FOA-ETA-24-16 JC Information Technology Academy.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

ANNOUNCEMENT FOR: Job Corps Information Technology Academy/Hub

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Initial

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: FOA-ETA-24-16

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER: 17.287

KEY DATES: The closing date for receipt of applications under this Announcement is 04/09/2024. We must receive applications no later than 11:59 pm Eastern Time.

Submit all applications in response to this solicitation through https://www.grants.gov. For complete application and submission information, including online application instructions, please refer to Section IV.

Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. PROGRAM PURPOSE

B. PROGRAM AUTHORITY

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. AWARD TYPE AND AMOUNT

B. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

C. GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE

D. COLLABORATION ACTIVITIES

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

B. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

C. OTHER INFORMATION

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. HOW TO OBTAIN AN APPLICATION PACKAGE

B. CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION

C. SUBMISSION DATE, TIME, PROCESS AND ADDRESS

D. INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW

E. FUNDING RESTRICTIONS

F. OTHER SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. CRITERIA

B. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. AWARD NOTICES

B. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

C. REPORTING

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

VIII. OTHER INFORMATION

A. WEB-BASED RESOURCES

B. INDUSTRY COMPETENCY MODELS AND CAREER CLUSTERS

C. WORKFORCEGPS RESOURCES

D. SKILLSCOMMONS RESOURCES

IX. OMB INFORMATION COLLECTION

APPENDIX A- OFFICE OF JOB CORPS LOGIC MODEL (Suggested Template)

APPENDIX B- OFFICE OF JOB CORPS JOURNEY MAP

APPENDIX C- Good Jobs Principles

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, or the Department, or we), announces the availability of approximately $20,000,000 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 Information Technology Academy.

Under this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), DOL will award up to five cooperative agreements through a competitive process to awardee(s) as part of a Job Corps Information Technology Academy (JCITA) demonstration project. The purpose of this program is to provide expanded career technical training and career outcomes for Job Corps students, specifically in information technology. Awardee(s) are expected to implement and test innovative training models within the general guidelines required of Job Corps, to identify approaches that could be used at scale across the program.

Eligible applicants for these cooperative agreements are:

• Educational institution;

• National or community-based nonprofit organization;

• Organization functioning as workforce intermediary, such as workforce development board, labor-management organization, and community-based organization;

• Indian and Native American entities eligible for grants under Section 166 of WIOA, including Federally and other than Federally Recognized Tribe, Native American non-profit organizations, and Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native organizations;

• State or local youth service conservation corps; or

• For-profit organizations.

DOL expects to serve a minimum of 1,428 students nationally through the award of one to five cooperative agreements, to awardee(s). The geographic scope of these awards is flexible, and the applicant’s plan should address the specific geographic location(s), and their corresponding Job Corps center(s), which could feasibly be served. The actual geography and centers will be determined by Job Corps at the time of the award. Awardees will be expected to deliver activities in person, at Job Corps centers. Activities may occur off-center if transportation of students is feasible and at the discretion of the DOL. Education-related activities are expected to primarily occur in person. Limited hybrid/virtual instruction or supports may be delivered, if well-designed and implemented, and at the discretion of DOL. The awardee(s) must only serve Job Corps eligible youth and shall provide those enrolled with IT-focused career technical training, career counseling, IT-related wraparound supportive services; relevant work-based-learning opportunities; and career transition services. DOL expects the awardee(s) to provide these services throughout each student’s participation in the career technical training component at the Job Corps Information Technology Academy (JCITA) and the up-to-12-month employment placement period following separation from the program. Awardees(s) may also fund developmental coursework where necessary for student entry into the career 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 component. All counseling should encompass activities that aim to ensure each student’s employment success.

