Job Corps Scholars Program

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, or the Department, or we), announces the availability of approximately $23,738,000 in grant funds authorized by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, Section 156 (a) (29 U.S.C. 3193(a)) and Section 189(c) (29 U.S.C._3249(c)) for Job Corps Scholars Program Partnership.

Under this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), DOL will competitively award grants to accredited, two-year, public community colleges; accredited, public two- and four-year historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs); and accredited tribally controlled colleges and universities (TCCUs) as part of a “Job Corps Scholars Program” demonstration project. Grantees must enroll Job Corps eligible youth and provide those enrolled with intensive counseling services to support and facilitate each student’s employment and career success.

DOL expects grantees to provide these services throughout each student’s participation in the 12-month career technical training component of the Job Corps Scholars Program and the up to 12-month employment placement period following separation from the program. Grantees may also fund developmental coursework where necessary for student entry into the technical training component. The time necessary to complete such coursework does not count against the 12 months allotted for the career technical training component. Separation is defined, for the purpose of the demonstration project, as the successful completion and exit from the career technical training. All counseling should encompass activities that aim to ensure each student’s employment success.

DOL expects to serve 1,600 students through the award of approximately twenty (20) grants to accredited, two-year, public community colleges; accredited, public, two- and four-year HBCUs; and accredited, two- and four-year TCCUs. These students must be new enrollees, that is, not previously admitted or currently attending classes at the community college, HBCU, or TCCU. Transfer students are not considered new enrollees for the purpose of this program. The grant period of performance for this FOA is 39 months and the maximum amount of each grant is $1,186,900. First year costs are estimated at $529,700, second year costs are estimated at $572,200, and year three costs are $85,000. See the cost model estimation for the Job Corps Scholars Program per institution in the Appendix as A-1.

Grantees must use the grant funds to pay for the tuition and fees of approximately eighty (80) Job Corps eligible youth entering the program in two separate groups or cohorts of 40. Tuition is the cost associated with taking each course; it is typically calculated per unit or credit hour. Tuition associated with developmental education coursework that a student requires to enter the technical training component is eligible for funding under this program.

Grantees must use grant funds to hire at least two (2) personal and career counselors, at least two (2) employment counselors, and provide other supportive services and materials to the students in the demonstration project. Examples of expenditures for allowable supportive services and materials are below:

laboratory and workshop fees associated with the career technical training/learning activities,
classroom equipment, supplies, and materials (e.g., books and school supplies) personal to the student,
student activity fees,
parking decals and fees,
transportation costs to and from home during the up to 12 months of technical training period and the up to 12 months of employment counseling portion of the program,
meal or food vouchers for the technical training and employment counseling portions of the program, and
any other costs included in the program’s cost of attendance, such as those in Section 472 the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002).

Grantee institutions have the flexibility to enroll more than 40 Job Corps Scholars per cohort. However, grantees must maintain the 20 students to one counselor ratio established by the grant and additional Job Corps Scholars grant funds will not be available. Job Corps Scholars participants may receive other funding, including Pell grants and other federal grant aid that may cover some or all of the tuition and fees. After applying other sources of aid, grantees must ensure they use Job Corps Scholars grant funds to cover any remaining tuition and fees. If a grantee has grant funds available after covering tuition and fees for its participants and hiring the four counselors described above, it may use remaining grant funds to enroll additional participants (provided tuition and fees are fully covered), hire additional counselors, or cover additional supportive services and materials from the list above.

Job Corps Scholars Program students must meet the grantee’s existing admissions standards to participate in the program. Job Corps’ student code of conduct and disciplinary policies do not apply to the students in the Job Corps Scholars Program. However, students in the Job Corps Scholars Program must abide by all applicable student codes of conduct and are subject to the disciplinary policies of their grantee community college, HBCU, or TCCU. A Job Corps Scholars Program student’s withdrawal, dismissal, or other termination of enrollment in the community college, HBCU, or TCCU will result in the student’s termination from the Job Corps Scholars Program.

The length of any certificate program must not exceed 12 months if it is to be used for the Job Corps Scholars Program. However, grantees are not required to create new or modify their existing technical training certificate programs. Participants may be allowed more than 12 months to complete the training if the additional time is necessary to complete required developmental education coursework. The entire combined period of technical skills instruction and employment counseling/placement portions of the demonstration project must not exceed 24 months.

Job Corps Scholars successfully completing the up to 12-month training component of the program must have earned a technical training certification and academic credit, if academic credit is incorporated into the certification coursework. These credits must be transferrable to another degree program at the school or to another accredited two- or four-year academic institution should the student decide to continue his or her education in lieu of immediately entering into an apprenticeship or pursuing other employment. Grantees must provide Job Corps Scholars separating from the training component, and wanting to enter into the workforce but are not yet “job attached,” with up to 12 months of employment counseling as a part of the program.

In addition to promoting being “job attached,” these grants support work-based learning solutions for industry and sustainable career pathways for the workforce by incorporating apprenticeships into offered employment counseling and placement.

Grantees cannot use grant funds to provide grantee staff with training and counseling of any type, or to subsidize the career technical training and personal counseling of non-Job Corps Scholars.

DOL is committed to producing strong evidence on the effectiveness of its grant programs and full participation in any evaluation initiated by the Department is a condition of all grant awards.

Funding Opportunity Description
1. Program Purpose

By 2020, if the job training crisis in the U.S. goes unchecked, it is estimated that there will be 55 million job vacancies.¹ This, in combination with the existing skills gap and changing population demographics, creates an opportunity for Job Corps to explore new and innovative ways to deliver education and career training that creates a pipeline of talent. The Job Corps Scholars Program, conducted as a demonstration grant program, allows Job Corps to explore how it may execute its mission in a manner that decreases the government’s cost and increases program outcomes. The Job Corps Scholars Program will rely on accredited, two-year, public community colleges; accredited, public, two- and four-year HBCUs; and accredited, two- and four-year TCCUs, to accomplish the following:

Provide career technical training to at-risk, Job Corps eligible youth;
Deliver intensive, individualized personal and employment counseling to Job Corps eligible students that improves student performance and employment outcomes;
Deliver a one-year certification program aimed at increasing the employment prospects for Job Corps eligible students, including increasing access to apprenticeship programs;
Provide opportunities for Job Corps eligible students to earn transferable academic credit hours. These hours may be earned as a part of the technical skills training certification coursework; and
Monitor student and program performance.

As a part of the 39-month period of performance, there will be an assessment of the cost and performance of the Job Corps Scholars Program model. Performance and cost will be compared to DOL’s traditional Job Corps program model.

The Department’s Job Corps program helps young people between the ages of 16 and 24 from disadvantaged backgrounds complete their high school education and provides them training to prepare them for meaningful careers. Job Corps seeks to give its students the opportunity to realize their full potential, gain new vocational and academic skills, and become mature, responsible and productive adults. The program has trained and educated two million individuals in its more than 50-year history. Currently, Job Corps serves approximately 60,000 youths annually through more than 120 Job Corps centers throughout the country. Job Corps operates primarily by awarding contracts for operating its training centers, including providing outreach and admissions services, technical training, employment and career counseling, job placement and other services.

Historically, Job Corps has struggled to demonstrate the extent to which its training program has helped participants enter meaningful jobs appropriate to their training.² While the program delivers positive results, Job Corps is interested in exploring alternatives to delivering Job Corps services that cost less and are more effective in achieving the Job Corps mission. Some of the expense associated with operating a traditional Job Corps center is rooted in the need to invest continually in the program’s infrastructure, for example, equipment and related maintenance, and maintaining student residences. Through their existing certificate programs, many community colleges, HBCUs and TCCUs already provide state-of-the-art technical career training.

When the Job Corps program was created in 1964, public community and junior college systems were just beginning to be established across the nation. In the 1960s, community college enrollment grew more rapidly than any other segment in higher education. In the 1980s, community colleges began to offer specialized, customized as well as vocational training. Today, there are more than 1,100 community colleges serving more than 12 million students.

Public community colleges have an expansive reach, opening doors to individuals without the means to access higher education. These institutions are attractive potential providers of skills instruction to Job Corps eligible students because community colleges are less expensive than four-year institutions, they are typically commuter colleges and their students are able to live at home and continue to perform caregiving and other responsibilities, and their students are able to maintain employment while attending classes. In addition, community colleges are uniquely local and are intimately involved in local and state economic development initiatives. Across the country, community colleges are demonstrating flexibility as they work to meet the needs of local employers and provide students training that use state-of-the-art equipment.

