants for the purposes of this grant. NOTE: Participant in RAPs data reporting must be derived exclusively from grant-related tracking. The DOL’s Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Data System (RAPIDS 2.0), is not a source for grant-related performance tracking.

Eligible participants are persons 16 years of age and older who are not enrolled in a Registered Apprenticeship program at the time of participation. This is to ensure grant funds are generating new apprenticeship opportunities rather than counting individual already enrolled in a program. NOTE: Participants must be comprised those newly enrolled in a RAP.

7. Funding Restrictions

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 found at 2 CFR Part 200 (Uniform Guidance) and 2 CFR Part 2900 (Uniform Guidance – DOL Specific). Compensation, including salaries, must be handled consistently with the Uniform Guidance, including 2 CFR 200.430. Disallowed costs are those charges to a grant which 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.

Wherever possible, states must make efforts to streamline the programmatic and administrative activities and services listed in this section by minimizing duplication and effectively using information technology to improve services and leveraging resources across programs.

The following limitations apply to funds awarded under this TEGL:

• Participant Wages: Grant funds may not be used to directly pay participant wages.

• On-the-Job Learning: Grant funds may be used to support on-the-job learning to reimburse employers for the extraordinary costs of apprenticeship OJL. Reimbursement can be calculated up to 50 percent of the apprentice wage. Grantees must document the terms of reimbursement, including the length of time the reimbursement will occur.

• Pre-Apprenticeship: Any pre-apprenticeship activities funded with these grant funds must conform to the framework established through Training and Employment Notice (TEN) No. 13-12, Defining a Quality Pre-Apprenticeship Program and Related Tools and Resources, available at: https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?docn=5842. NOTE: While expenditures may be made on pre-apprenticeship programs as outlined above, pre-apprentices shall not be considered participants for the purposes of this grant.

• Salary caps: Salary caps are imposed under P.L. 115-141, Division H, Title I, sec. 105. No funds under the header “Employment and Training Administration” shall be used by a recipient or sub-recipient to pay the salary and/or bonus of an individual, either as direct costs or indirect costs, at a rate in excess of Executive Level II. The rates of basic pay for the Executive Schedule are found at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/. States may establish lower salary caps but may not exceed them.

• Supportive Services: To further integrate apprenticeship with the public workforce system, grantees are strongly encouraged to leverage WIOA funding wherever possible to coordinate the provision of supportive services (see TEGL -19-16, Guidance on Services Provided through the Adult and Dislocated Worker Programs under the [WIOA] and the Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Service (ES), as amended by title III of WIOA, and for Implementation of the WIOA Final Rules).

• Equipment: Equipment purchases and other capital expenditures (as defined in 2 CFR 200.439, 200.89 and 200.48) purchases are not an allowable cost under this announcement. DOL will not approve any such expenses using funds from this grant.

8. Application Submission

Applications must be received by 11:59:59 PM EDT on April/May XX, 2019 <<insert date here: min 30 days after publication>>to be considered for funding. ETA plans to award these grants in June 2019 with a 36-month period of performance to commence July 1, 2019.

1. Required Documents

In an effort to achieve greater efficiency and as part of ETA’s on-going effort to streamline the grant award process, applicants are required to submit the following items through Grants.gov at https://www.grants.gov/:

1. SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance”

• The SF-424 (available at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1) must clearly identify the applicant entity and must be submitted 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 http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF424B-V1.1.pdf ). Applicants do not need to submit the SF-424B with the application.

2. Project Budget, to include:

• The SF-424A “Budget Information Form”

(available at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1).

• Budget Narrative

The Budget Narrative must provide a concise description of costs associated with each line item on the SF-424A. (see Attachment VI for further guidance)

3. Project Narrative

A Project Narrative describing the state’s apprenticeship expansion goals, strategies, key milestones and outcomes including, as appropriate, how prior efforts to expand apprenticeship (e.g., through the SAE FOA) will be taken to the next level (see Attachment III for details).

