FY27 TRAIN RFP - Final.docx

FY27 TRAIN

THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

One Ashburton Place, Suite 1401, Boston, MA 02108

Grant Solicitation Pending Appropriation

Training Resources and Internships Network (TRAIN) Grant

June 25, 2026

Agency Information

Grant Information

I. Background The Department of Higher Education (DHE), in cooperation with the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD), is pleased to offer the Training Resources and Internships Networks (TRAIN) grant program. This grant program is designed to address the skills-development needs of long-term unemployed, underemployed, and new entrant adults seeking workforce readiness training and industry specific skills and credentials to support job placement.

Since its inception, TRAIN has addressed the unique needs of adult learners driven by changing social and economic conditions. Initially, TRAIN focused on serving the long-term unemployed who were impacted by the Great Recession of 2008. The program evolved over time to also address the needs of new entrants to Massachusetts (immigrants, refugees and those displaced by natural disasters) and others impacted by economic disruptions due to global competition and technology innovation. TRAIN has also focused on the needs of returning veterans transitioning to the civilian economy, individuals with physical or cognitive challenges who are otherwise able and eager to contribute to society, and previously incarcerated individuals seeking a fresh start. More recently, TRAIN has focused on adult learners who seek training to reskill/upskill for occupations in high-demand industry sectors, including Healthcare, Information Technology, Advanced Manufacturing, and Engineering, as well as for region-specific workforce priorities.

While there are immediate labor shortages in many industry sectors, there is a particular mid-to-long-term need for upskilling and reskilling due to the changing nature of employer and employee work expectations (onsite, remote and hybrid environments), as well as ever accelerating technological advances, such as the increase use of artificial intelligence (AI), requiring new and evolving skills.

This RFP will continue to build training capacity by replicating and expanding proven, successful projects that provide in-demand training for critical-needs jobs. Emphasis will be on training programs offering pathways to family-sustaining careers that can be easily replicated in other regions of the Commonwealth. TRAIN will also continue to prioritize transitioning pilot projects to implementation and leveraging learning to other regions.

II. Purpose and Priorities Proposals must address the needs of unemployed or underemployed adults who seek the skills required to pursue job opportunities in key industry sectors such as those identified in the Workforce Skills Cabinet, Regional Blueprint plans found here: Regional Workforce Blueprints | Mass.gov. The goal of this workforce training is to engage adult workers in education and training pathways that will lead to jobs and careers providing family-sustaining wages and benefits.

TRAIN seeks to support the needs of unemployed or underemployed adults with a comprehensive program of workforce-readiness skills training and support services. The program is intended to result in meaningful employment and/or entry into credit-bearing college coursework leading to industry recognized credentials or an associate degree. Program components include:

· Workforce readiness assessments and training,

· Industry relevant skills training and credential assessments/designations,

· College entry academic and student success assessments,

· Employer-sponsored internships and/or other forms of experiential learning that engage the student in authentic industry experiences and allow the student to demonstrate their prepared-to-work capability,

· Wrap-around support services necessary to promote adult student recruitment, engagement, retention, and transition into employment or into credit-bearing coursework on a pathway to industry recognized certificates or an associate degree. Partner organizations and programs should complement community college services by providing the following: childcare, ABE/ESL instruction, technology (Internet Access, collaboration technology), transportation, case-management, and other intensive wrap-around support services,

· Stipends intended to partially offset (1) income loss during training, (2) transportation expense or technology/online access to support remote instruction, (3) basic materials and equipment expenses related to job readiness, (4) certification testing or other costs directly related to program participation.