In addition to local community colleges, there are approximately 100 accredited HBCUs with an enrollment of nearly 300,000 students.³ Approximately 80 percent of those enrolled in HBCUs are African American, and 70 percent are from low-income families.⁴ HBCUs are located in 19 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, 51 of the 102 HBCUs are public institutions and 51 are private nonprofit institutions.⁵

There are 38 TCCUs with an approximate enrollment of 30,000 full- and part-time students.⁶ There are 32 fully accredited TCCUs with one formal candidate for accreditation and three in Associate Status.⁷ These institutions offer 358 total programs, including apprenticeships, diplomas, certificates, and degrees.⁸ According to the U.S. Department of Education, these programs “include 181 associate degree programs at 23 TCCUs, 40 bachelor’s degree programs at 11 TCCUs, and 5 master’s degree programs at two TCCUs (AIHEC).”⁹ TCCUs play a critical role in the American system of higher education.

HBCUs and TCCUs generally serve populations that may not be able to commit four years to obtaining a degree. These institutions also serve those who are unwilling to take on excessive educational debt without the hope of being able to realize a return on that financial investment. Many of those served through the network of HBCUs and TCCUs are likely to meet the eligibility criteria of the Job Corps program. Collectively, these three educational systems provide affordable opportunities for individuals seeking education and skills instruction. The Job Corps Scholars Program addresses the financial barriers associated with attending a four-year college because the grant covers student tuition and fees, as well as other items that would otherwise be financial barriers such as transportation, and classroom supplies and materials. Some certificates can be earned in less than 12 months so the students can move quickly into employment without investing four-years in a degree.

Whether participating in the Job Corps Scholars Program at a community college, HBCU, or TCCU a Job Corps Scholar will receive personal, career and employment counseling to support them as they navigate through the program.

The Job Corps Scholars Program

The Job Corps Scholars Program will serve Job Corps eligible youth enrolled at selected community colleges, HBCUs and TCCUs. For students designated by the grantees as “Job Corps Scholars,” these educational institutions will provide free tuition for their first year in the Job Corps Scholars program, career technical training, and intensive personal and career counseling services to support and facilitate completion of the program. In addition, employment counseling services will be provided, including follow-up employment services. DOL will select approximately twenty (20) institutions via the competitive grant process.

In the first year, a cohort of at least 40 Job Corps Scholars will enter and complete the up to one-year career technical training program. Job Corps Scholars must complete the training and earn a certificate within 12 months or be removed from the program. Scholars who require developmental education courses to complete the technical training program may be given more than 12 months to complete. Those removed from the program will be able to seek enrollment in a traditional Job Corps program. Upon exiting the career technical training program, the first cohort will move into the 12-month employment counseling and placement phase of the program. Job Corps Scholars opting to pursue a two- or four-year degree should still be provided the opportunity to obtain employment counseling. However, such counseling for them is not mandatory. Also in year two, a new cohort of no less than 40 Job Corps Scholars will begin the career technical training program. This second cohort will complete training at the end of year two, exit, and move into a 12-month employment counseling and placement follow-up phase in year three. By entering in small groups or cohorts, the expectation is that the students will create an informal support system that would further increase the likelihood of them successfully completing the program. Whenever possible, the grantee educational institutions should encourage the development of these cohort support systems.

Career Technical Training. Each educational institution will serve at least 80 students and will provide career technical training to Job Corps eligible youth. Students will select a career technical training program from the list of those programs already offered by the institution. Students are not limited to only selecting skills training certification programs that include earning academic credit. The technical training programs offered must not exceed 12 months in duration. If any of the grantees’ existing training programs are less than 12 months they need not be extended to qualify for this funding opportunity if the training certification and academic credit requirements of the Job Corps Scholars Program are met. A cohort of at least 40 students would enter the career technical program in the first year and a second cohort in the second year. The Job Corps Scholars will attend classes along with non-Job Corps students.

Personal and Career Counseling Services. Each educational institution will provide at least two full time equivalent (FTE) counselors to deliver intensive personal and career counseling services (at a ratio of at least 20 students per one counselor). The institution will recruit and select qualified professionals to serve as personal and career counselors. These counselors must ensure the delivery of at least the specific services described below.

Counseling is a critical component of the Job Corps Scholars Program. A paper submitted to the 2010 White House Summit on Community Colleges by Michelle Cooper, President of the Institute for Higher Education Policy, concluded that, “In a review of the literature on the impact of counseling on student retention, it was found that counseling increases the retention of students with high risk factors for dropping out.”¹⁰ Therefore, if intensive supportive services are provided, both during and after enrollment, student success could be realized through higher completion rates and better employment outcomes.

Accordingly, personal and career counseling services for Job Corps Scholars must include:

Conducting an initial assessment to identify, and create a strategy to address, the personal developmental, social, and academic strengths and challenges of each student.
- Identify personal and academic strengths and challenges that must be considered and/or addressed during career and employment counseling and planning.
- Develop, document, implement, and monitor the intervention strategies that were specifically designed to address each student’s personal developmental, social and academic challenges.
- Periodically reassess the results of the intervention strategies that are described above. This includes documenting the findings of the reassessment, and developing and implementing modifications in sufficient time to allow for student improvement.
- Establish and monitor progress toward each student’s short- and long-term personal and career goals.
- Encourage the development of cohort support system, as appropriate.
Identifying, providing and/or coordinating the delivery of college and community, State, and Federal resources to meet students’ identified personal developmental, social and academic needs including, but not limited to, the below.
- Ongoing structured, scheduled, and documented individual psychological and/or emotional counseling throughout the program.
- Academic tutoring and mentoring services.
Advising and recommending the most appropriate technical training career pathway after assessing numerous factors, including employment prospects in various trades/fields/areas, and the student’s interests and aptitude/skill level, in collaboration with career and employment counselors.
Advising on the quality of the various skills training certification programs, including employability and/or labor market demand, and earnings potential.
Determining, periodically, how the student is progressing in his/her education and career technical training.
Collaborating and sharing information with other staff, departments, and community resources, to the extent allowed by applicable federal, state, and local laws, to ensure the coordinated delivery of needed services to each student.
Assessing transitional support needs, developing strategies to meet those needs, and working with employment counselors.

Employment Counseling Services. Each educational institution will provide at least two FTE counselors to deliver intensive employment counseling services (at a ratio of no more than 20 students per one counselor). Grantee institutions have the flexibility to enroll more than 40 Job Corps Scholars per cohort. However, they must maintain the 20 students to one counselor ratio and additional Job Corps Scholars grant funds will not be available. The institution would recruit and select qualified professionals to serve as career and employment counselors. Accordingly, employment counseling for Job Corps Scholars must include:

Pre-Separation Services
- Initiating or supporting pre-separation job search efforts.
- Assisting students in assessing their readiness for career transition.
- Ensuring that students are fully prepared to conduct a successful job search or continuation of postsecondary education or enter an apprenticeship program.
- Preparing students to effectively access resources and services that will assist them in making a successful transition to the workforce, including into apprenticeship programs, or further their post-secondary education.
- At least 45 days prior to projected separation, career and employment counselors will assess and counsel students to determine their capabilities and review job search skills and strategies as follows:

Sources of employment
Conducting an Internet job search
Completing a job application
Preparing and/or updating the resume
Writing a cover letter
Preparing for job interviews and interview skills
Worker’s rights and responsibilities
Strategies for succeeding during the first weeks on a job

Assisting students in assembling documents necessary for obtaining employment or enrolling in an apprenticeship program, including earned credentials that document the student’s accomplishments.
Assisting students in developing a strategy to secure housing, transportation, childcare (if applicable), health care, work clothing and tools, food and nutrition, budgeting/money management, and federal funding for advanced education (as applicable).

Post-Separation Services
- Developing resources to meet transitional support needs.
- Providing participants with personalized career transition services that lead to job placement, continued enrollment in postsecondary education or enrollment in an apprenticeship program.
  - Providing participants with job placement and supportive services for up to twelve (12) months following certificate completion.
  - Maintaining and documenting direct contact with all participants at least every 30 days during the service period to reassess their needs.
- Providing participants with ongoing support to ensure continued employment, further education, licensing in the field in which they were certified, and career progression.
- Assisting participants in identifying and obtaining support services within the communities in which they work and live. Support services include, but are not limited to, housing, transportation, childcare (if applicable), health care, work clothing and tools, food and nutrition, financial planning, counseling services, job retention, and legal services.