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. PROGRAM PURPOSE

The Department’s Job Corps program helps eligible young people between the ages of 16 and 24 complete career technical training, as well as required academic education, that is required to transition into meaningful high-growth careers with family-sustaining wages. Job Corps seeks to give its students the opportunity to realize their full potential, gain new vocational and academic skills, and grow into mature, responsible, and productive adults. The program has trained and educated three million individuals in its more than 50-year history. Currently, Job Corps serves approximately 30,000 youth annually through 123 Job Corps centers throughout the country. Job Corps operates primarily by awarding contracts to operate its training centers, including providing outreach and admissions services, career technical training, employment and career counseling, job placement, and other services. Job Corps is authorized under Subtitle C, Section 141 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act (WIOA) (29 U.S.C. 3191). WIOA requires Job Corps to prepare students for careers, college, and other post-secondary opportunities. It specifies that the purpose of the Job Corps program is to assist eligible youth in connecting to the labor force by providing them with intensive social, academic, career, and technical education and service-learning opportunities in order for such youth to obtain secondary diplomas or recognized post-secondary credentials that lead to successful careers in in-demand industry sectors or occupations or the Armed Forces that will result in economic self-sufficiency and opportunities for advancement or enrollment in post-secondary education and registered apprenticeship programs. 29 U.S.C. 3191(1)(A).

In FY 2022, the Department launched the Job Corps 2.0 strategic vision with the overarching goal of facilitating a path for its students and graduates to economic security and ensuring that the program is a top choice for young people as they chart their paths. Job Corps 2.0 prioritizes a more student-centered approach to teaching and training its students for high-quality jobs consistent with The Good Jobs Principles, a shared federal vision of job quality published by the Departments of Labor and Commerce and used to guide generational investments in communities as part of the Administration’s Investing in America agenda. (See APPENDIX C- Good Jobs Principles). Job Corps is focused on creating a learning environment that places students—including their education, achievements, outcomes, and successes—first by examining its policies and practices to ensure that the impacts they are producing align with its intent to educate and prepare students for meaningful, sustainable careers. A student-centered learning environment also includes embodying a student-centered perspective—a perspective rooted in the core belief that the students the program serves are worthy and have the potential to be successful.

Building Job Corps 2.0 calls for improving all aspects of the program to ensure that students are adequately prepared for the workforce. This includes academics and skills training, student experience, and transition services that lead to meaningful, sustainable careers. Job Corps 2.0 emphasizes a “student-centered” delivery model that focuses on seven key areas.

1. Modernize the Student Enrollment Process

2. Foster a Positive Student Experience

3. Modernize Training Programs

4. Develop Meaningful Partnerships

5. Ensure Successful Transition to Employment

6. Enhance Federal Oversight of Center Operations

7. Rebrand Job Corps

During the 2021 program Year (July 2021 – June 2022), Job Corps had 251 IT training completers, accounting for 3.6 percent of total training completers across the program. There is strong demand --both from employers and from job seekers-- for IT training and jobs, and Job Corps is prioritizing the adoption and expansion of IT training to create opportunities for students in this emerging sector.

The JCITA demonstration project will further the goal of modernizing training programs within Job Corps but will also promote the following other key priorities:

• Developing and incorporating new in-demand curriculum;

• Establishing high-quality training pathways with clear stages that connect skill and competency gains to wage increases and opportunities for career progression, through quality pre-apprenticeship programs that lead to enrollment in Registered Apprenticeship programs after program completion;

• Address how content is taught to reflect different learning styles and needs; and

• Enhancing the connection to employers and post-secondary education institutions and boosting co-enrollment.

The goal of the demonstration is to focus on creating IT-focused training opportunities for students that lead to job attachment in high-growth and in-demand career pathways. While the awardee must provide more advanced IT-based training beyond current Job Corps offerings and support, direct center services (e.g., housing, food, physical and mental health services, transportation, etc.) shall still be provided by the Job Corps center operator. The training must focus on cutting-edge IT occupational clusters such as programming, cyber security, and data science. The awardee(s) is expected to deliver instruction in person at a Job Corps center or the awardee’s training site and promote and encourage student completion and attainment of industry-recognized credentials. This demonstration aims to test new approaches for Job Corps IT training and services with either a national or regional scope, which will include the following broad service areas:

• Provide students with new and improved training and support at the onset of their enrollment to improve retention, training comprehension, and eventual career readiness.