A. Workforce Readiness and Industry Skills Assessment and Training Programs

The readiness and skills-training needs of the unemployed and underemployed are varied and complex. As such, workforce readiness and industry-skills training programs should accommodate a wide array of individual and regional needs. These needs are often best addressed through collaboration between partners, including but not limited to, MassHire Workforce Boards, Career Centers, and Regional Vocational/Technical schools in association with industry-specific and unionized-labor supported training programs, and other community-based training and support organizations. Such collaboration shall promote:

· Workforce/job readiness programs that assess and equip students with basic literacy, numeracy, and employment skills for subsequent progression towards more comprehensive training programs in specific fields. Readiness programs should also include instruction and practice in workplace behavior and attire, presentation skills, communication and negotiation, teamwork, career navigation and counseling software, resume writing, interviewing techniques, information searches, and more

· Comprehensive skills training programs to advance student attainment of certificates and/or credentials in high demand industry areas sectors such as healthcare, computer science/information technology, construction, life sciences, financial services, hospitality services and more

· Partnerships with regional employers, union labor training programs or other professional associations to provide students with hands-on, experiential learning in the tools of the trade through internships or other workplace based experiential learning.

B. College Entry, Academic and Student Success Assessments and Readiness Support Services

“Adult learner” is a term used to describe a broad array of students. The term covers the range of students with no prior exposure to college-level credit-bearing coursework to others who have some post-secondary earned credentials (workplace recognized certifications, military training, and college credits) with no earned degree, as well as those who may hold a degree but are pursuing a change in career focus. Adult students often prioritize securing a job that pays family-supporting wages and/or a job progressing toward a career pathway supporting sustainable future growth.

Regardless of a student’s starting point, expectations, and intended outcomes, assessments are a useful tool for evaluating a student’s program readiness. Assessments are also useful for establishing individually tailored curricula and wrap-around supports. The TRAIN RFP encourages the use of assessment tools for measuring adult student workplace readiness, skills, and prior learning credentials.

C. Internships/Experimental Learning

An essential component of the TRAIN grant program is placement of qualified candidates in employer-sponsored internships or experiential learning activities where possible. Internships and experiential learning activities provide participants with increased employment opportunities and more marketable skills such as time management, written and oral communication, critical thinking, and self-discipline. Proposals will be critically reviewed for their plans to provide high-quality employer-sponsored internships and/or experiential learning opportunities for all program participants. Internship and experiential learning opportunities should:

· Directly relate to the community college workforce skills and training program, reinforcing learned skills while heightening career awareness and employment opportunities,

· Articulate job descriptions, employer expectations, and work responsibilities and performance expectations,

· Assign mentors or supervisors to give guidance, evaluate performance and provide feedback for students,

· Be performed during the time-period of a student’s community college training,

· Lead to opportunities for post-internship employment.

Successful internships are based on relationships where all parties (students, employers and education and training providers) benefit.

For the student, benefits should include:

· Improved knowledge and skills,

· Improved work habits,

· Increased personal and social efficacy,

· Marketable job experience,

· Articulated pathways leading to employment opportunities.

For employers, those benefits should include:

· Increased workforce capacity,

· Recruiting advantage – low risk, in-depth first look at prospective employees,

· Opportunity to begin pre-development of interns as new employees,

· Potential for “fresh approaches” or new ideas.

For education institutions, those should include:

· Bridging education to the workforce to supplement and complement classroom pedagogy,

· Demonstrated success in preparing students for jobs,

· Improved job placement numbers,

· Improved/enhanced relationships with employers.

D. Wraparound Support Services

Adult students face unique demands, such as caring for young children or aging parents to holding down family-supporting jobs. These demands sometimes require prioritization over education and training due to lack of support. To fully participate in education and/or training programs, these students would greatly benefit from a wide array of wraparound support services available through community colleges and their partner organizations. Examples of support services that may be provided as a part of TRAIN programming include but are not limited to:

Academic:

· Open Educational Resources,

· Tutoring and mentoring,

· Soft Skills (communication, teamwork, problem solving…),

· Career planning services,

· Financial advising,

· Life skills training.

Support:

· Transportation,

· Online learning access and computer (laptop or other) devices,

· Childcare,

· Certification testing fees,

· Meal cards,

· SORI/CORI checks.