4. Timeline/Workplan (see suggested template in Attachment IV).

5. Performance Outcome Measures Table (see suggested template in Attachment V for details).

6. A letter from the Governor or chief elected official (see Attachment VII for details).

7. Project Attestation Confirmation (see suggested template in Attachment VIII for details).

2. Grants.gov Submission Process

Applicants must submit the application package through Grants.gov. This submission process may at times be complicated and time-consuming. As such, DOL strongly encourages applicants to initiate the process as soon as possible, in order to allow time to resolve unanticipated technical problems. Applicants needing to register with Grants.gov may do so here: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html. Registration is a one-time process, and applicants that already have a Grants.gov account do not need to register again.

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 web forms within an application. For complete workspace overview, refer to: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/wprkspace-overview.html.

Requirement for DUNS Number.

Submission requirements stipulate that 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, applicant can get one for free through the D&B website: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do.

Grant recipients authorized to make sub-awards must meet these requirements related to DUNS Numbers:

•Grant recipients must notify potential sub-awardees that no entity may receive a sub-award from applicant unless the entity has provided its DUNS number to applicant.

•Grant recipients may not make a sub-award to an entity unless the entity has provided its DUNS number to applicant.

(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 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.

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 (e.g., no other Attachment may have the same file name). You may use an underscore (example: My_Attached_File.pdf) to separate a file name.

For technical issues encountered during application submission, applicants may call 800-518-4726 or 606-545-5035 to speak to a Customer Support Representative, or email [email protected]. The Contact Center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but closes on federal holidays.

9. Application Review and Award

Proposals will first be screened to determine if the applicant meets the eligibility requirements enumerated in Section 5. All required elements outlined in Section 9.a of this announcement must be submitted. Applications that do not include an SF-424, SF-424a, and Project Narrative will be considered non-response. Submissions will only be accepted via www.grants.gov. Submission via other electronic mediums will not be accepted, nor will hard copy submissions.

ETA officials will form a Technical Evaluation Committee to assess the response of an accepted application’s associated documents as indicated below (see Section 9.a). ETA intends to fund awards for any applicants (i) who adequately demonstrate their ability to achieve grant goals through a clear, detailed, and reasonable program narrative and (ii) whose budget and budget narrative are sufficient to support the activities in the program narrative. This includes adequate staffing levels to support grant goals and grant management.

The review and selection process will proceed as follows:

1. An initial review of proposals for eligibility, sufficiency, and completeness will be conducted by the Office of Grants Management (OGM) staff;

2. Evaluations of the technical merits of each accepted proposal addressing the items indicated in Attachments III through VIII (the Technical Review) will be conducted by the Technical Evaluation Committee;

3. Evaluations of the cost components of each accepted proposal (the Budget Review) will be conducted by the Technical Evaluation Committee;

4. Proposals recommended for award will be funded via Notices of Award attached to a Grant Agreement issued by the Grant Officer of Record and may or may not have ‘Special Conditions’ requiring additional response based on the outcome of the Technical Evaluation Committee review.

ETA may elect to award a grant 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, which constitutes a binding offer by the applicant. NOTE: The Department will determine if the applicant had any restriction on spending for any ETA grant due to adverse monitoring findings within the past three years. Depending on the severity of the findings, the Grant Officer may elect to not provide the applicant a grant award or to impose conditions on the award.

All applications deemed to be complete and responsive by the Grant Officer will go through a risk review process. Before making an award, ETA will review information available through any OMB-designated repository of government-wide eligibility qualification or federal integrity information, such as the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity System (FAPIIS), Dun and Bradstreet, and “Do Not Pay.” Additionally, ETA will comply with the requirements of 2 CFR Part 180 (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 (technical review). If ETA determines that an entity is responsible and an award will be made, special conditions that correspond to the degree of risk assessed may be applied to the award. Risk-related criteria 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 available, the extent to which any previously awarded amounts will be expended prior to future awards;

(4) Reports and findings from audits performed under Sub-part F – Audit Requirements of the Uniform Grant Guidance (2 CFR Sections 200.500 – 200.520) or the reports and findings of any other available audits and monitoring reports containing finds, issues of non-compliance, or questioned costs; and

(5) The applicant’s ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements imposed on recipients.