This will include an emphasis on modern, technology-based skill sets which are required to succeed as students and workers.

• Provide students with access to a set of varied, in-demand, and stackable training and credentials that are tied to high-growth and high-wage IT career pathways.

• Provide training on essential employability (i.e., “soft skills”) skills necessary to succeed within an IT career pathway. Formal career readiness will be required as a prerequisite to graduation.

• Provide virtual training and/or support to students, with an emphasis on enabling flexible and self-paced career pathway advancement.

• Provide work-based and experiential learning opportunities for students with partner employers, while center supports are maintained, with the goal of maximum work experience and attachment to the workforce.

The design of this demonstration is to gain insights as to how Job Corps might expand its IT program and training offerings, deliver IT training in more innovative ways, provide higher-quality support, and ensure students in the IT training area receive essential employability skills required for career success in high-quality jobs.

B. PROGRAM AUTHORITY

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

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. AWARD TYPE AND AMOUNT

The Office of Job Corps expects the availability of approximately $20,000,000 to fund one to five cooperative agreements. Applicants may apply for a ceiling amount of up to $20,000,000 if the project is national in scope and up to $10,000,000 if the project is regional/local in scope or serves a center or multiple centers. National projects are those which would provide all minimum required services across all 123 Job Corps centers, and Regional/local projects are those that would provide services to one or more centers based on its funding amount and scope of work. 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 awardees from applications submitted in response to this Announcement.

B. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance is 48 months with an anticipated start date of 07/01/2024. This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities.

C. GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE

The JCITA demonstration will focus on providing IT career technical training either nationally, regionally/locally, or within urban or rural areas. Applicants must submit comprehensive strategies on methods to provide training depending on the service reach and geographic location(s).

D. COLLABORATION ACTIVITIES

A cooperative agreement is subject to substantial involvement from the Government. For purposes of this FOA, the Job Corps Information Technology Academy must coordinate with the Office of Job Corps Career Technical Training Unit to determine the trade offerings provided at any given center in this demonstration project Applicants should consider proposing IT trade offerings in geographic areas where IT jobs are in demand. In addition, the awardee is expected to coordinate and collaborate with local employers and community-based organizations, as needed, to promote workforce system alignment and leverage and maximize resources to best serve Job Corps youth throughout their student journey (see APPENDIX B JOB CORPS JOURNEY MAP). “Job Corps national office representative(s) will serve as a proxy between the awardee and center operator in determining changes to CTT offerings at designated centers within the demonstration.”

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

Eligible lead applicants for these cooperative agreements are public or private non-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, or public agencies or organizations. Agencies or organizations may include, but are not limited to:

• Private or public educational institutions;

• National or community-based nonprofit organizations;

• Organizations functioning as workforce intermediaries, such as workforce development boards, labor-management organizations, and community-based organizations;

• Indian and Native American entities eligible for grants under Section 166 of the

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), including Federally and other than Federally Recognized Tribes, Native American non-profit organizations, and Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native organizations;

• State or local youth service conservation corps;

• For-profit organizations and;

• Any other public or private non-profit organization that is eligible to provide education or employment training under a federal program and can meet the requirements articulated in this Announcement.

Partners: All applications must include MOUs or letters of agreement and attach documents clearly identifying the roles and responsibilities of the applicant and each required partner and each optional partner, if any.

Required Partners:

1. National, regional, state, or local employers: Employers with the proven capacity to provide paid Work-Based Learning (WBL)/ pre-apprenticeship to registered apprenticeship opportunities for youth in the demonstration project.

a. Applicants with a national focus must have at least five (5) employer partnerships, and applicants with a Regional/local focus must have at least three (3) employer partnerships. It is recommended applicants include documentation identifying how partner employers work toward providing working conditions consistent with The Good Jobs Principles.

