Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) Grants

The TAACCCT program seeks to increase the number of workers who attain certificates, degrees, and other industry-recognized credentials. The overarching goals of the program are to: (1) increase attainment of degrees, certifications, certificates, diplomas, and other industry-recognized credentials that match the skills needed by employers to better prepare workers eligible for training under the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Workers Program ("TAA-eligible workers") of chapter 2 of title II of the Trade Act of 1974, 19 U.S.C. 2271-2323, and other adults for high-wage, high-skill employment or re-employment in growth industry sectors; (2) introduce or replicate innovative and effective methods for designing and delivering instruction that address specific industry needs and lead to improved learning, completion, and other outcomes for TAA-eligible workers and other adults; and (3) demonstrate improved employment outcomes.

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Grantees must demonstrate an educational capacity need in their community and the impact that the new capacity will have on training workers in that community.

The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act includes $2 billion over four years for the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grant program. The grants awarded under this Solicitation will help eligible institutions expand and improve their ability to deliver education and career training programs that can be completed in two years or less, and are suited for workers who are eligible for training under the TAA for Workers program, and other adults. The Department of Labor is implementing this program in partnership with the Department of Education. Specific rules and requirements are published in the Solicitation for Grant Application. Grant opportunities are published in the Federal Register. Eligible institutions are institutions of higher education as defined in Section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002) which offer programs that can be completed in not more than 2 years. Please refer to the Solicitation for Grant Application for specific eligibility.

Most projects last four years. Payments to grantees are usually made by Letter of Credit draw-down procedures. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: by letter of credit.

Section 278 of the Trade Act of 1974 as amended by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 requires community outreach to employers and other entities such as the workforce system, including Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) programs, to identify shortcomings in existing educational and career training opportunities available to workers in the community and any future employment opportunities within the community.

Grants for projects are awarded on a competitive basis, announced in Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGAs) in the Federal Register and also on ETA's Internet Web site at http://www.doleta.gov. To compete for a grant, organizations develop a proposal and budget that demonstrate how the organization will provide services to a targeted population. The SGA provides all of the necessary information for applying for federal assistance.

Criteria for each proposal are specified in the applicable Solicitation for Grant Application.

Applications were accepted during the four years of funding and are no longer being accepted, although grants already awarded continue through September 2018. Procedures for each project were specified in the applicable request for proposals. Generally, the procedure was as follows: A technical review panel composed of federal staff and peer reviewers evaluates eligible submitted applications. The panel prepares a report for the ETA Grant Officer identifying the strengths and weaknesses of each application and the cumulative rating. Selections are made based on the best rated proposals, as well as other factors as cited in the SGA. Once selections are made by the Grant Officer, an Award Notification is sent through the appropriate congressional channels for notification. After awardees are notified, the list of awardees is posted on the ETA website at www.doleta.gov. If an application is rejected, a letter is sent to the applicant as notification that they were not selected as a recipient of the grant.

ETA announces grant recipients once the paneling process is complete (see above).

Renewals are not available.

Procedures for each project are specified in the applicable Solicitation for Grant Application.