Selection of an organization as a recipient does not constitute approval of the grant application as submitted. Before the actual grant is awarded, DOL 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. The Department reserves the right to not fund any application related to this TEGL.

Except as specifically provided in this TEGL, 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.

10. Administrative Program Requirements

All grantees will be subject to all applicable Federal laws, regulations (including the OMB Uniform Guidance), and the terms and conditions of the award. The grant(s) awarded under this TEGL will be subject to the following administrative standards and provisions:

1. 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).

2. All entities must comply with 29 CFR Part 93 (New Restrictions on Lobbying), 29 CFR Part 94 (Government-wide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Financial Assistance)), 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).

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 29 CFR Part 32-Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance.

6. 29 CFR Part 35- Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Age in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance from the Department of Labor.

7. 29 CFR Part 36-Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance.

8. 29 CFR Parts 29 and 30-Labor Standards for the Registration of Apprenticeship Programs, and Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship and Training, as applicable.

9. General Terms and Conditions of Award - https://doleta.gov/grants/pdf/18StandTermsConds.pdf

11. ETA Evaluation

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.

12. Reporting Requirements

Grant recipients must meet DOL reporting requirements, including the electronic submission of the following reports:

A. Quarterly Financial Reports

A Quarterly Financial Status Report (ETA 9130) is required until such time as all funds have been expended or the grant period has expired. Quarterly reports are due 45 days after the end of each calendar year quarter. On the final Financial Status Report, grantees must include any sub-award amounts to enable ETA to calculate final indirect costs, if applicable. Grantees must use DOL’s Online Electronic Reporting System; 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 the webpage at: https://www.doleta.gov/grants/financial_reporting.cfm.

B. Quarterly Performance Reports

You must submit a quarterly progress report within 45 days after the end of each calendar year quarter. This report includes a quarterly narrative report that

details all grant activities that occurred during the quarter, as well as a quarterly

performance report, which is produced online using a data file upload function

that contains participant records. In order to submit these quarterly reports, the

grantee will be expected to track and report on certain participant-level data to

ETA, including Social Security Numbers (SSNs), on all individuals who are

provided grant-funded services. The SSN information allows ETA to efficiently

match employment data from state unemployment insurance and other wage

records. Thus, the collection of participant SSNs lessens the burden on grantees

in tracking exit-based employment measures (WIOA Primary Indicators of

Performance), while permitting consistent and reliable outcome information to

be produced regarding the program. Performance reporting for these grants will

align with the WIOA performance reporting requirements.

The last quarterly progress report will serve as the grant’s Final Performance

Report. This report must provide both quarterly and cumulative information on

the grant activities. It must summarize project activities, employment outcomes

and other deliverables, and related results of the project, and must thoroughly

document the training or labor market information approaches that you used.

• During the course of this grant period of performance, these awards will transition to utilizing ETA’s electronic program reporting system (Workforce Information Processing System or WIPS) for reporting purposes. Once development is complete, we will provide you with an online reporting system, along with detailed formal guidance about the data and other information that is required to be collected and reported, on either a regular basis or a special request basis.

• To support general stewardship and programmatic accountability of these funds, updates to the DOL-only PIRL (OMB Control No. 1205-0521) is under development to accommodate apprenticeship funded grant opportunities. ETA intends to seek OMB approval to add data elements specific to apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship to the DOL-only PIRL. Applicants may view the current OMB-approved reporting requirements that will apply to these grants, OMB Control No. 1205-0521.

C. State Apprenticeship Expansion Annual Report

State Apprenticeship Expansion Annual Reports must be submitted on an annual basis, no later than 30-days after the anniversary of grant award. Grantees must provide a report to ETA that provides analysis on the industry sectors and occupations participating in Registered Apprenticeship; progress against grant goals; and update the workplan to include key goals and milestones for the coming year.