2. Training Partner: Organizations with at least five years of past performance in designing, delivering, or supporting IT-focused training.

a. The applicant may also be the training partner.

b. All other applicants that are not, themselves, the training partner must have at least one training partner.

Optional Partners:

1. Workforce Associations: Organizations that connect workforce development professionals and advocates for state and local workforce programs, including the support of state and local workforce development and/or apprenticeship agencies and boards;

2. Community-Based Organizations: Organizations that are representative of a community or significant segments of a community and which provide education, vocational education or rehabilitation, job training, or internship services and programs and includes neighborhood groups and organizations, community action agencies, community development corporations, union-related organizations, and employer-related organizations;

3. Public & Professional Associations: Organizations that gather together individuals working in certain professional fields through a common interest;

4. Professional Consulting Organizations: Organizations that primarily house subject-matter experts/consultants that can provide independent and objective advice to organizations to define and achieve their goals through improved utilization of resources;

5. Apprenticeship Program Sponsor: Any person, employer, association, committee, or organization that operates a Registered Apprenticeship Program. Sponsors can be a single business or a consortium of businesses. Alternatively, the sponsor can be a workforce intermediary, such as an industry association or a labor-management organization.

Community colleges and community-based organizations can also serve as sponsors of apprenticeship programs.

Role of the Lead Applicant:

Cooperative agreement(s) will be awarded to the lead applicant, who will serve as the cooperative agreement recipient and have overall fiscal and administrative responsibility for the cooperative agreement. Please note that all elements of 2 C.F.R. Part 200 (Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards) and 2 C.F.R. Part 2900 (DOL’s Supplement to 2 C.F.R. Part 200) apply to any entity that carries out a federal award as a recipient or sub-recipient, including for-profit organizations serving as partners. This includes the monitoring and examination of their records. In addition, the entity may not earn or keep any profit resulting from federal financial assistance.

The lead applicant must be the organization specified in Section 8 of the SF-424 Application Form, and will be:

• The point of contact with the Department to receive and respond to all inquiries or communications under this FOA and any subsequent cooperative agreement award;

• The entity with authority to withdraw or draw down funds through the Department of Health and Human Services – Payment Management System;

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

• The entity that may request or agree to a revision or amendment of the cooperative agreement or statement of work;

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

• The entity responsible for coordinating with the national evaluator (if there is a national evaluation of the program), including participating in a random assignment evaluation and other studies, if selected by DOL; and

• The entity responsible for working with DOL to close out the cooperative agreement.

See the Funding Opportunity Announcement for complete eligibility information.

B. 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.

C. 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 Section

III.A

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 federal funds request does not exceed the ceiling amount of $10,000,000 for local/regional projects, and

$20,000,000 for national projects.

Section II.A

SAM Registration Section

IV.B.1

SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance Section

IV.B.1

SF-424 includes a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) 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

Abstract Section IV.B.3 Logic Model Section IV.B.3

Letters of Commitment for Employer Partners Section IV.B.3 Letters of Commitment from Training Partners Section IV.B.3

2. 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 consider only 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.

3. Eligible Participants

The intent of this FOA is to fund projects that provide on-site career technical training to Job Corps-eligible students, preparing them for careers specifically in information technology.

Job Corps students are between the ages of 16 and 24 and have met the program eligibility criteria outlined in the Job Corps Policy and Requirements Handbook (PRH), Chapter 1, Outreach and Admissions, Exhibit 1-1 Job Corps Eligibility Requirements, and WIOA section 144 (29 U.S.C. 3194).

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://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/advisories/training-and-employment-guidance-letter-no-10-09.

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/advisories/training-and-employment-guidance-letter-no-10-09 https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/advisories/training-and-employment-guidance-letter-no-10-09

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. HOW TO OBTAIN AN APPLICATION PACKAGE

This FOA, found at www.Grants.gov and https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/grants/apply/find-opportunities contains all of the information and links to forms needed to apply for grant funding.

B. CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION

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

1. 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.

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

You must complete the SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance” (available at https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family).

• 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 organization’s legal name on the SF-424 should match its name registered in the System for Award Management at www.sam.gov. If unsure of the legal name of your organization, visit www.sam.gov to confirm.

• The organization’s Employer Identification Number (EIN) and Unique Entity Identification (UEI) Number should match its information in www.sam.gov. If unsure of the EIN or UEI of your organization, visit www.sam.gov to confirm.

• 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/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family). You do not need to submit the SF-424B with the application.

In addition, the applicant’s Authorized Representative’s signature in block 21 of the SF-424 form constitutes assurance by the applicant of compliance with the WIOA 188 rules issued by the Department at 29 CFR 38.25, which includes the following language:

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 http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/grants/apply/find-opportunities https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/grants/apply/find-opportunities https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction!input.action http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family nondiscrimination and equal opportunity provisions of the following laws: Section 188 of the WIOA and its implementing regulations at 29 CFR Part 38, which 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 or status as a lawfully admitted immigrant authorized to work in the United States, 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, 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.

a. Requirement for Unique Entity Identifier

All applicants for federal grant funding must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and must supply their UEI on the SF-424. The UEI is a 12-character (alpha-numeric) code that uniquely identifies all entities. Any entity registering to do business with the government is required to have one. UEIs are issued by SAM.gov and are a part of an entity's record in the Entity Information section of SAM.gov. If you do not have a UEI, you can get one for free at https://sam.gov.

Grant recipients authorized to make subawards must meet these requirements related to UEI:

• Grant recipients must notify potential subawardees that no entity may receive a subaward unless the entity has provided its UEI.

• Grant recipients may not make a subaward to an entity unless the entity has provided its UEI.

(See Appendix A to 2 CFR Part 25.)

b. 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 https://sam.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/ 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.

2. Project Budget You must complete the SF-424A Budget Information Form (available at grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family). In preparing the Budget Information Form, you must provide a concise narrative explanation to support the budget request, explained in detail below.

a. 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.

The Budget Narrative must demonstrate that the cost-per-participant is at or under $14,000.

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

Personnel: List all staff positions by title (including individuals hired by an employment contract) 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 estimated costs for each type of travel.

Equipment: Identify each item of equipment you expect to purchase that 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 Part

200.1 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 the cost of supplies (e.g., general office supplies, desk/chairs, laptops/printers, other specialty items) in the detailed budget per category. Except for general office supplies, list the item, quantity, and the unit cost per item. Supplies include all tangible personal property other than “equipment” (see 2 CFR Part 200.1 for the definition of Supplies).

Contractual: Under the Contractual line item, delineate contracts and subawards separately.

Contracts are defined according to 2 CFR Part 200.1 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 Part 200.1 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 items, such as stipends or incentives, not covered elsewhere.

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.

or

b) If you intend to claim indirect costs using the 10 percent de minimis rate, please confirm that your organization meets the requirements as described in 2 CFR Part 200.414(f). Clearly state that your organization does not have a current negotiated (including provisional) rate, and is not one described in 2 CFR Part 200, Appendix VII(D)(1)(b).

Applicants choosing to claim indirect costs using the de minimis rate must use Modified Total Direct Costs (defined by DOL below) 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 the definitions below to assist you in your calculation.

• Modified Total Direct Cost (MTDC) Definition: To avoid a serious inequity in the distribution of indirect costs, DOL defines MTDC as all direct salaries and wages, applicable fringe benefits, materials and supplies, services, travel, and up to the first $25,000 of each subaward or subcontract (regardless of the period of performance of the subawards and subcontracts 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 or subcontract in excess of $25,000.

• You will also note that participant support costs are not included in modified total direct costs. Participant support costs are defined below.

