Community-Based Job Training Grants; Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA) SGA/DFA-PY 07-01; Amendment Number 1, 54462-54463 [E7-18826]

Agencies

• Employment and Training Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 185 (Tuesday, September 25, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54462-54463]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-18826]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Community-Based Job Training Grants; Solicitation for Grant 
Applications (SGA) SGA/DFA-PY 07-01; Amendment Number 1

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Labor.

ACTION: Amendment.

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SUMMARY: The Employment and Training Administration published a 
document in the Federal Register of August 8, 2007, announcing the 
availability of funds and solicitation for grant applications for 
Community-Based Job Training Grants to support workforce training for 
high-growth/high-demand industries through the national system of 
community and technical colleges. This amendment will make changes to 
the August 8 document by removing the requirement that 50% of the grant 
funds must be spent on tuition in Section III Eligibility Information 
and Other Grant Specifications; updating the data required in the one- 
to three-page summary of projected outcomes in Section IV Application 
and Submission Information; replacing outcomes associated with the 50% 
requirement with new outcomes and clarifying and correcting the total 
number of points the section is worth in the Description of Outcomes 
section in Section V Application Review Information; and extending the 
closing date for the Solicitation to October 31, 2007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melissa Abdullah, Grants Management 
Specialist, Telephone (202) 693-3346.

Amendment

    In the Federal Register of August 8, 2007, in FR Volume 72, Number 
152, the solicitation is hereby amended with the following:
    1. On page 44574, extend the closing date of this Solicitation to 
October 31, 2007.
    2. On page 44581, in the middle column, Section III.C.2. Required 
Capacity Building and Training Activities, delete the following text:

    In all applications, at least 50 percent of the proposed budget 
must be for tuition and related training costs for a substantive 
number of students enrolled in the grant training program. Related 
training costs include, but are not limited to, books, supplies, 
tools, and uniforms. Grantees are strongly encouraged to leverage 
other resources to cover the tuition costs for the students trained 
with grant funds to expand the number of individuals trained with 
the grant. Possible sources of leveraged resources for tuition 
include, but are not limited to, Pell Grants, student loans, and 
employer tuition reimbursement. Grantees may charge tuition and 
related training costs to students enrolled in the training program 
whose tuition is not covered by the grant; however, the leveraging 
of resources described above is strongly encouraged. Grantees must 
track and report performance outcomes on any individuals trained 
using grant dollars, either in whole or in part. Where grant dollars 
are combined with other leveraged resources to cover tuition for an 
individual being trained, that individual must be tracked for 
purposes of performance as well.

    Added to this section is the following text:

    A component of all grants must be direct training costs, which 
include, but are not limited to: Faculty costs, including salaries 
and fringe benefits; in-house training staff; support staff costs 
such as lab or teaching assistants; classroom space, including 
laboratories, mock-ups or other facilities used for training 
purposes; and books, materials, and supplies used in the training 
course, including specialized equipment used in the training course. 
Grantees are strongly encouraged to leverage other resources to 
cover the tuition costs for the students trained under the grant. 
Possible sources of leveraged resources for tuition include, but are 
not limited to, Pell Grants; Workforce Investment Act resources, 
including Individual Training Accounts; and employer tuition 
reimbursement. Applicants must also describe how tuition for 
students participating in the program will be covered, including 
tuition charged to students, funding made available through the 
workforce investment system, business paid training, or other 
sources.
    For reference, direct training costs are the costs associated 
with the actual provision of a training course as opposed to the 
capacity building costs associated with the development of training 
capabilities or curriculums. Direct training costs do NOT include 
costs that support the college in general, such as fees to support 
student activities, the library, gym or recreation center, etc., 
which may be covered through some other mechanism, such as student 
fees. Indirect training costs may include the applicable share of 
the Institution's indirect costs (overhead) and library or other 
student activity fees associated with the operation of the 
Institution. Both direct and indirect training costs must be 
allowable costs under the applicable OMB circular. All direct and 
indirect training costs should be linked to a specific course or 
curriculum as specified in the proposal or the statement of work.