13. Grant Recipient Training

Grantees are required to participate in all ETA training activities related to grantee orientation, financial management and reporting, performance reporting, product dissemination, and other technical assistance training as appropriate during the grant period. These sessions may occur via conference calls, virtual events such as webinars, and in-person meetings. Applicants should budget for two staff members to attend one in-person event in Washington D.C. of two nights duration, and one in-person event within their DOL Region of two-night duration, during the life of the award.

For grantees whose apprenticeship programs are federally administered, this will include a meeting between the state, the ETA Office of Apprenticeship, and the OA state director to discuss the state’s grant goals and the role OA can play in supporting those goals. This meeting will take place within the first quarter of grant award.

14. Agency Contacts

Please direct questions regarding this funding opportunity to Elizabeth DeHart, Grants Management Specialist, Office of Grants Management, at [email protected], specifically referencing “ETA-TEGL-XX-XX”. Applicants should include a contact name, phone number and email with all questions to provide a means of response. This announcement is available on the ETA Web site at http://www.doleta.gov and at: https://www.grants.gov.

15. OMB Information Collection

OMB Information Collection. 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. A respondent’s reply to these reporting requirements is required to obtain or retain benefits (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, Section 116). 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.

This information is being collected for the purpose of awarding a grant. The Department will use the information collected through this solicitation 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.

16. Action Requested

States must submit all of the requested documents detailed in Section 9.a. to www.Grants.gov no later than 11:59:59 pm April/May XX, 2019.

17. References

See Attachment II.

18. Attachments

I	Allotment Table
II	ReferencesProject Narrative Required ElementsProject Narrative Required ElementsProject Narrative Required Elements
III	Project Narrative Required Elements
IV	Suggested Timeline/Workplan
V	Suggested Performance Outcome Measures Table
VI	Budget Narrative Guidance InformationRequired Governor or Chief Elected Office Letter
VII	Required Governor or Chief Elected Office Letter
VIII	Project Attestation

References

• Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-141)

• WIOA (Pub. L. 113-128)

• WIOA Final Regulations for Title I Programs (Federal Register Vol. 81, No. 161, August 19, 2016)

• National Apprenticeship Act of 1937 (Pub. L. 75-308)

• FOA-ETA-16-13 – Notice of Availability of Funds and Funding Opportunity Announcement For ApprenticeshipUSA State Expansion Grants

• Training and Employment Notice (TEN) 44-11, Encouraging Enhanced Partnerships and Collaboration between the Workforce Investment System and RAPs

• TEN 13-12, Defining a Quality Pre-Apprenticeship Program and Related Tools and Resources

• TEN 3-18, Creating Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs to Expand Opportunity in America

• Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 19-16, Guidance on Services provided through the Adult and Dislocated Worker Programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and the Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Service (ES), as amended by title III of WIOA, and for Implementation of the WIOA Final Rules

• TEGL 13-16, Guidance on Registered Apprenticeship Provisions and Opportunities in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)

• TEGL 23-15, The Process for Making High Risk Determinations after Award and the Associated Risk Mitigation Procedures

• TEGL 2-16, Revised ETA-9130 Financial Report, Instructions, and Additional Guidance

Project Narrative Required Elements

Please use the format below to develop your project narrative. The final narrative is limited to 15 double-spaced single-sided 8 x 11 inch pages with Times New Roman font and 1 inch margins. Applicants must number the Project Narrative beginning with page number “1”.

Applicant Organization:

Current Status of Registered Apprenticeship in the State

• Number of Existing Registered Apprenticeship Sponsors

• Number of Existing RAPs

• Key Industries and Occupations with Apprenticeship Programs

• Number of Registered Apprentices

  • Aggregate Apprentice Demographic Information (i.e. gender, race, ethnicity, underrepresented populations)

• Current State Capacity/Structure for Program Development/Outreach/Etc.

• Current Pipelines into Apprenticeship

Registered Apprenticeship Expansion Goals

Please describe the state’s apprenticeship goals for these grant funds as outlined per sections 4, 7-11, 13 of the TEGL. Goals should be measurable and realistic based on the size of the allotment.