• 2 CFR Part 200.1 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/agencies/oasam/centers-offices/office-of-the-senior-procurement-executive/cost-price-determination-division.

Indirect-type costs (such as top management salaries, financial oversight, human resources, payroll, personnel, auditing costs, accounting and legal, etc. used for the general oversight and administration of the organization) must not be classified as direct costs; these types of costs are recovered as part of charging the de minimis or NICRA rate. Note that the SF-424, SF- 424A, and Budget Narrative must include the entire federal grant amount requested (not just one year).

Unallowable Costs

The following supplies and services will be made available to the awardee, at no cost, at Job Corps centers, and should not be included in the Project Budget for activities to be performed on-center. These supplies and services may be included, however, for appropriate activities to be performed at headquarters locations.

• A working laptop for all students.

• Desks and chairs for classrooms.

• Reasonable accommodations/modifications, where needed, to provide students with disabilities the opportunity to successfully complete their training on-center.

• Telephone installation in instructor offices and ongoing service, including local and long-distance service, in support of providing job development, placement, transition supportive services, follow-up activities, and for other official Job Corps business. In addition, cell phones will be provided to instructors when working with students off-center, or at remote areas on-center, to ensure that the need for medical/emergency support can be quickly communicated.

• FAX and copying services in instructor offices. Where this is not possible, other arrangements shall be in place that is convenient for instructors to use such services.

• Safe and adequately equipped vehicles to support training activities/projects, where relevant.

• Mail (postage).

• Trash and garbage collection.

• Utilities.

• Locking file cabinets.

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/centers-offices/office-of-the-senior-procurement-executive/cost-price-determination-division https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/centers-offices/office-of-the-senior-procurement-executive/cost-price-determination-division

• Computer equipment for each instructor so that they are capable of accessing the Internet, Center Information System (CIS), Career Transition Services (CTS), and the Job Corps Career Development Resource Center (JCCDRC) website.

• Printing.

• DVD/CD players, monitors, and related equipment, as necessary, to support training.

• Secretarial/clerical assistance, when the need is justified.

• Security for career technical training facilities, including on-center Career Technical

Skills Training (CTST) sites, outside of normal working hours.

• Maintenance of all buildings, grounds, roads, sidewalks, and equipment for which the center is responsible, in accordance with PRH Chapter 5.8 “Facility Operations and Maintenance.”

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.

3. 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.

a. Statement of Need (Up to 10 Points)

Scoring under this criterion will be based on the extent to which the below factors are clearly and fully addressed. Please be advised, that full points will not be awarded for simply repeating the language in the FOA. For example, the FOA states, in part, "Applicants must demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the Job Corps program, including Job Corps eligible students and the services offered at the selected Job Corps Center….”. Full points will not be awarded if the application reads, "ABC Non-profit program will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the Job Corps program, including Job Corps eligible students." The application must clearly and accurately discuss the required factors:

• Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the Job Corps program, including program eligibility, Job Corps students’ needs, and the services offered at the proposed Job Corps Center(s), if applying with a Regional/local focus.

• If applying with a national focus, identify Job Corps entire footprint of centers and geographies, and demonstrate that the applicant could provide comprehensive services across the country, as well as connections to work-based learning (WBL), including pre-apprenticeship to registered apprenticeship pathways, and employment opportunities in IT. If applying with a Regional/local focus, identify the subset of Job Corps center(s), and corresponding geographic area(s), where the applicant could provide comprehensive services, as well as connections to work-based learning (WBL), including pre-apprenticeship to registered apprenticeship pathways, and employment opportunities in

IT.

• If applying with a national focus, conduct a needs assessment that demonstrates an understanding of the national demand for IT careers. If applying with a Regional/local focus, conduct a needs assessment to demonstrate the demand for IT careers in the geographic location(s) in which center(s) are located for this demo.

• Provide a comprehensive, logical, and clear description of specific service delivery or capacity issues that the proposed project will address.

