Employment and Training Administration January 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Employment and Training Administration published a document in the Federal Register on January 4, 2008, announcing the availability of funds and solicitation for grant applications (SGA) for the Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians under section 166 of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) for Program Years (PY) 2008 and 2009. This notice is a second amendment to the SGA and it amends ``Announcement Type'' to correct the Funding Opportunity Number.

Under the President's High Growth Job Training Initiative (HGJTI), DOL/ETA, announces the availability of approximately $10 million in grant funds for high-impact regional approaches to meet the workforce challenges of the energy industry and/or address the shortage of construction and skilled trade workers needed to maintain and expand the energy industry infrastructure. The President's HGJTI is a strategic effort to prepare workers for new and increasing job opportunities in high-growth, high-demand, and economically vital industries and sectors of the American economy. Through the initiative, ETA identifies high-growth, high-demand industries, evaluates the skill needs of those industries, and funds local and national partnership-based demonstration projects that: (a) Address industry-specific workforce challenges within the context of regional talent and economic development strategies; and (b) prepare workers for good jobs with career pathways in these rapidly expanding or transforming industries. ETA will broadly disseminate the products, models, and effective approaches that result from HGJTI investments to employers, education and training providers, and the workforce system, building their capacity to respond to employers' workforce needs in high-growth, high-demand industries that are a part of regional economies. Grant funds awarded under this Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA) should be used to implement and replicate high-impact, industry- driven training solutions that address identified workforce challenges in the energy industry or in the construction and skilled trade occupations that support the energy industry. Each solution must take place in the context of a regional talent development strategy designed to contribute to a strong regional economy. The solutions must be developed and implemented by a strategic regional partnership, which includes leaders from the workforce investment system, business and industry, and the education and training community, as well as other public and private sector partners that bring critical assets to the joint venture. Proposed solutions should take full advantage of existing workforce development models, promising practices, and tools. Solutions must implement an existing promising solution, model, or approach and take it to scale in the region, or adapt a solution that has been demonstrated to have positive impact on the identified workforce development challenges in another region. Applicants may be public, private for-profit, or private non-profit organizations. It is anticipated that average individual awards will fall within the range of $500,000 to $1 million. Addresses: Mailed applications must be addressed to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Division of Federal Assistance, Attention: Ariam Ferro, Grants Management Specialist, Reference SGA/DFA PY-07-07, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N4716, Washington, DC 20210. Applicants may alternatively apply online through Grants.gov (https://www.grants.gov) and further information about applying online can be found in Part IV (3) of this solicitation. Telefacsimile (FAX) applications will not be accepted. Applicants are advised that U.S. Postal Service mail delivery in the Washington area may be delayed due to mail decontamination procedures. Hand delivered proposals will be received at the above address. Supplementary Information: This solicitation consists of eight parts: Part I provides the funding opportunity description: It contains background information on the HGJTI and workforce challenges facing the energy sector, including the shortage of construction and skilled trade workers; describes ETA's approach to talent development in the context of regional economies; and provides a description of the critical elements for this solicitation. Part II describes the award amount and performance period of the award. Part III describes eligible applicants and other grant specifications. Part IV provides information on the application and submission process and various funding restrictions. Part V describes the criteria against which applications will be reviewed and explains the proposal review and selection process. Part VI provides award administration information. Part VII contains ETA agency contact information. Part VIII lists additional resources of interest to applicants and other information.

The Employment and Training Administration published a document in the Federal Register on January 4, 2008, announcing the availability of funds and solicitation for grant applications (SGA) for the Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians under section 166 of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) for Program Years (PY) 2008 and 2009. This notice is an amendment to the SGA and it amends ``Announcement Type'' and the ``Application and Submission'' Information section to correct the Funding Opportunity Number.

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), announces the availability of approximately $10 million in grant funds for the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Opportunities in the Workforce System Initiative (STEM Initiative). These grants will be awarded through a two-phased competitive process to primarily expand and align current and new STEM workforce education and training strategies, activities, and resources in One Stop Career Centers to promote, attract, and prepare disadvantaged youth and dislocated workers for STEM careers, while simultaneously enhancing the competitive position of local and regional employers. Grants will be awarded to a select number of individual workforce investment boards (WIBs), representing a regional consortium of WIBs. A WIB must submit an application on behalf of a specific, defined multi- county economic region comprised of various workforce investment areas that make up the consortium. Joint applications for regions that cross state lines will be accepted. Applications for multi-state regions must be from an individual WIB that will have responsibility for administering the project. This solicitation contains an exception if the defined region is a rural area or a portion of a state whereby only one WIB exists. In awarding STEM Initiative grants, every effort will be made to fairly distribute grants across rural and urban areas and across the different geographic regions of the United States. It is anticipated that the number of awards will range from five to seven, with the average award ranging from $1.5 million to $2 million. This solicitation provides background information and describes the application submission requirements, outlines the process that eligible entities must use to apply for funds covered by this solicitation, and details how grantees will be selected.

The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden conducts a preclearance consultation program to provide the general public and federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, the Employment and Training Administration is soliciting comments concerning the consolidated Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) Program. A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addressee section of this notice or by accessing: https://www.doleta.gov/OMBCN/ OMBControlNumber.cfm.

Notice is hereby given of the publication of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration's (USDOL/ ETA) Five-Year Research, Demonstration, and Evaluation Strategic Plan for 2007-2012, hereafter referred to as ``Strategic Plan''. The Strategic Plan is required under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998, Section 171. The attached Strategic Plan identifies the potential demonstration and pilot, multi-service, multi-state, research and evaluation efforts that will most assist ETA in carrying out workforce development programs under WIA.