Employer Engagement
- Use labor market information and employer provided information to inform training and career counseling decisions.
- Create new or leverage existing partnerships with employers to identify workforce labor demands. This may include, for example, determining gaps in training and education for specific industries and occupations, an analysis of project employment opportunities, or other methods.
- Determine the extent to which the college or university has training programs that will meet those labor needs. Employer engagement may inform decisions about what future training programs should be offered by the institution, and will contribute to improved job placement activities and rates.
- Seek early placement commitments for Job Corps Scholars successfully separating from the Job Corps Scholars Program.
- Create and maintain relationships, as appropriate, within the local communities, with American Job Centers or One-Stop Centers, and with local Workforce Development Boards.
- Create and execute a communications plan to reasonably ensure that employers can provide feedback on the degree to which their labor needs are being met.
- Explore the possibility with employers of using existing or creating new apprenticeship programs for students to gain employment and create a career path.

Program Authority

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, Sections 156(a) and 189(c) (29 U.S.C. 3193(a), 3249(c)) authorizes this program.

AWARD INFORMATION

Award Type and Amount

Funding will be provided in the form of a grant.

We expect availability of approximately $23,738,000 to fund approximately 20 grants for 39 months.

You may apply for a ceiling amount of up to $1,186,900. The ceiling amount includes program start-up costs, any developmental coursework necessary to enter the technical training program, a career technical training program, post-separation follow-up for employment placement and transition counseling, and program performance evaluation.

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.

Period of Performance

The period of performance is up to 39 months with an anticipated start date of March 1, 2020. All activities must be completed within the period of performance. This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities, including:

Planning and start-up periods of up to two months beginning on or about March 1, 2020, or as determined appropriate by the educational institutions based on the start of the academic year;
Two maximum 12-month career technical training programs (one for each of two student cohorts); the first training program cohort begins in or about May 2020, based on the start of the academic year, and the second training program cohort begins one year thereafter (in or about May 2021);
Two maximum 12-month post-separation follow-up periods for employment placement and transition counseling (one for each of two student cohorts); the first sessions beginning in or about May 2021 based on the start of the academic year, and the second begins one year thereafter (in or about May 2022); and
Post-pilot evaluation of performance and lessons learned for a period of up to one month. The evaluation may begin before the end of the academic year but must conclude no later than 30 days after the end of the second 12-month employment placement session.

Applicants are required to describe, as a part of the application, the activities they expect to undertake during the planning or start-up period to ensure that the target Job Corps eligible population is identified and recruited, and to ensure timely and effective initiation of the Job Corps Scholars Program.

Outcomes

Job Corps Scholars Program Outcomes

Post-secondary certificates have now overtaken both Associate’s and Master’s degrees as the second most-popular post-secondary award after Bachelor’s degrees according to a report from the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University: Career and Technical Education, Five Ways That Pay, September 2012. According to the report, individuals who possess a post-secondary certificate earn nearly 40 percent more than a high school graduate when they work in the field they studied. The most common certificate fields are health care, business/office management, auto mechanics, construction trades, computer and information services, electronics, transportation and material moving, and cosmetology. Post-secondary certificate programs often include college credit. Though students are not limited to selecting only certificate programs that include earning academic credit, when such courses are selected, the credit hours could eventually be applied toward graduation requirements in a formal degree program, such as in an associate degree program. Post-secondary certificate programs vary in their program length, purpose, structure, effects, and location.

Due to the intensive counseling services requirement, it is anticipated that student retention in the Job Corps Scholars Program would be high. At least eighty Job Corps Scholars Program students will enter the program as two cohorts of at least 40 students. Upon successful separation from the up to 12-month certificate program, the students should secure a job, enter an apprenticeship program, or join the Armed Services. Some students may, in the alternative, continue enrollment or transfer to another institution to pursue an associate or four-year degree. The goal is to have students “job attached” by the time they separate from the training portion of the program. Student participants will receive job placement assistance and supportive services for up to twelve months following separation.

Job Corps requires the grantees to track and report the below performance measures.

Job Corps Scholars Separation Rate (i.e., completion of the 12-month training certification program);
Job Corps Scholars Dropout Rate (i.e., withdrawal, dismissal, or termination from the grantee institution or the Job Corps Scholars Program);
Job Corps Scholars Qualifying Placement Rate Upon Separation (number and percent);¹¹
Job Corps Scholars Qualifying Placement Rate During the 12-month Employment Counseling Period Post-Separation;
Job Corps Scholars Average Starting Salary/Wage When in a Qualifying Placement Upon Separation;
Job Corps Scholars Average Salary/Wage When in a Qualifying Placement 12 months After Separation;
Job Corps Scholars Average Earned Academic Credit Hours;
Job Corps Scholars Enrolled in the Armed Services Upon Separation;
Job Corps Scholars Enrolled in an Apprenticeship Program Upon Separation (number and percentage); and
Job Corps Scholars with Full-time Employment Upon Separation.

Additionally, Job Corps Scholars grantees under this FOA must track and report on the primary indicators of performance as listed in WIOA Section 116(b)(2)(A)(ii). The Job Corps Scholars program is held to the six WIOA primary indicators of performance for youth. These indicators are:

Education and Employment Rate – Second Quarter After Exit;
Education and Employment Rate – Fourth Quarter After Exit;
Median Earnings – Second Quarter After Exit;
Credential Attainment;
Measurable Skill Gains; and
Effectiveness in Serving Employers.

Additional information on these performance indicators can be found in Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 10-16, Change 1: “Performance Accountability Guidance for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Title I, Title II, Title III and Title IV Core Programs,” found at https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=3255. Grantees will be provided detailed instructions on performance reporting procedures upon grant award.

Information on the numbers of Job Corps Scholars requiring developmental education coursework, the numbers and types of courses required, and the completion time must be collected. This information is not a performance evaluation factor.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Eligible Applicants

The following organizations are eligible to apply:

Eligible applicants are accredited, two-year, public community colleges; accredited, public, two- and four-year historically Black colleges and universities or HBCUs, and accredited, two- and four-year tribal colleges and universities or TCCUs with at least one certification training program that can be completed in 12 months or less.

The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, defines an HBCU as “…any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary [of Education] to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation.”

A tribal college or university is an institution that qualifies for funding under the Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities Assistance Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) or the Navajo Community College Act (25 U.S.C. 640a note); or is cited in section 532 of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note).

For a specific definition of eligibility, see the Job Corps Policy and Requirement Handbook, Chapter 1, Section 2, Requirement 8 “Eligibility Requirements,” April 3, 2017, https://eprh.jobcorps.gov/ePRH%20Chapter%201/ePRH%20Chapter%201%20-%2004.03.17.pdf.

DOL will award approximately 20 individual grants. Each eligible community college, HCBU, and TCCU that DOL selects will receive one grant. Applicants are not required to have previously been a Job Corps contractor or center operator. Two-year public community colleges are institutions of higher education as defined in Section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002) which offer programs that can be completed in not more than two years. Historically Black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education as defined by The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.^¹² Tribally controlled colleges and universities are institutions of higher education that qualify for funding under the Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities Assistance Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) or the Navajo Community College Act (25 U.S.C. 640a note); or is cited in section 532 of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note).^¹³

Applicants must identify their institution type in Section 9 of the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance. Eligible institutions must be accredited, as of the closing date of this FOA, by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association that has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. A database of institutions that are accredited by agencies and associations recognized by the U.S. Department of Education can be found at http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. Applicants are strongly encouraged to check this Web site to confirm their eligibility, as the Department will rely solely on this database in determining an applicant’s accreditation to ensure eligibility.

Cost Sharing or Matching

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.

Other Information
1. Application Screening Criteria

You should use the checklist below as a guide when preparing your application package to ensure that the application has met all of the screening criteria. Note that this checklist is only an aid for applicants and should not be included in the application package. We urge you to use this checklist to ensure that your application contains all required items. If your application does not meet all of the screening criteria, it will not move forward through the merit review process.

Application Requirement	Instructions	Complete?
The deadline submission requirements are met	Section IV.C
Eligibility (including accreditation, as of the closing date of this FOA)	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.2
Application for Federal funds request does not exceed the ceiling amount of $1,186,900	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

Number of Applications Applicants May Submit

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.

Eligible Participants

Participants Eligible to Receive Training

The intent of this FOA is to fund projects by accredited, public, two-year community colleges; accredited, public, two- and four-year HBCUs; and accredited, two- and four-year TCCUs to provide up to 12 months of career technical training, up to 6 months of developmental coursework required to successfully enter the career technical training program, intensive personal and career counseling, and up to 12 months of employment counseling services to Job Corps eligible youth (i.e., Job Corps Scholars) to help prepare them for a career. For participant eligibility requirements see the Job Corps Policy and Requirement Handbook, Chapter 1, Outreach and Admissions, Exhibit 1-1, “Job Corps Eligibility Requirements,” April 3, 2017, https://eprh.jobcorps.gov/ePRH%20Chapter%201/ePRH%20Chapter%201%20-%2004.03.17.pdf and Appendix 101, Definitions of Family and Family Income, at https://eprh.jobcorps.gov/Appendices/Appendix%20101%20Definitions%20of%20Family%20and%20Family%20Income.pdf.