E. Stipends

In many cases, qualifying participants will not have the economic means necessary for devoting their full attention to the training program without financial support services. Stipends can be a means of mitigating a specific program participation challenge and should be awarded in the form of prepaid services such as a pre-paid card to purchase transportation services to access a training location (e.g., public rail or bus or if not available, private ride-share services). Stipends are appropriate to support student expenses for online (Internet Access) service subscriptions during the period of the training. Examples of basic materials, supplies, and equipment that may enable a student to participate in training of experiential learning may include but not be limited to the following: purchase of “PPE” for healthcare training or clinical placements, safety equipment for construction training, personal equipment for culinary training or other resources appropriate to the job or industry sector. Stipends should not be distributed by direct (cash or check) payments to students unless no other prepaid mechanism is available. Appropriate documentation of stipend disbursements must be maintained by the issuing organization and reported for tax or other benefits implications.

III. Eligibility Each of Massachusetts’ fifteen (15) community colleges are eligible applicants for the TRAIN grant. A community college may choose to submit an individual or collaborative proposal, but not both. Collaborative proposals require a minimum of three community college partners comprised of the lead applicant and the two secondary partners. In addition to this minimum requirement, collaborative proposals may include additional community college partners and/or other regional partners such as educational non-profits, career centers, and community-based training organizations for the benefit of the proposed project. It is recommended that all partners to a collaborative grant sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlining each partner’s responsibilities. As always, individual and collaborative proposals must include the Regional Workforce Boards and Career Center and at least one regional employer to provide internship opportunities as partners.

A submitted individual or collaborative proposal may be for a planning or implementation grant. The benefit of a planning grant allows the applicant to design, develop and pilot a new initiative to serve an unmet or emerging need. Planning grants place applicants in a stronger position for subsequent implementation grant requests. The benefit of an implementation grant allows the applicant to immediately launch or continue a program in direct service of students often building on prior years success within the region, or for replicating a project in another region of the state. Where applicants are limited to the submission of one proposal as the Lead, the applicant will need to choose between the submission of a planning or implementation grant.

IV. Awards The total anticipated funding to be made available for grants through this program is $1,500,000. DHE anticipates awarding up to 15 individual or collaborative grants.

Individual college funding requests are suggested to be in the range of $75,000 - $150,000. Collaborative proposal funding requests shall reflect the number of institutions engaged and the total number of students served. Collaborative proposals may request up to $200,000.

All proposals must indicate the average cost per student (total funding requested/total number of students to be served) which may range from $1,500 - $5,000. The average cost/student, based on prior experience, is expected to be $2,000 – $3,000. Exceptions will be considered although justifications must be provided in the project and budget narrative.

V. Funding Source The TRAIN grant is funded by a State Appropriation under appropriation number 7066-0000. Approximately $1,500,000 is expected to be available. Funding is contingent upon availability. All dollar amounts listed are estimated/approximate and are subject to change. If more funding becomes available, it will be distributed under the same guidelines that appear in this RFP document. The TRAIN grant program was established in section 179 of chapter 46 of the acts of 2015.

VI. Allowable Expense Project expenditures should be aligned with project objectives and goals. Likely expenditure categories are identified on the budget worksheet, which is a required component of the grant application. The grantor may question or reject any expenditure deemed not relevant to the project.

VII. Project Duration Awards will be made to support those projects that can be completed between the grant start date and June 30, 2027, as DHE is not authorized to extend the grant end date.

VIII. Evaluation Criteria To be considered for further review, bidders must successfully address each of the following criteria in their proposal:

· Eligible applicants must be one of 15 Massachusetts’ Community Colleges, either submitting an individual proposal or as the lead applicant for a consortium of two or more additional community colleges. No one college can be the lead applicant for more than one proposal, but a college can be a lead applicant for one proposal and participate in another collaborative proposal,

· Proposals must address the needs of unemployed or underemployed adults seeking industry skills and workforce readiness training to engage in job opportunities with the goal to pursue career pathways that provide family sustaining wages and benefits,