Registered Apprenticeship Expansion Strategies

Describe the specific strategies the state will undertake using the grant funds to expand apprenticeship in the state and achieve the specific goals identified above. These strategies must include both program-level and system-level activities as described under the Required Activities section of the TEGL. States should also provide a summary of key apprenticeship strategies that are already underway.

System Design Elements

Each grant proposal must include System Design strategies that result in the following deliverables:

• Annual Apprenticeship Report

• Data System/Integrity Upgrades

Investments must result in data integrity upgrades that improve a State’s ability to administer, track, and report on both apprentices, apprenticeship program enrollments.. Data integrity upgrades should include, but are not limited to the following:

• Integration of apprenticeship program opportunities and/or apprenticeship program sponsors into the eligible training provider lists approved for training assistance through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to allow referrals to career seekers registering for training-related classroom-type services.

• Development/Utilization of participant tracking system specifically for grant-related reporting purposes.

  • Should contain individual records for each participant to include export of .csv data files compatible with the Workforce Integrated Performance System (WIPS).

  • NOTE: Participant data reporting must be derived exclusively from grant-related tracking mechanisms. The USDOL’s Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Data System (RAPIDS 2.0), is not a source for grant-related performance tracking. Data integrity upgrades, however, that include adoption of, or integration with the RAPIDS system for the purposes of tracking, and reporting to USDOL overall State apprenticeship data are an allowable activity under this award.

Direct Participant Services

Program level activities must address individual participant training needs, provide customized participant supportive services, and lead to job placement in middle- to high-skilled jobs upon completion of the apprenticeship program.

Strategies must also help address the talent pipeline needs of target industries. with evidence of projected demand through the use of data references such as Bureau of Labor Statistics or other DOL sources, state workforce agency sources, employers, or other written labor market information provided by employers or other knowledgeable parties.

1. Utilizing sources mentioned above, programs must propose expanding apprenticeships which support middle- to high-skilled jobs that:

• Are projected to add substantial numbers of new jobs in the State and/or regional economy; and

• Have substantial job vacancies currently available; and

• Have a significant impact on the regional economy overall, or on the growth of targeted industries and occupations.

2. Outreach and Recruitment:

Program level activities must include clear strategies for identifying, recruiting and enrolling eligible participants, including plans to provide a cohesive streamlined set of services designed to meet the training and participant supportive service needs of each individual served. Strategies should include the general population, but descriptions of specific outreach strategies to increase apprenticeship opportunities for all American workers, particularly low-income individuals and underrepresented populations in apprenticeship including youth, women, communities of color, Native Americans, Veterans, persons with disabilities and ex-offenders.

3. Supportive and Referral Service(s):

The inclusion of supportive and/or referral services that complement apprenticeship activities for the targeted population is required. Applicants must include strategies for incorporating a comprehensive set of supportive and/or referral services based on individual assessment and career counseling through the Office of Apprenticeship, a federally-recognized State Apprenticeship Agency and/or an American Job Center (AJC) in support of family and individual needs. Supportive and referral service strategies should include at a minimum:

• An assessment of participant supportive service needs, such as transportation, financial aid or other resources necessary to attend and complete training including assistance with tuition or fees for child care services provided during training.

4. Placement and Enrollment:

Placement must be in a Registered Apprenticeship program. Enrollment in an apprenticeship program must be conducted through a State Apprenticeship Agency or the Office of Apprenticeship to be considered a participant for quarterly reporting and outcome purposes. NOTE: Pre-apprentices shall not be considered participants for the purposes of this grant.

5. Apprenticeship Trainings Services:

Discuss the use of funds to support on-the-job learning and/or related technical instruction (i.e., classroom training) component of the apprentices served under the grant.

6. Expected Program Activity Outcomes and Outputs:

Placement must be in a RAP.

Staffing Plan and Organizational Structure

Provide a detailed organizational chart that identifies the lead applicant and any proposed partners. The chart must describe the structure of the relationships of all partners involved in the apprenticeship expansion strategies. The chart must also identify the proposed staffing plan to illustrate the capacity to carry out the proposed project. The staffing plan must describe the qualifications and experience of all technical, managerial, and administrative staff to fulfill the needs and requirements of the proposed project. Such qualifications and experience must demonstrate the ability to manage fiscal, administrative management, and technical project tasks and manage any procurement and sub-award activities in the project.