Job Corps Scholars are required to undergo the criminal background checks described in Exhibit 1-1. Grantees are not required to conduct and pay for these checks but will coordinate with the Job Corps program to have criminal background checks conducted once the grantee makes a preliminary admissions decision concerning the potential Job Corps Scholar. Background checks must be completed before the start of the training program. Except as provided in Exhibit 1-1, Job Corps Eligibility Requirements, Criterion 9, of the PRH, the existence of a criminal history does not disqualify a student from the Job Corps Scholars Program. In addition to meeting the Job Corps eligibility criteria, Job Corps Scholars must also qualify for the career technical training program through the grantee’s regular admissions process.

As with the Job Corps’ traditional program, individuals with disabilities are also eligible for the Job Corps Scholars Program. Grantees must maintain the confidentiality of the scholar’s disability status related records, using the grantees’ existing policies and procedures for obtaining and maintaining information concerning disability status. This includes policies and procedures governing voluntary disability self-disclosures and medical information, consistent with federal and state laws, including HIPAA where applicable. For HIPAA purposes, grantees should follow their own policies and procedures and not Job Corps PRH Exhibit 1-1, criterion 12, or Appendix 607.

Veterans’ Priority for Participants

38 U.S.C. 4215 requires grantees to provide priority of service to veterans and spouses of certain veterans for the receipt of employment, training, and placement services in any job training program directly funded, in whole or in part, by DOL. The regulations implementing this priority of service are at 20 CFR Part 1010. In circumstances where a grant recipient must choose between two qualified candidates for a service, one of whom is a veteran or eligible spouse, the veterans’ priority of service provisions require that the grant recipient give the veteran or eligible spouse priority of service by first providing him or her that service. To obtain priority of service, a veteran or spouse must meet the program’s eligibility requirements. Grantees must comply with DOL guidance on veterans’ priority. ETA’s Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 10-09 (issued November 10, 2009) provides guidance on implementing priority of service for veterans and eligible spouses in all qualified job training programs funded in whole or in part by DOL. TEGL No. 10-09 is available at https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=2816. This guidance applies to programs funded under WIOA. For additional information on veteran’s priority of service and WIOA, please see TEGL 19-16. TEGL 19-16 is available at https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=3851

Application and Submission Information
1. How to Obtain an Application Package

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.

Content and Form of Application Submission

Applications submitted in response to this FOA must consist of four separate and distinct parts:

1. The SF-424 “Application for Federal Assistance;”

2. Project Budget, composed of the SF-424A and Budget Narrative;

3. Project Narrative; and

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.

SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance”

You must complete the SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance” (available at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1.

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://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1). You do not need to submit the SF-424B with the application.

In addition, subject to the provisions of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), 42 U.S.C. Section 2000bb, 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 the WIOA 188 rules issued by the Department at 29 CFR 38.25 which includes:

As a condition to the award of financial assistance from the Department of Labor under Title I WIOA, the grant applicant assures that it has the ability to comply fully with the nondiscrimination and equal opportunity provisions of the following laws: Section 188 of the WIOA, which, as interpreted through Departmental Regulations, prohibits discrimination against all individuals in the United States on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions, transgender status, and gender identity), national origin (including limited English proficiency), age, disability, political affiliation or belief, and against beneficiaries on the basis of either citizenship status or participation in any WIOA Title I—financially assisted program or activity; Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, which prohibits discrimination on the bases of race, color and national origin; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, which prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities; The Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of age; and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs.

The grant applicant also assures, subject to RFRA, that as a recipient of WIOA Title I financial assistance [as defined at 29 CFR 38.4(zz)], it will comply with 29 CFR part 38 and all other regulations implementing the laws listed above. This assurance applies to the grant applicant's operation of the WIOA Title I-financially assisted program or activity, and to all agreements the grant applicant makes to carry out the WIOA Title I-financially assisted program or activity. The grant applicant understands that the United States has the right to seek judicial enforcement of this assurance. Note that the RFRA 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.

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 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.

Project Budget

You must complete the SF-424A Budget Information Form (available at: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1). 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. The Budget Narrative should also include a section describing any leveraged resources provided (as applicable) to support grant activities. Leveraged resources are all resources, both cash and in-kind, in excess of this award. Valuation of leveraged resources follows the same requirements as match. Applicants are encouraged to leverage resources to increase stakeholder investment in the project and broaden the impact of the project itself.

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: 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 item, quantity, and the 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 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: 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 activities to be provided, and the 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 an amount for indirect costs (through a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement or De Minimis) on the SF-424A budget form, 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.

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.

The definition of MTDC in 2 CFR 200.68 no longer allows for any sub-contracts to be included in the calculation. You will also 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.

Project Narrative

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 criterion will be based on the extent to which the need the following factors are clearly and accurately addressed.

Target Community and Population (6 points)

The goal is to maximize the number of Job Corps Scholars selected from communities with concentrations of Job Corps eligible youth. These communities must be identified and targeted for outreach and recruitment. Not all Job Corps Scholars must come from the targeted communities; this will be the case when the response to the outreach is insufficient. At least half of the scholars should come from the targeted community. Nonetheless, all Job Corps Scholars must meet the Job Corps eligibility requirements.

The applicant must clearly identify a target community based on the presence of a significant population of Job Corps eligible young adults; specifically, youth ages 16 to 24 who are low income as defined in WIOA section 3(36). The applicant must identify the target community by city/town, county, and zip code(s), and demonstrate that area has a significant concentration of 16 to 24 year olds thought to be Job Corps eligible. The target community may be as broad or narrow as the grantee believes is appropriate for successful outreach and recruitment of Job Corps eligible students. In addition to age and income, eligibility includes the presence of at least one of the characteristics that are barriers to education and employment:

Higher than average deficiencies in basic skills as defined in WIOA section 3,
School dropout rates,
Homelessness,¹⁴
Foster care rates,
Parenthood, or
Need for additional education, career and technical education or training, or workforce preparation skills to be able to obtain and retain employment that leads to self-sufficiency.

Provide, as an attachment, some information indicating that the target community has a significant population of Job Corps eligible young adults.

Provide, as an attachment, a map of the zip codes for the community being targeted (or “target community”) by the applicant for this demonstration project, as produced by https://www.unitedstateszipcodes.org/ or a similar web site.

Providing both of the above attachments with the required information will result in the award of 6 points. Failure to include both attachments will result in the award of no points.

Unemployment Rate (up to 4 points)

The applicant must determine the weighted average unemployment rate (rounded to one decimal place) for the target community, and weighted average unemployment rates for 16 to 24 year olds within that target community. The applicant must compare each rate to the national unemployment rate for the same group. The national unemployment rate for youth ages 16 to 24 against which DOL will evaluate applicants is 12.9 percent (using 1-year American Community Survey (ACS) estimates as of 2017). The average national unemployment rate against which applicants will compare target communities is 4.8 percent using Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) monthly unemployment data for 2017. See BLS Databases, Tables & Calculators by Subject, Unemployment Rate, Age 16 years and over, https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000.

Provide, as an attachment, documentation of the calculated weighted average unemployment rates used for comparison, a chart showing the comparisons. Provide the printout of the ACS data source information. Failure to include the attachments will result in the applicant receiving no points. To assist with the weighted average calculations, applicants are encouraged to use the “Weighted Average Worksheet” available for download at https://www.doleta.gov/youth_services/pdf/WORKSHEET_weighted_average.xlsx under the unemployment tab. Provide a separate worksheet for weighted average unemployment rate of the target community, and weighted average unemployment rates for 16 to 24 year olds within that target community.

If the weighted average unemployment rate for 16 to 24 year olds within the target community is equal to or greater than the average unemployment rate of 12.9 percent for the same group the applicant will receive 2 points.

If the average unemployment rate for the target community is equal to or greater than the national unemployment rate of 4.8 percent the applicant will receive 2 points.

For specific instructions on how to locate and calculate the information requested here, please see Section VIII. These data are broken into two youth age subsets: 16 to 19 and 20 to 24. The applicant must calculate the weighted average unemployment rate for these two age groups by adding the unemployed population for each age group together, and then dividing by the total population of both age groups. If applicants are serving a target community that spans more than one zip code, they should add each age group’s unemployed population numbers together for each zip code and divide the total by the total population of 16 to 24 year olds for all the zip codes combined to find the weighted average unemployment rate for the combined zip codes.

Poverty Rate (up to 4 points)

The applicant must determine the weighted average poverty rate, across all zip codes that make up the target community, from the poverty data available at http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml. Please see the example in Section IV B.3(A)(1)(a) above for information about how to calculate the weighted average. For specific instructions on how to locate and calculate this information, please see Section VIII. Other Information.