· Proposals must represent partnerships between Massachusetts Community Colleges and the Labor and Workforce Development System (Regional Workforce Boards and Career Centers) and at least one regional employer to provide internship opportunities. Proposals must provide a letter of support from each employer partner committed to offering student internship placements and/or experiential learning opportunities,

· Proposals should consider the use of assessment tools for use in qualifying adult student workplace readiness, skills, and prior learning credentials to adapt TRAIN programming and address equity in student access and outcomes,

· Proposals must indicate the average cost per student (total funding requested/total number of students to be served) which is anticipated to range between $1,500 - $5,000 although likely in the range of $2,000 – $3,000,

· Proposals must address the components outlined in the “Solicitation Packet” found in Section XI of this RFP.

Bidders should address each of the following in their proposal which will be scored using a standardized rubric. Points for each criterion will be awarded and considered as part of the award recommendation process:

· Proposals should include partnerships with one or more of the following organizational types: community-based organizations, industry or union training associations, regional vocational technical schools or other agencies of state government that provide appropriate wraparound support services,

· Proposals should offer internship or experiential learning opportunities across a range of employers that may lead to employment opportunities for students who complete this program.

IX. Grant Timeline

Applicants are required to monitor COMMBUYS for changes to the timeline on the page above.

X. Information Session and Questions An information/technical assistance session will be held on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. to answer questions about this RFP. If you are interested in participating in this information session, please email grant administrator, Keith Connors, at kconnors@dhe.mass.edu to register. Keith will reply with the call-in number and passcode.

XI. Solicitation Packet Responses to this RFP must contain a complete application packet, which includes the following documents:

Attachments must be in the document format listed on the table above. The file name of each document uploaded should match the checklist name above. Please do not include any additional information, including your campus name when uploading the documents into COMMBUYS.

A. Coversheet The coversheet is designed to concisely capture information about the applicant and the planned project. The coversheet provides the opportunity to summarize the project details including the project description, expected outcomes and proposed activities. This project description will be used as part of the funding recommendations packet and may be posted publicly. Be sure to complete all sections of the coversheet and have the chief financial officer electronically sign the bottom of the second page.

B. Narrative The project narrative serves as a comprehensive overview of your project. The narrative should not exceed 10 pages, with standard 1” margins, 1.5-line spacing and 11- or 12-point font.

1. Project Description: Provide a detailed description of the proposed project that addresses the following grant components:

a) Workforce Readiness and Skills Training Program This section should describe the workforce readiness and skills development aspect of the program including, design, content, student recruiting and delivery modalities:

1) Design

· Describe the focus of the training program, what’s involved in the training (i.e. what will students be expected to learn), number of students to be served, training objectives to be achieved and intended outcomes beyond the project period. For example, describe the curriculum content and state the learning objectives, indicate the number of participants expected to enroll and the percentage of those expected to participate in training. Identify the number to be placed in internships, to complete the program and to continue for additional education,

· Provide assessments and evaluations of students where it is beneficial to identify assets and needs to be addressed, equitably, through the program,

· Identify the instructional format, i.e., classroom, campus-based, onsite, online, hybrid,

· Describe the adult student learning needs addressed through on-the-job training, hands-on experiential model, tryout employment, etc.,

· Identify the duration of the training program – i.e. the start and end dates of training, the number of planned course hours and the number of internship or experiential learning hours if applicable, include the number of training cycles where applicable. Identify the industry training hour standard and how your program meets that standard. Provide a copy of the training schedule, if available,

· Provide a breakdown of the course modules,

· List the credit, non-credit training, or a combination of both,

· Identify the credentials earned upon completion of the training,

· Identify certification testing needed as a prerequisite for employment,

· List the role of partners, if any, in support of the delivery of training, e.g. other post-secondary institutions, MassHire WIB’s, Career Centers, Vocational Technical Schools, union or industry training partners and community-based organizations, etc.,

· Detail sustainable capabilities and capacities that will be developed and maintained at the campus or in the community.