Minimum FTEs: For the duration of this project, including any possible no-cost extensions and through close-out, projects must include a minimum of:

• Three (3) FTEs, not to be split, dedicated to this project for allotment levels above $1,000,000

• Two (2) FTEs, not to be split, dedicated to this project for allotment levels between $600,001 and $1,000,000

• One (1) FTE, not to be split, dedicated to this project for allotment levels less than $600,000.

Performance Outcomes

Minimum Goals for Participants Served During the Grant Period Based on Allotment
Allotment		Minimum Participants Served*
$400,000 - $500,000		225
$500,001 - $750,000		315
$750,001 - $1,000,000		440
$1,000,001 - $2,225,000		800
$2,225,001 - $4,000,000		1,550

*The goals listed above identify the minimum number of new apprentices in RAPs the project must serve during the grant period, based on the funding amount. These are minimum goals applicants must propose for the numbers of apprentices to be served through the grant, and applicants are strongly encouraged to serve more than the minimum thresholds.

NOTE: Pre-apprentices shall not be considered participants for the purposes of this grant.

NOTE: Participant in RAPs data reporting must be derived exclusively from grant-related tracking. The DOL’s Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Data System (RAPIDS 2.0), is not a source for grant-related performance tracking.

Suggested Timeline/Workplan

Using the suggested workplan table format below, provide an overview of activities, timelines, and key milestones. The workplan must clearly describe short-term, mid-term, and long-term milestones, and must include all of the following:

• Project Goals: The overarching achievements that will be pursued.

• Milestones: The key markers of grant progress. These are typically expressed in the form of an action or event marking a significant change or stage in development.

• Key Activities: The major activities of the state’s apprenticeship expansion strategies, including timeframes for expanding existing apprenticeship programs, deployment of new apprenticeship programs, and/or enrollment of new participants in apprenticeship training.

• Outcomes and Deliverables: The number of participants served, the required annual report, and other outcomes and deliverables of the project.

• Key partners: The partners identified for key activities.

Key Partners
Organization Name	Partnership MOU Status	Website	Contact name/email

• Please Note: Applicants may replicate this chart in order to submit information on all activities and deliverables proposed during the period of performance.

EXAMPLE GOAL:	Exceed the minimum participant threshold
Activity: hold additional recruitment events	thoroughly plan, widely publicize, and conduct additional recruitment events/month beyond current level	Lead/Support Implementer (s):	<grantee organization> 1 statewide apprenticeship sponsor min/event 5 local apprenticeship sponsors min/event
Deliverable(s): 360 registered apprentices beyond the minimum performance goal	enroll at least 120 Registered Apprentices/year of grant = additional 10 Registered Apprentices/ month of grant performance
Milestones	Timeframe	Deliverable Dates
Identify 6 Statewide sponsors (2 events/year)	Month 1 of pop	Start:	15 July 2019
Data driven determination rotation of counties for additional events	Month 1 of pop	End:	End of pop
Identify 5 local sponsors/ county for first 6 months of county rotations	Month 1-2 of pop	Annual Costs
Identify first two event locations and start event planning	Month 1-2 of pop	Year 1	$ 18,000/year to identify and plan, and execute 10 events
Develop Statewide sponsor schedules and allocate to first two events, recruit local sponsors	Month 1-2 of pop	Year 2	$20,000/year to identify and plan, and execute 12 events
Finalize planning, hold first event	No later than month 3 of pop	Year 3	$ 20,000/year to identify and plan, and execute 12 events
		TOTAL	$ 58,000

GOAL #1
Activity:		Lead/Support Implementer (s)
Deliverable (s):
Milestones	Timeframe	Deliverable Dates
		Start:
		End:
		Annual Costs
		Year 1	$
		Year 2	$
		Year 3	$
		TOTAL	$