For assistance with the weighted average calculations, applicants are encouraged to use the “Weighted Average Worksheet” available for download at https://www.doleta.gov/youth_services/pdf/WORKSHEET_weighted_average.xlsx under the poverty tab.

The official poverty rate in 2017 was 12.3 percent based on a U.S. Census Bureau report titled Income and Poverty in the United States: 2017. The reports is available at https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2018/demo/p60-263.html.

The applicant must compare the weighted average poverty rates.

If the weighted average poverty rate for the target community is equal to or greater than 20 percent the applicant will receive 4 points.

If the weighted average poverty rate for the target community is between 14 and 19.99 percent 2 points will be given.

Provide, as an attachment, the calculated weighted average poverty rates, and a chart showing the comparisons. Provide the printout of the ACS data source information used. Failure to include the attachments will result in no points being awarded.

Graduation Rate (up to 4 points)

The applicant must determine the average high school graduation rate for the target community using the graduations rates from all public high schools in the community, across all zip codes.

The applicant is required to use State-level data sources to identify the graduation rate for their target community and must cite the specific source used, as well as provide, as an attachment, the printout of the data source information. Where State-level data are not available, the applicant must use an alternative data source and provide the rationale for using the alternate source, the citation for that source, and the printout of the data source information for independent verification. To assist with the average high school graduation rate calculations, applicants are encouraged to use the “Weighted Average Worksheet” available for download at

https://www.doleta.gov/youth_services/pdf/WORKSHEET_weighted_average.xlsx under the graduation tab.

The applicant must compare the average public high school graduation rate from the target community to the national graduation rate of 84 percent reported by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for the class of 2016 at https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_coi.asp and also at

https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d17/tables/dt17_219.46.aspat.

If the average high school graduation rate for schools in the target community is under 60 percent as determined by State-level data or verified alternative data sources 4 points will be given.

If the average high school graduation rate for schools in the target community is between 60 and 79.99 percent as determined by State-level data or verified alternative data sources 2 points will be given.

Provide, as an attachment, the documentation showing the average graduation rate for each high school in the target community by zip code, the calculated average graduation rate for the high schools across zip codes, the average State graduation rate. Failure to submit this information will result in no points being granted.

(2) Expected Outcomes (22 points)

Each applicant will receive up to 22 points for providing clear and concise descriptions, and quantifiable targets, for the anticipated levels of performance for all of the Job Corps Scholars measures below. Submissions should assume the maximum number of Job Corps Scholars (80) will be enrolled. All but one of the ten measures are valued at 2 points. The remaining measure, enrolling in an apprenticeship program, is valued at 4 points. The maximum points for expected outcomes is 22.

Job Corps Scholars Separation Rate (i.e., completion of the 12-month training certification program) (number and percentage);
Job Corps Scholars Dropout Rate (i.e., withdrawal, dismissal, or termination from the grantee institution or Job Corps Scholars Program) (number and percentage);
Job Corps Scholars Qualifying Placement Rate Upon Separation (number and percent);
Job Corps Scholars Qualifying Placement Rate During the 12-month Employment Counseling Period Post-Separation (number and percent);
Job Corps Scholars Starting Salary/Wage When in a Qualifying Placement Upon Separation;
Job Corps Scholars Average Salary/Wage When in a Qualifying Placement 12 months After Separation;
Job Corps Scholars Average Earned Academic Credit Hours;
Job Corps Scholars Enrolled in the Armed Services Upon Separation;
Job Corps Scholars Enrolled in an Apprenticeship Program Upon Separation; and
Job Corps Scholars with Full-time Employment Upon Separation.

NOTE: As identified above, Job Corps Scholars grantees also are required to track and report on the six primary indicators of performance for youth as listed in WIOA Section 116(b)(2)(A)(ii). However, applicants are not expected to provide targets for these outcomes and will not be awarded points on their applications for addressing these measures.

(3) Project Design (42 points)

Applicants must identify and clearly describe how they will develop and implement the key components of the Job Corps Scholars Program. They must describe a coherent and feasible approach that addresses these components, achieves the program’s performance outcomes, and identifies performance risks and ways to minimize or eliminate those risks.

Outreach, Recruitment, Selection, and Retention (6 points)

Applicants must clearly describe their approach for recruiting Job Corps eligible youth to participate in the Job Corps Scholars Program, including methods for conducting targeted outreach, making and receiving referrals, and making enrollment selections. Applicants must identify anticipated risks/barriers to implementing a successful outreach, recruitment and retention strategy, as well as describe their proposed approaches for eliminating or minimizing these risks/barriers.

Career Technical Training (6 points)

Applicants must clearly describe their current offerings of career technical training courses that are 12 months or less in duration; whether these technical career training courses are industry recognized or accredited by any third party; the amount of time (i.e., credit hours, semesters, academic years) required to complete each training program; academic credit hours attained/earned upon completion of each training program; the pedagogies used; and whether current instructional methods or designs might need to be altered for Job Corps Scholars to ensure that Job Corps Scholars maximize their opportunity to successfully complete the training program. Applicants are not required to alter their existing training certification programs to apply for this grant.

Personal and Career Counseling services (6 points)

Applicants must fully explain how they will recruit and select qualified professionals for the personal and career counseling positions, what experience and credentials are desired and how candidates will be evaluated, how their effectiveness will be evaluated throughout the course of the program, and their approach for providing the services described in Section I: Program Purpose in the discussion on “Personal and Career Counseling Services.”

Job Corps has minimum qualifications for positions in its traditional Job Corps program. For the Job Corps Scholars Program, these minimums are only informational and do not limit any applicant’s ability to recruit and hire the best-qualified and most effective personnel. These minimum qualifications are found in the Job Corps Policy and Requirements Handbook, Chapter 5: EXHIBIT 5-3 MINIMUM STAFF QUALIFICATIONS, https://eprh.jobcorps.gov/Exhibits/Exhibit%205-3%20Minimum%20Staff%20Qualifications.pdf.

Provide documentation, as an attachment, of the proposed job qualifications, including education and experience, for the two personal and career counseling positions.

Employment Counseling Services (6 points)

Applicants must thoroughly describe how they will recruit and select qualified professionals for these positions, what experience and credentials are desired and how candidates will be evaluated, how their effectiveness will be evaluated throughout the course of the program, and their approach for providing the services described in Section I: Program Purpose, in the discussion on pre- and post- separation services under “Employment Counseling Services.”

Job Corps has minimum qualifications for counseling positions in its traditional Job Corps program. For the Job Corps Scholars Program, these minimums are only informational and do not limit any applicant’s ability to recruit and hire the best-qualified and most effective personnel. These minimum qualifications are found in the Job Corps Policy and Requirements Handbook, Chapter 5: EXHIBIT 5-3 MINIMUM STAFF QUALIFICATIONS, https://eprh.jobcorps.gov/Exhibits/Exhibit%205-3%20Minimum%20Staff%20Qualifications.pdf.

Provide documentation, as an attachment, of the proposed job qualifications, including education and experience, for the two employment counseling positions.

Employer Engagement (6 points)

Applicants must fully describe their views and approach toward employer/business engagement. The approach should be documented in an outreach and communication framework or plan. This framework must include how the applicant proposes to target employers in various industries and sectors, tailor curricula to employer needs, promote apprenticeship programs, create employer and community partnerships, and address the other requirements listed in Section I: Program Purpose, in the discussion on employer engagement under “Employment Counseling Services.”

Organizational Capacity (6 points)

Applicants must fully explain how they will use existing physical space on-site and off-site to integrate the Job Corps Scholars and additional staff, provide adequate information technology support using existing resources, address a possible increase in requests for reasonable accommodations, and ensure adequate safety and security.

Applicants must also provide specific details about the procedures they currently have in place for tracking and reporting student outcomes, specifically:

The applicant’s current policies related to sharing student records, including admissions data and applications, transcripts, graduation/certificate completion and performance data, and employment counseling data, and job placement and earnings data when done as a part of a federally funded grant and pilot project;
A framework for how it proposes to share at least the above data with Job Corps as a part of this demonstration project;
The number and types of student performance measures that are currently tracked by the applicant;
The extent to which the applicant’s current student performance measures can be used to support tracking and reporting the performance measures required by the Job Corps Scholars Program; and
The description of the staffing, technology, computer applications, policies and procedures, and other resources the applicant currently has available to support tracking Job Corps Scholars Program performance measures.