2) Content

· Workforce Readiness – explain how your project will address or incorporate the following workforce readiness attributes where appropriate:

· Literacy, numeracy, and foundation technical skills,

· High School diploma equivalency (HiSET),

· Workplace readiness,

· Career Advising,

· Interviewing and job placement.

· Skills Training – indicate or explain how your project will address or incorporate the following skills training attributes:

· Industry sector specific skills training,

· Industry certification preparation and testing,

· Credit for prior (industry) learning and/or competency-based assessments.

3) Recruiting

· Identifying potential students and recruiting from appropriate communities with the support of trusted community-based organizations,

· Explain the role of MassHire Workforce Board and Career Center partnerships,

· Detail the involvement of other state agencies that engage and serve specific populations – e.g., Veterans, incarcerated individuals, and others.

4) Wrap-around Services – identify which services below your project will deploy and explain:

· Case management,

· English language services,

· Financial literacy/supports,

· Online learning,

· Transportation,

· Childcare.

b) Internships/Experiential Learning This section should address the employer relationship/involvement with the program by describing the internship/experiential learning opportunities and how the proposed activities will prepare participants to meet the student’s needs, including:

· How the internship/experiential learning opportunity aligns and reinforces the program’s workforce readiness and skills training programs,

· The role of mentors and supervisors for guiding intern trainees, assessing performance and providing feedback,

· The expected length and number of total hours of the internship/ experiential learning opportunity,

· The demographics of the intern population,

· The possible jobs for hire after completing the internship.

c) Stipends This section should detail the support services available to the program participant enrolled in workforce readiness and skills training program. The details should explain how the support services will help eliminate barriers, both personal and economic, inhibiting their success. As appropriate, describe the proposed uses and amount of funds to be issued in the form of stipends and what nature those payments will take – e.g., prepaid card. Also describe the barriers these stipends will be used to overcome.

d) Program Measures and Outcomes This section should describe the expected outcomes from the program proposal including, but not limited to:

· The number of participants who will begin the program,

· The number of program completers,

· The projected and committed number of students to be placed in internships,

· A list of organizations providing internships to participants and a description of the training received by participants through internships,

· The number of participants who will receive full-time employment within 3 months of completing the program (this should still be within the reporting timeframe for the final report of this project).

Please also include details on your intended evaluation plan with answers to these questions:

· How the project will be evaluated to determine whether the stated goals and objectives are met,

· Who will be responsible for tracking data and,

· What system or methodology will be in place to ensure data is appropriately gathered, reviewed, and evaluated to track desired outcomes.

· If interim or final reports are required, who is responsible for writing and submitting them.

2. Implementation Plan Describe the plan for implementation should you receive funding, including:

· Roles and responsibilities of project personnel and how the project director will make performance information available to the DHE and stakeholders,

· A timetable indicating the implementation and completion dates of all proposed activities and related services. You may use the suggested “implementation plan” template posted below. Add or delete rows as needed.

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

Table. Using the suggested table below, describe anticipated tasks, activities, outcomes, and timeline as applicable. When discussing outcome/results, include benchmark data. The table should reflect stated activities, goals, and strategies as described above. Feel free to adjust the table to share additional information or better illustrate your implementation strategy.

Activities/Services [Actions]

[Results]

(when activity will be implemented)

C. Budget Worksheet Please submit a project budget using the budget template provided with this RFP. In addition, please include a detailed budget narrative that supports each line of your detailed budget request.

While Matching Funds are NOT a requirement of this grant program, please identify any proposed matching or in-kind resources committed to this proposal.

A maximum indirect cost of 10% is allowed.

XII. Submission Instructions Only electronic bids submitted via COMMBUYS will be accepted in response to this RFP. COMMBUYS is the State’s online procurement platform for all bids and solicitations. The website is found here: www.COMMBUYS.com. The posting is under bid number: BD-27-1088-RGT01-RGT01-130754 Upload the proposal by, or before, July 31, 2026. Responses posted to COMMBUYS after 5:00 pm EST on that date will not be considered for evaluation.