GOAL #2
Activity:		Lead/Support Implementer (s)
Deliverable (s):
Milestones	Timeframe	Deliverable Dates
		Start:
		End:
		Annual Costs
		Year 1	$
		Year 2	$
		Year 3	$
		TOTAL	$

GOAL #3
Activity:		Lead/Support Implementer (s)
Deliverable (s):
Milestones	Timeframe	Deliverable Dates
		Start:
		End:
		Annual Costs
		Year 1	$
		Year 2	$
		Year 3	$
		TOTAL	$

GOAL #4
Activity:		Lead/Support Implementer (s)
Deliverable (s):
Milestones	Timeframe	Deliverable Dates
		Start:
		End:
		Annual Costs
		Year 1	$
		Year 2	$
		Year 3	$
		TOTAL	$

GOAL #5
Activity:		Lead/Support Implementer (s)
Deliverable (s):
Milestones	Timeframe	Deliverable Dates
		Start:
		End:
		Annual Costs
		Year 1	$
		Year 2	$
		Year 3	$
		TOTAL	$

GOAL #6
Activity:		Lead/Support Implementer (s)
Deliverable (s):
Milestones	Timeframe	Deliverable Dates
		Start:
		End:
		Annual Costs
		Year 1	$
		Year 2	$
		Year 3	$
		TOTAL	$

Suggested Performance Outcome Measures Tables

The performance outcomes measures indicated below must be included as an Attachment to the application. DOL suggests the following format:

A.	Apprenticeship Employment & Training Apprentice Performance Outcomes
1	Total participants served (please see minimum enrolled participant levels in 7. Required Activities/Program Level Activities) Total number of all participants served (receiving a grant-funded service and/or grant-funded education/training) in Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAP). Figures provided for total apprentices served include all individuals who receive a grant-funded service, after they are determined eligible to be served by the program.	Year 1: Year 2: Year 3:	Total:
2	Total participants that are hired by an employer and enrolled in a Registered Apprenticeship program The total apprentices newly enrolled in education/training activities should not exceed total apprentices served.	Year 1: Year 2: Year 3:	Total:
3.	Total Participants who complete an apprenticeship education/training program	Year 1: Year 2: Year 3:	Total:
4	Total participants who complete an Registered Apprenticeship program and receive a degree or other credential	Year 1: Year 2: Year 3:	Total:
5	Total number of participants identified as unemployed, LTU, dislocated or incarcerated prior to enrollment who complete an Registered Apprenticeship program and maintain their employment status with a new employer Incumbent Workers should not be included in this outcome.	Year 1: Year 2: Year 3:	Total:
6	Total number of incumbent worker apprentices who complete an apprenticeship education/training program and advance into a new position This includes incumbent workers who advanced into a new position with their current employer or a new employer following the completion of a training program. Incumbent workers who did not advance into a new position (i.e., who retained their existing position or layoff aversion) following the completion of a training program should not be included in this outcome.	Year 1: Year 2: Year 3:	Total:
7	Average hourly wage of apprentices at enrollment into Registered Apprenticeship program This is the participant’s average hourly wage earned at the time of enrollment into an apprenticeship program.	Year 1: Year 2: Year 3:	Total:
8	Average hourly wage of apprentices at completion of Registered Apprenticeship program This is the participant’s average hourly wage earned when they are placed into unsubsidized employment upon completion of the apprenticeship program.	Year 1: Year 2: Year 3:	Total:

B.	Expanding Apprenticeship Program Outputs
1	Total number of newly created Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAP) (including any other programs developed as a result of RAP efforts) Reporting will include identifying type of new programs: Competency-Based RA, Time-Based RA, Hybrid RA	Year 1: Year 2: Year 3:	Total:

Please Note:

• Applicants should provide targets in raw numbers; percentages or other types of data projections are not acceptable.

• Applicants should provide targets for each year of the grant and for the total grant period. The figure provided for the total should equal the sum of the projections for each year.

Budget Narrative Guidance Information

The Budget Narrative must provide a description of costs associated with each line item on the SF-424A.