Staffing Plan (6 points)

Applicants must fully describe a logical staffing plan that clearly explains how it will handle staff recruitment, hiring and staff turnover to ensure appropriate staffing for all phases of the program. The staffing plan should include, at a minimum, staffing for the two-month start-up, the delivery of technical training, ongoing personal/career counseling, and employment. The description should include the estimated staff hours.

(4) Past Performance – Programmatic Capability (14 points)

Performance Goals:

This is a new grant opportunity therefore there is no past performance for the Job Corps Scholars Program. Applicants will receive up to 14 points based on the strength of the narrative demonstrating success in the below. No points are awarded when responses are incomplete, absent, or noted as “not applicable.”

The Job Corps Scholars Program is rooted in the importance of positive employment outcomes for the students, specifically obtaining and retaining employment, and greater financial stability. Employers see positive outcomes when these educational institutions graduate Job Corps Scholars who meet the local labor market demand.

Planning, executing, and maintaining a career technical training program that leads to demonstrated positive employment and earnings outcomes; (4 points)
Creating and delivering intensive career and personal counseling services to youth comparable to the target Job Corps eligible youth; (4 points)
Delivering employment placement services, including placements in apprenticeships, that lead to demonstrated positive employment and earnings outcomes. (6 points)

Applicant responses to the above must be for a program of comparable or larger size, and describe the technical career training and counseling programs they offered within the past five years, the number of students that the program has served, the number of personal and career counselors involved with the program, and the training, counseling, employment and employment retention outcomes achieved by the program.

Program performance goals for the Job Corps Scholars Program are in Section II C: Outcomes.

(5) Budget and Budget Justification (4 points)

Budget Justification (2 points)

The applicant must clearly and logically describe how the proposed expenditures will support the activities that were described in the project narrative. (2 points)

Description of Line Item Costs (2 points)

Clear description of the costs associated with each line item on the SF-424A and alignment of the totals on the SF-424A and Budget Narrative. (2 points)

(6) BONUS POINTS: Opportunity Zone Designation (2 points)

Applicants will receive priority consideration of two (2) bonus points if the applicant’s proposed service delivery area is in a qualified Opportunity Zone as designated by the Secretary of Treasury; applicants will not receive additional bonus points for more than one Opportunity Zone. For more information on Opportunity Zones, go to: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/opportunity-zones-frequently-asked-questions.

Attachments to the Project Narrative

In addition to the Project Narrative, you must submit attachments. All attachments must be clearly labeled. We will only exclude those attachments listed below from the page limit. The Budget and Budget Justification do not count against the page limit requirements for the Project Narrative

You must not include additional materials such as resumes 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 (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.

Required Attachments

Abstract

You must submit an up to two-page abstract summarizing the proposed project including, but not limited to, the scope of the project and proposed outcomes. 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 applicant’s name;
the project title,
a description of the area to be served,
the number of participants to be served,
whether the proposed project includes a residential component,
the funding level requested,
the total cost per participant,
whether the applicant is an accredited, two-year, public community college; an accredited, public, two- or four-year HBCU, or an accredited, two- or four-year TCCU,
whether the applicant has experience working with Job Corps eligible student populations,
a list of previous personal/career and employment counseling services provided,
a list of current technical career training programs offered that can be completed in 12 months or less and the maximum academic credit hours earned upon completing the training programs,
a brief summary of the proposed project, including, but not limited to, the scope of the project and proposed outcomes.

The Abstract is limited to two double-spaced single sided 8.5x11 inch pages with 12-point text font and 1-inch margins.

Requested Attachments

We request the following attachments, but their omission will not cause us to screen out the application. Furthermore, the omission of the attachment will impact scoring unless otherwise noted.

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.

When submitting in grants.gov, this document must be uploaded as an attachment to the application package and specifically labeled “NICRA.”

Map of Targeted Community with zip codes as described in Section IV.B.3.A(1)a.

Documentation of Weighted Average Unemployment Rate as described in Section IV.B.3.A(1)b, including ACS data source information.

Documentation of Weighted Average Poverty Rate as described in Section IV.B.3.A(1)c, including ACS data source information.

Documentation of Average Graduation Rate as described in Section IV.B.3.A(1)d.

Job Qualifications for Personal and Career Counselors as described in Section IV.B.3.A.(3)c.

Job Qualifications for Employment Counselors as described in Section IV.B.3.A(3)d.

All applicants are requested to submit Funding Opportunity Announcement 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.

Submission Date, Time, Process and Address

We must receive your application by [insert date XX days after the date of publication on Grants.gov]. You must submit 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).

Hardcopy Submission

All applications submitted in hardcopy by mail or hand delivery (including overnight delivery) submissions must be received at the designated place by the specified closing date and time. Applicants submitting applications in hard copy by mail or hand 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-19-03

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 3^rd 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.

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.

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

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.

Applicants must follow the 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 Agency Organizational 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 web forms 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 no 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.

Intergovernmental Review

This funding opportunity is not subject to Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.”

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, 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.

Indirect 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 10percent of salaries and wages to support indirect costs. Within 90 days of award, you are required to submit an acceptable indirect cost proposal or CAP to your Federal Cognizant Agency to obtain a provisional indirect cost rate. (See Section IV.B.4. for more information on NICRA submission requirements.)

Option 2: Any organization that has never received a negotiated indirect cost rate, with the exceptions noted at 2 CFR 200.414(f) in the Cost Principles, may elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10 percent of modified total direct costs (see 2 CFR 200.68 for definition), which may be used indefinitely. If you choose this option, this methodology must be used consistently for all Federal awards until such time as you choose to negotiate for an indirect cost rate, which you may apply to do at any time. (See 2 CFR 200.414(f) for more information on use of the de minimis rate.)

Salary and Bonus Limitations

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.

Intellectual Property Rights

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 grant 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 licensing 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.”

WIOA Infrastructure

All one-stop partner programs including all programs funded under title I of WIOA are required to contribute to the infrastructure costs and certain additional costs of the one-stop delivery system in proportion to their use and relative benefits received as required in 20 CFR 678.700 and 678.760. The sharing and allocation of infrastructure costs between one-stop partners is governed by WIOA sec. 121(h), WIOA’s implementing regulations, and the Federal Cost Principles contained in the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards at 2 CFR part 200 (Uniform Guidance). The Federal Cost Principles state that a partner’s contribution is an allowable, reasonable, necessary, and allocable cost to the program and is consistent with other legal requirements. A list of the required one-stop partner programs is available at 20 CFR 678.400.

Other Submission Requirements

Withdrawal of Applications: You may withdraw an application by written notice to the Grant Officer at any time before an award is made.

Application Review Information

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” (e.g. IV.B.3.A.(1), Statement of Need). Each of these “section headers” of the Project Narrative include one or more “criterion”, 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 (e.g. a comprehensive work plan for the whole period of performance with feasible and realistic dates). Reviewers will rate each “rating factor” based on how fully and convincingly the applicant responds. For each “rating factor” under each “criterion,” panelists will determine whether the applicant thoroughly meets, partially meets, or fails to meet the “rating factor,” unless noted in Section IV.B.3.A 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 project 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)
Statement of Need (See Section IV.B.3.A.(1) Statement of Need)	18 total
(a) Targeted Community Identification	6
(b) Unemployment Rate	4
(c) Poverty Rate	4
(d) Graduation Rate	4

Expected Outcomes (See Section IV.B.3.A.(2) Expected Outcomes)	22 total
(a) Job Corps Scholars Separation Rate (i.e., completion of the 12-month training certification program) (number and percentage)	2
(b) Job Corps Scholars Dropout Rate (i.e., withdrawal, dismissal, or termination from the grantee institution or Job Corps Scholars Program ) (number and percentage)	2
(c) Job Corps Scholars Qualifying Placement Rate Upon Separation (number and percent)	2
(d) Job Corps Scholars Qualifying Placement Rate During the 12-month Employment Counseling Period Post-Separation (number and percent)	2
(e) Job Corps Scholars Starting Salary/Wage When in a Qualifying Placement Upon Separation	2
(f) Job Corps Scholars Average Salary/Wage When in a Qualifying Placement 12 months After Separation	2
(g) Job Corps Scholars Average Earned Academic Credit Hours	2
(h) Job Corps Scholars Enrolled in the Armed Services Upon Separation	2
(i) Job Corps Scholars Enrolled in an Apprenticeship Program Upon Separation	4
(j) Job Corps Scholars Full-time Employment Upon Separation	2

Project Design (See Section IV.B.3.A.(3) Project Design)	42 total
(a) Outreach, Recruitment, Selection, and Retention	6
(b) Career Technical Training	6
(c) Personal and Career Counseling	6
(d) Employment Counseling	6
(e) Employer Engagement	6
(f) Organizational Capacity	6
(g) Staffing Plan	6

Past Performance and Programmatic Capability (See Section IV.B.3.A.(4) Past Performance and Programmatic Capability )	14 total
(a) Planning, Executing, and Maintaining a Career Technical Training Program	4
(b) Creating and Delivering Intensive Career and Personal Counseling Services to Youth Comparable to the Target Job Corps Eligible Youth	4
(c) Delivering Employment Placement Services	6

Budget and Budget Justification (See Section IV.B.3.A. (5) Budget and Budget Justification)	4 total
(a) Budget Justification: Clearly and Logically Describe the Proposed Expenditures and How They Support the Activities in the Project Narrative	2
(b) Description of Line Item Costs	2

TOTAL	100
Bonus Points: Opportunity Zone Designation	2
TOTAL	102

Review and Selection Process
1. Merit Review and Selection Process

A technical merit review panel will carefully evaluate applications against the selection criteria to determine the merit of applications. These criteria are based on the policy goals, priorities, and emphases set forth in this FOA. Up to 102 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, expected outcomes numbers provided by the applicant, 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.