To respond to this bid, please register on the COMMBUYS website. If you need assistance with registering, please contact the COMMBUYS helpdesk at: COMMBUYS@state.ma.us or (888) 627-8283 or (617) 720-3197. Instructions on how to submit a proposal via COMMBUYS can be viewed at https://www.mass.gov/doc/instructions-for-vendors-responding-to-bids A. New Users to COMMBUYS must register with COMMBUYS prior to applying.

The following links to resources are provided to assist Bidders in submitting Quotes:

1. An instructional job aid of Basic COMMBUYS and Searching Navigation: download (mass.gov)

2. An instructional job aid on How to Register as a Vendor: download (mass.gov)

3. An instructional job aid on How to Locate a Bid Logged into COMMBUYS: download (mass.gov)

4. An instructional job aid on how to Locate a Bid or Grant then Create and Submit Quote: download (mass.gov)

5. An instructional job aid on How to Edit, Withdraw or Resubmit Your response download (mass.gov)

B. COMMBUYS Registration

a. It is the responsibility of the prospective Applicant to maintain an active registration in COMMBUYS. An applicant must also keep his/her email address current, if awarded a grant, and monitor that email inbox for communications from the Procurement Department, including requests for clarification. The Procurement Department and the Commonwealth assume no responsibility if a prospective Applicant’s designated email address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with the prospective Applicant’s computer, network, or internet service provider (ISP) cause email communications sent to/from the prospective Applicant and the Procurement Department to be lost or rejected by any means including email or spam filtering.

b. Quotes (Bid Responses) Deadline (Bid Opening Date/Time) See the Grant (Bid Responses) Deadline (Bid Opening) Date and Time indicated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar (above).

c. Estimated Grant Start Date DHE anticipates the approximate start date to be upon approval. The actual start date will be the Contract Effective Date which is the date the Contract is executed by the parties.

d. Incomplete Submissions Any submission that fails to meet the submission requirements of the RFP will be found non-responsive without further evaluation unless the evaluation team, at its discretion, determines that the non-compliance is insubstantial and may be corrected. In these cases, the evaluation team may allow the vendor to make minor corrections to the submission. Applicants are required to monitor COMMBUYS for changes to the procurement calendar for this Grant.

XIII. Policy A. Solicitor Responsibility Solicitors may not alter (manually or electronically) the grant application language. Modifications to the body of the grant application, specifications, terms and conditions, or application that change the intent of this grant application are prohibited and may disqualify a response. All costs associated with responding to this RFP are the sole responsibility of the responding organization. DHE reserves the right to use ideas included in any response without incurring any obligations to the responding applicant or committing to awards for the proposed services. Responses are considered public information.

B. Public Records All responses and information submitted in response to this call for proposals are subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, M.G.L., Chapter 66, Section 10, and to Chapter 4, Section 15 | Subsection 26. Any statements in submitted responses that are inconsistent with these statutes shall be disregarded.

C. Publicity Grant recipients are obligated to acknowledge the funding source in all print materials, websites and press releases as funding received from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education through the Training Resources and Internships Network Fund.

D. Changes to Proposal Any changes to the accepted proposal, including all budget modifications and changes in participating schools or districts, need to be made in writing and approved by DHE. Notification must include associated costs and a rationale for the proposed changes. Changes will be evaluated and, if approved, kept on file as part of the record

E. Performance Any funds distributed to successful applicants are done so with the expectation that the awardee will deliver the programs as described and serve the numbers of participants detailed in the application. If the applicant is, for some reason, unable to fulfill the program described in the original proposal, we reserve the right to recover funds distributed.

F. Legal Disclaimer This RFP does not represent a contractual agreement by DHE to any applying organization. Selected organizations will enter into an Interagency Service Agreement or Standard Contract with the DHE upon award.

THE DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REJECT ANY AND ALL RESPONSES AND THE RIGHT TO CANCEL THIS REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) AT ANY TIME PRIOR TO AWARD image1.jpeg