• Outline the training and credentials that are proposed and the relevant occupations and career pathways that graduates would be able to achieve that lead to high-quality jobs consistent with The Good Jobs Principles. Applicants must also justify their recommendations using labor market information that demonstrates the long-term demand for the relevant occupations and long-term career pathways.

• Describe how the applicant intends to engage with partners for planning and delivering services, operational support, and activities funded by the cooperative agreement, acknowledging that providing expanded career technical training and career outcomes are only one part of a comprehensive set of solutions that address the needs of Job Corps students. Applicants must demonstrate an understanding of how partnerships can be leveraged to develop strategies best suited for the sustainability of employment.

b. Project Goals (Up to 14 Points)

The following are the goals by which projects will be measured to reflect the success of this project:

Training Services (up to 4 points):

• Number of students enrolled in Information Technology Academy (ITA) career technical training (CTT) and percentage of enrolled students who completed the ITA CTT

• Number and percentage of students enrolled in Information Technology Academy (ITA) career technical training (CTT) who earned an ITA-related primary Industry-Recognized Credential (IRC)

• Number and percentage of students enrolled in ITA CTT who completed a paid WBL with an ITA WBL partner.

• The number and percentage of students who are basic skills deficient at entry and who completed an ITA CTT

Placement Services (up to 8 points):

• Number and percentage of ITA CTT graduates who entered a placement during their placement window (as defined in Appendix 501, and within the placement parameters of Chapter 6 of the Job Corps Policy and Requirements Handbook)

• Number and percentage of placed ITA CTT graduates who entered a Full-Time Quality placement during their placement window (as defined in Appendix 501, and within the placement parameters of Chapter 6 of the Job Corps Policy and Requirements Handbook)

• Number and percentage of ITA CTT graduates placed in a job or the military who entered a placement that is job-training match (JTM) during their placement window (as defined in Appendix 501, and within the placement parameters of Chapter 6 of the Job Corps Policy and Requirements Handbook)

• Number and percentage of placed ITA CTT graduates who entered a placement that is with an established ITA-WBL partner during their placement window (as defined in Appendix 501, and within the placement parameters of Chapter 6 of the Job Corps Policy and Requirements Handbook)

• Average hourly wage of ITA CTT graduates who are in a job or military

• The number and percentage of ITA CTT graduates who are in a placement in the second quarter after exit quarter

• The median earnings of ITA CTT graduates who are in a placement in the second quarter after exit quarter.

• The number and percentage of ITA CTT graduates who are in a placement in the fourth quarter after exit quarter.

• The median earnings of ITA CTT graduates who are in a placement in the fourth quarter after exit quarter

• The number and percentage of ITA CTT graduates who are employed by the same employer in the second and fourth quarters after exit quarter

Participant Satisfaction (up to 2 points):

• The percentage of employers and work-based learning partners that are satisfied with the performance of JCITA students.

• The percentage of students who are satisfied with their overall experience participating in the JCITA from the Student Experience Assessment Survey (SEA)

The application must lay out the proposed goals for each of these measures (i.e., what the applicant can feasibly achieve), and a supporting narrative of how the applicant would achieve each measure. To receive full points for this criterion, the applicant must address all the goals enumerated above under the three areas of Training Services, Placement Services, and Participant Satisfaction. An application will receive full points based on whether the application provides proposals for each of the goals and whether the applicant provides a clear and fully responsive narrative to support its proposals. The applicant may also propose additional goals if desired, but including additional goals outside those enumerated above will not affect scoring for this section.

[1] See Job Corps’ Policy and Requirements Handbook, Appendix 304 for examples of acceptable work-based learning activities: Appendix 304 Acceptable Work-Based Learning Activities.pdf (jobcorps.gov)

c. Project Design (Up to 24 Points)

The following are the minimum project activities and associated outcomes expected of the project. At a minimum, the application must include a comprehensive logic model, as an attachment to the Project Narrative, that must detail the methodologies the applicant will use…