Risk Review Process

Prior to making an award, ETA will review information available through various sources, including 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 codified by DOL at 29 CFR Part 98 [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 and 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 as an attachment to their application (suggested template below) for the Employment and Training Administration (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)
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT: FINANCIAL SYSTEM ASSESSMENT

SECTION A: PURPOSE

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.
(1) Accounting records should provide information needed to adequately identify the receipt of funds under each grant awarded and the expenditure
of funds for each grant.
(2) Entries in accounting records should refer to subsidiary records and/or documentation which support the entry and which can be readily located.
(3) The accounting system should provide accurate and current financial reporting information.
(4) The accounting system should be integrated with an adequate system of internal controls to safeguard the funds and assets covered, check the accuracy and reliability of accounting data, promote operational efficiency, and encourage adherence to prescribed management policies.

SECTION B: GENERAL

1. Complete the following items:

a. When was the organization founded/incorporated (month, day, year)

b. Principal officers

Titles

c. Employer Identification Number:

d. Number of Employees
Full Time: Part Time:

2. Is the organization or institution affiliated with any other organization: Yes No
If yes, please provide details as to the nature of the company (for profit, non-profit, LLC, etc) and if it provides services or products to the organization in relation to this grant.

3. Total Sales/Revenues in most recent accounting period. (12 months)
$

SECTION C: ACCOUNTING SYSTEM

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

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.

Note: If review occurred within the past three years, omit questions 2-8 of this Section and Section D.

2. Which of the following best describes the accounting system:

State administered

Internally Developed

Web-based

3. Does the accounting system identify the receipt and expenditure of program funds separately for each contract/grant?

Yes

Not Sure

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?

Yes

Not Sure

5. Are time distribution records maintained for an employee when his/her effort can be specifically identified to a particular cost objective?

Yes

Not Sure

6. If the organization proposes an overhead rate, does the accounting system provide for the segregation of direct and indirect expenses?

Yes

Not Sure

7. Does the organization have an approved indirect cost rate or cost allocation plan?

If so, who approved it (Federal Cognizant Agency or a Pass-through Entity)? What are the effective dates?

Yes

Not Sure

8. Does the accounting/financial system include budgetary controls to preclude incurring obligations in excess of:
a. Total funds available for a grant?
b. Total funds available for a budget cost category (e.g. Personnel, Travel, etc)?

Yes
Yes

No
No

Not Sure
Not Sure

9. Does the organization or institution have an internal control structure that would provide reasonable assurance that the grant funds, assets and systems are safeguarded?

Yes

Not Sure

SECTION D: FINANCIAL STABILITY

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
If yes, please explain briefly.

SECTION E: FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. Did an independent certified public accountant (CPA) ever examine the financial statements? Yes No

2. If an independent CPA review was performed please attach a copy of their latest report and any management letters issued. Enclosed N / A

3. If an independent CPA was engaged to perform a review and no report was issued, please provide details and an explanation below:

SECTION F: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

1. Use this space for any additional information (indicate section and item numbers if a continuation)

Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices

All award notifications will be posted on the ETA Homepage at 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.

Administrative and National Policy Requirements
1. Administrative Program Requirements

All grantees will be subject to all applicable Federal laws, and 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 recipients must comply with the applicable provisions of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Public Law No. 113-328, 128 Stat. 1425 (codified as amended at 29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.) and the applicable provisions of the regulations at 20 CFR 675 et seq. Note that 20 CFR part 683 (Administrative Provisions) allows unsuccessful applicants to file administrative appeals.

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

d. 29 CFR Part 2, subpart D—Equal Treatment in Department of Labor Programs for Religious Organizations; Protection of Religious Liberty of Department of Labor Social Service Providers and Beneficiaries.

e. 29 CFR Part 31—Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs of the Department of Labor—Effectuation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

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

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

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

i. 29 CFR Part 38 – Implementation of the Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity Provisions of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

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

k. 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, as well as all FOIA exemptions and Procedures. See generally 5 U.S.C. § 552; 29 CFR Part 70.

l. Standard Grant Terms and Conditions of Award—see the following link: https://www.doleta.gov/grants/resources.cfm.

Other Legal Requirements

Religious Activities

The Department notes that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), 42 U.S.C. Section 2000bb, applies to all Federal law and its implementation. If an applicant organization is a faith-based organization that makes hiring decisions on the basis of religious belief, it may be entitled to receive Federal financial assistance under this grant solicitation and maintain that hiring practice. If a faith-based organization is awarded a grant, the organization will be provided with more information.

Lobbying or Fundraising the U.S. Government with Federal Funds

In accordance with Section 18 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (Public Law 104-65) (2 U.S.C. 1611), non-profit entities incorporated under Internal Revenue Service Code Section 501(c) (4) that engage in lobbying activities are not eligible to receive Federal funds and grants. No activity, including awareness-raising and advocacy activities, may include fundraising for, or lobbying of, U.S. Federal, State or Local Governments (see 2 CFR 200.450 for more information).

Transparency Act Requirements

You must ensure that you have the necessary processes and systems in place to comply with the reporting requirements of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Pub. Law 109-282, as amended by section 6202 of Pub. Law 110-252) (Transparency Act), as follows:

Except for those excepted from the Transparency Act under sub-paragraphs 1, 2, and 3 below, you must ensure that you have the necessary processes and systems in place to comply with the subaward and executive total compensation reporting requirements of the Transparency Act, should they receive funding.

Upon award, you will receive detailed information on the reporting requirements of the Transparency Act, as described in 2 CFR Part 170, Appendix A, which can be found at the following website: 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:

Federal awards to individuals who apply for or receive Federal awards as natural persons (e.g., 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.

Safeguarding Data Including Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

Applicants submitting applications in response to this FOA must recognize that confidentiality of PII and other sensitive data is of paramount importance to the Department of Labor and must be observed except where disclosure is allowed by the prior written approval of the Grant Officer or by court order. By submitting an application, you are assuring that all data exchanges conducted through or during the course of performance of this grant will be conducted in a manner consistent with applicable Federal law and TEGL NO. 39-11 (issued June 28, 2012). All such activity conducted by ETA and/or recipient(s) will be performed in a manner consistent with applicable state and Federal laws.

By submitting a grant application, you agree to take all necessary steps to protect such confidentiality by complying with the following provisions that are applicable in governing their handling of confidential information:

1. You must ensure that PII and sensitive data developed, obtained, or otherwise associated with DOL/ETA funded grants is securely transmitted.

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.

Record Retention

You must follow Federal guidelines on record retention, which require that you maintain all records pertaining to grant activities for a period of at least three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report. See 2 CFR 200.333-.337 for more specific information, including information about the start of the record retention period for awards that are renewed quarterly or annually, and when the records must be retained for more than three years.

Use of Contracts and Subawards

You must abide by the following definitions of contract, contractor, subaward, and subrecipient:

Contract: Contract means a legal instrument by which a non-Federal entity (defined as a state, local government, Indian tribe, institution of higher education (IHE), nonprofit organization, for-profit entity, foreign public entity, or a foreign organization that carries out a Federal award as a recipient or subrecipient) purchases property or services needed to carry out the project or program under a Federal award. The term as used in this FOA does not include a legal instrument, even if the non-Federal entity considers it a contract, when the substance of the transaction meets the definition of a Federal award or subaward (see definition of Subaward below).

Contractor: Contractor means an entity that receives a contract as defined above in Contract.

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.

Closeout of Grant Award

Any entity that receives an award under this Announcement must close its grant with ETA at the end of the final year of the grant. Information about this process may be found in ETA’s Grant Closeout FAQ located at https://www.doleta.gov/grants/docs/GCFAQ.pdf.