The Budget Narrative should also include a section describing any leveraged resources provided (as applicable) to support grant activities, however, any indicated leveraged resources will have no bearing on the proposal review, or funding decision. Do not show leveraged resources on the SF-424 and SF-424A.

Each category should include the total cost for the period of performance. Use the following guidance for preparing the Budget Narrative:

Personnel:

List all staff positions by title (both current and proposed) including the roles and responsibilities. For each position give the annual salary, the percentage of time devoted to the project and the amount of each position’s salary funded by the grant.

Fringe Benefits:

Provide a breakdown of the amounts and percentages that comprise fringe benefit costs such as health insurance, FICA, retirement, etc.

Travel:

For grantee staff only, specify the purpose, number of staff traveling, mileage, per diem, estimated number of in-state and out-of-state trips, and other costs for each type of travel.

Equipment:

Equipment is not an allowed cost under this funding announcement and this line must be left as zero.

Supplies:

Identify categories of supplies (e.g. office supplies) in the detailed budget and list the item, quantity, and the unit cost per item. Supplies include all tangible personal property other than “equipment” (see 2 CFR 200.94 for the definition of Supplies).

Contractual:

For each proposed contract, specify the purpose and activities to be provided, and the estimated cost.

Under the Contractual line item, delineate contracts 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 sub-award, defined by 2 CFR 200.92, means an award provided by a pass-through entity to a sub-recipient for the sub-recipient to carry out part of a Federal award received by the pass-through entity. Sub-awards are not authorized through this funding announcement. This line-item does not include payments to a contractor or payments to an individual that is a beneficiary of a Federal program.

Construction:

Construction costs are not allowed and this line must be left as zero.

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 applicant includes an amount for indirect costs (through a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement or CAP) on the SF-424A budget form, then a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) or CAP must be included as well as 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 applicants cost allocation base. Also, provide a current version of the NICRA or CAP approval letter.

Note:

• The SF-424, SF-424A, and Budget Narrative must include the entire Federal grant amount requested (not just one year).

• 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 as 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.

Required Governor or Chief Elected Office Letter

Governors or other chief elected official must provide a leadership commitment letter – to be uploaded to Grants.gov separately from the project narrative and workplan - demonstrating the State’s commitment to this effort which:

• Designates the State Agency to be the Recipient of the Award.

  • Must be one of the eligible entities (see Eligibility Section 5).

  • Must commit to work in partnership with the State Apprenticeship Agency or Federal Office of Apprenticeship working within the State.

• Describes specifically how the Governor or chief elected official plans to support the expansion of quality and innovative apprenticeship training programs that are aligned with the WIOA State Plan.

Letter must be addressed to

Melissa Abdullah, Grant Officer

US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration

Office of Grants Management

200 Constitution Ave, NW

Room N-4716

Washington, DC 20210

Project Attestation Confirmation

Document must be printed out, signed by a person authorized to encumber the applicant organization, scanned, and submitted as an Attachment to the application via grants.gov.

By receiving a grant agreement, and subsequent draw-down of funds awarded under ETA-TEGL-XX-XX the State attests agrees to the following:

The State attests that these grant funds will be utilized for projects/activities in alignment with the State’s approved Unified or Combined WIOA State Plan.

The State attests that it will ensure that the grant is sufficiently staffed.

The State attests that it will deliver the required Annual report.

The State attests that it will serve the minimum required number of participants.

The State understands that ETA may conduct an independent evaluation of the processes, outcomes and benefits of these grants and that by accepting the grant, agree to participate in such an evaluation.

Attester Signature:
Printed Name:
Title/Organization:
E-Mail Address:
Direct Telephone Number:

1 As used throughout this TEGL, the term “State” is defined in 29 CFR Section 29.2: “State means any of the 50 States in the United States, District of Columbia, or any Territory or possession of the United States.”

2 Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.nr0.htm https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.nr0.htm

3 Source: Data from the Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Data System (RAPIDS), the United Services Military Apprenticeship Program (USMAP), and State Apprenticeship Agencies (SAAs): April 18, 2019.

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