    3. Additional references to the 50% requirement are deleted on: 
Page 44583 column 1 (Section IV.A), Page 44586 column 1 (Section V.A.3. 
Effective, Innovative Training and Capacity Building Strategies)
    4. On page 44583, middle column, Section IV.A, in the one- to 
three-page listing of all projected outcomes list, delete:

     The number of individuals trained using grant dollars, 
including individuals trained as a result of leveraging of resources 
(e.g. training is paid in whole or in part through sources other 
than the grant or tuition, including Pell Grants, student loans, 
employer tuition reimbursement, and Workforce Investment Act 
training resources such as customized training, ITAs, or pilot 
CAAs);
     The number of individuals trained without use of grant 
dollars, such as those who pay tuition.

    Replace this text with the following bullets:

     The number of individuals who will participate in 
training activities during the life of the grant. Participation in 
training activities includes individuals whose training activity is 
supported in whole or in part by direct training costs under the 
grant. This projection also includes individuals participating in 
the training activity who benefit from the products, services, and 
activities funded by the grant for capacity building, but whose 
training activity is not funded by the grant.
     The number of individuals who will complete training 
activities during the life of the grant regardless of the source of 
the funds paying for the training activities.
     The number of individuals to participate in training 
activities during the life of the grant whose participation is 
supported by the grant either through direct training costs or 
through tuition remission, scholarship, or other direct payment by 
the grant.
    Applicants should note that they must include projections for 
numbers of students to be enrolled in and expected to complete 
training during the life of the grant. If awarded a grant, 
applicants MUST be able to track and report to ETA their success at 
meeting these projections on a quarterly basis regardless of whether 
the grant pays for the direct training of these individuals. This 
requirement is considered a condition of grant award.

    5. Regarding training and capacity building plan outcomes and 
students trained using grant dollars:
    a. On page 44586, in the right hand column, Part V. A. 4. b. 
Training, delete the following text: the number of individuals 
trained using grant dollars, including individuals trained as a 
result of leveraging of resources (e.g. training is paid in whole or 
in part through sources other than the grant or tuition, including 
Pell Grants, student loans, employer tuition reimbursement, and 
Workforce Investment Act training resources such as customized 
training, ITAs, or pilot CAAs); the number of individuals trained

[[Page 54463]]

without use of grant dollars, such as those who pay tuition.
    In place of the above deletion, add to Section V.A.4.b.: the 
number of individuals participating in training activities under the 
grant regardless of the source of the funds paying for the training 
activities.
    b. On page 44586, in the middle column, Part V. 4. Outcomes, 
Benefits, and Impact, there is confusion as to the total number of 
points this section is worth because of formatting issues in the 
Solicitation. This amendment provides clarification that the total 
points available for this section are 30. The Solicitation is hereby 
amended to reflect that:
    Part V.4. Outcomes, Benefits, and Impact is worth a total of 30 
points.
    Part V. 4. a. Description of Outcomes is worth a total of 20 
points.
    4.a.1. (formerly 4.b.) Training: 10 points.
    4.a.2. (formerly 4.c) Capacity Building: 10 points.
    Part V 4. b (formerly 4.d). Appropriateness of Outcomes is worth 
10 points.
    c. On page 44586, in the right hand column, Part V. A. 4. c. 
Capacity Building, add the following sentence: Please note, in their 
projected impact numbers, applicants must include a projection of 
the impact that the capacity building activities will have in the 
long-term (beyond the life of the grant) on the number of 
individuals trained by the college in the program areas enhanced by 
the grant.
    6. On page 44581, in the right hand column, Section III.C.2. 
Required Capacity Building and Training Activities, and on page 
44586, in the left hand column, Section V.A.3 Training and Capacity 
building Plan, the first bullet: Effective, Innovative Training and 
Capacity Building Strategies, add the following text:

    Applicants should also describe how their capacity building 
activities will ensure there will be demand for the program 
developed under the grant. This description should include outreach 
and recruitment strategies for new students and trainees and include 
roles of the industry, workforce system, and education partners in 
the outreach and recruitment strategies.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 12th day of September 2007.
Eric Luetkenhaus,
Grant Officer, Employment & Training Administration.
 [FR Doc. E7-18826 Filed 9-24-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-FN-P