Other Administrative Standards and Provisions

Except as specifically provided in this FOA, our acceptance of an application and an award of Federal funds to sponsor any programs(s) does not provide a waiver of any grant requirements and/or procedures. For example, the OMB Uniform Guidance requires that an entity’s procurement procedures ensure that all procurement transactions are conducted, as much as practical, to provide full and open competition. If an application identifies a specific entity to provide goods or services, the award does not provide the justification or basis to sole source the procurement, e.g., avoid competition.

Special Program Requirements

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.

Performance Goals

Please note that applicants will be held to outcomes provided, and failure to meet those outcomes may result in technical assistance or other intervention by ETA, and may also have a significant impact on decisions about future grants with ETA.

Reporting

You must meet DOL reporting requirements. Specifically, you must submit the reports and documents listed below to DOL electronically:

Quarterly Financial Reports

A Quarterly Financial Status Report (ETA 9130) is required until such time as all funds have been expended or the grant period has expired. Quarterly reports are due 45 days after the end of each calendar year quarter. On the final Financial Status Report, you must include any subaward amounts so we can calculate final indirect costs, if applicable. You must use DOL’s Online Electronic Reporting System and information and instructions will be provided to grantees. For other guidance on ETA’s financial reporting, reference Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 02-16 and our webpage at https://www.doleta.gov/grants/financial_reporting.cfm.

Quarterly Performance Reports

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.

Agency Contacts

For further information about this FOA, please contact Liz DeHart, Grants Management Specialist, Office of Grants Management. Applicants should e-mail all technical questions to [email protected] and must specifically reference FOA-ETA-19-03, 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.

Other Information
1. Web-Based Resources

DOL maintains a number of web-based resources that may be of assistance to applicants. These include the CareerOneStop portal (https://www.careeronestop.org), which provides national and state career information on occupations; the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) Online (https://online.onetcenter.org) which provides occupational competency profiles; and America's Service Locator (https://www.servicelocator.org), which provides a directory of our nation's American Job Centers (formerly known as One-Stop Career Centers).

Industry Competency Models and Career Clusters

ETA supports an Industry Competency Model Initiative to promote an understanding of the skill sets and competencies that are essential to an educated and skilled workforce. A competency model is a collection of competencies that, taken together, define successful performance in a particular work setting. Competency models serve as a starting point for the design and implementation of workforce and talent development programs. To learn about the industry-validated models, visit the Competency Model Clearinghouse (CMC) at 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.

WorkforceGPS Resources

We encourage you to view the information on workforce resources gathered through consultations with Federal agency partners, industry stakeholders, educators, and local practitioners, and made available 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 Resources

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 more than 700 TAACCCT-funded community colleges. 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.

The SkillsCommons Field Guide of TAACCCT Innovations is a collection of innovative and successful workforce development strategies developed by TAACCCT-funded community colleges across the U.S. The Field Guide provides brief descriptions of the innovations, videos, and podcasts of project directors explaining their innovative programs, and the free and open OER developed by their programs, which others may adopt and adapt for their own use. The Field Guide organizes the 30 featured projects into three strategy areas: Aligning Workforce Development Programs with Industry Sector Needs, Strengthening Student Support Services to Improve Student & Worker Outcomes, and Programmatic and Pedagogical Innovations to Improve Student Outcomes.

Workforce Development System

The Title I Youth program under WIOA helps out-of-school youth and low-income in-school youth with barriers to employment by providing them with services that prepare them for employment and post-secondary education. WIOA authorizes services to 14-21 year old low-income in-school youth and 16-24 year old out-of-school youth who have barriers to employment. Service providers prepare youth for employment and post-secondary education by stressing linkages between academic and occupational learning and creating effective connections to employers. They also assist youth by providing a variety of other services, including tutoring, alternative secondary school services, summer and year-round work experiences, including pre-apprenticeship programs and on-the-job training opportunities, and occupational training, among others. The Local Workforce Development System entities involved in administering the workforce development system established under Title I of WIOA, include:

A Local Workforce Development Board (LWDB), as established under Section 107 of WIOA, that has been incorporated (in States in which the State Workforce Development Board carries out the functions of a LWDB pursuant to a DOL-approved waiver, the State Board is authorized to apply in the role of the LWDB);
A State Workforce Development Board (SWDB) in states designated as a single State local area, as established under Section 106(d) of WIOA;
In areas where the LWDB is not incorporated, the legal entity that serves as the fiscal agent for the LWDB. To serve as a partner under this category, this entity must provide, as an attachment to the application, a letter from the chair of the LWDB that: affirms that the partner is the legal entity that serves as the fiscal agent for the LWDB, confirms that the entity is participating in the application on behalf of the LWDB, and includes the entity’s legal name and Federal Tax Identification Number; or
American Job Center Operators as discussed under Section 121 of WIOA.

Applicants are encouraged, as a part of their partnership with the Workforce Development System, to understand and clarify the following information with their Workforce Development System partner:

The role of the workforce development system in recruiting eligible Job Corps Scholars participants, including recruitment from the WIOA Title I Youth program;
The plan for collaboration between the workforce development system and the community college, HBCU, or TCCU;
The resources that the workforce development system has committed to the partnership;
The plan for coordinating with and utilizing the resources provided by the network of American Job Centers to develop and implement career counseling services and plan for incorporating up-to-date information; and
The role the workforce development system will play in connecting program graduates with education, training, and/or employment opportunities.

OMB Information Collection

OMB Information Collection No 1225-0086, Expires July 31, 2022.

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

1 Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Center on Education and the Workforce, Recovery: Job Growth and Education Requirements Through 2020, p. 8, https://cew.georgetown.edu/cew-reports/recovery-job-growth-and-education-requirements-through-2020/ (last accessed July 18, 2018).

2 Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor, Job Corps Could Not Demonstrate Beneficial Job Training Outcomes, Report Number 04-18-001-03-370 (March 30, 2018), https://www.oig.dol.gov/public/reports/oa/viewpdf.php?r=04-18-001-03-370&y=2018 (last accessed October 28, 2018).

3 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Table 313.20. Fall enrollment in degree-granting historically Black colleges and universities, by sex of student and level and control of institution: Selected years, 1976 through 2016, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d17/tables/dt17_313.20.asp?current=yes (last accessed November 12, 2018). Data show total enrollment of 292,083. See also College Navigator https://nces.ed.gov/COLLEGENAVIGATOR/?s=all&sp=4&pg=1(last accessed March 20, 2019).

4 Id. See also United Negro College Fund, HBCUs Make America Strong: THE POSITIVE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, p. 3, November 2017, http://images.uncf.org/production/HBCU_Consumer_Brochure_FINAL_APPROVED.pdf?_ga=2.79699479.1812946613.1540775681-177476315.1540775681 (last accessed October 28, 2018).

5 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Table 313.10. Fall enrollment, degrees conferred, and expenditures in degree-granting historically Black colleges and universities, by institution: 2015, 2016, and 2015-16, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d17/tables/dt17_313.10.asp?current=yes (last accessed Nov. 14, 2018)

6 White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education, U.S. Department of Education, Tribal Colleges and Universities, TCUs and 2020 Goal, https://sites.ed.gov/whiaiane/tribes-tcus/tribal-colleges-and-universities/ (last accessed November 12, 2018).

7 White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education, U.S. Department of Education, Tribal Colleges and Universities, https://sites.ed.gov/whiaiane/tribes-tcus/tribal-colleges-and-universities/ (last accessed November 12, 2018).

8 Id.

9 Id.

10 Cooper, M., Institute for Higher Education Policy, The White House Summit on Community Colleges Conference, Student Support Services at Community Colleges: A Strategy for Increasing Student Persistence and Attainment, https://www2.ed.gov/PDFDocs/college-completion/04-student-support-services-at-community-colleges.pdf (last accessed February 2019).

11 The definition of a qualifying placement is in the Job Corps Policy and Requirements Handbook, Chapter 4: Career Transition Period, Exhibit 4-1: Career Transition Plan. The initial placement verification and documentation requirements is also in Chapter 4, Exhibit 4-2: Eligibility for Services. See Job Corps Policy and Requirements Handbook, Chapter 4: Career Transition Period, https://eprh.jobcorps.gov/Career%20Transition%20Period/Pages/default.aspx (last accessed November 19, 2018).

12 See also U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/COLLEGENAVIGATOR/?s=all&sp=4&pg=1 (last accessed October 29, 2018)

13 Ibid.

14 Homeless is defined in the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (Section 42 U.S.C. 14043e- 2[6]) and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act [42 U.S.C. 11434a(2)).

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Job Corps Scholars Program

DOL Generic Solution for Funding Opportunity Announcements

Job Corps Scholars FOA 9-17-19