Billing Code 4510-30-M
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Vocational and Adult Education
AGENCIES: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.
Office of Vocational and Adult Education, Education.
ACTION: Notice of availability of funds and solicitation for
grant applications (SGA) for engaging employers in State and
local School-to-Work (STW) systems through efforts undertaken by
industry groups and trade associations.
SUMMARY: THIS NOTICE CONTAINS ALL OF THE NECESSARY INFORMATION
AND FORMS NEEDED TO APPLY FOR GRANT FUNDING. The Departments of
Labor and Education jointly invite proposals for approximately
3 - 5 new awards in FY 1998, as authorized under section 403 of
the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 (the Act). These
awards will provide support to industry groups and trade
associations to undertake outreach, technical assistance, and
other activities to engage and to build the capacity of employers
to participate in STW systems. As a result of the products
developed and activities carried out, awardees will be asked to
provide clear, quantifiable evidence that they are significantly
increasing the numbers of employers in their industry who are
participating in STW activities.
DATES: Applications for grant awards will be accepted commencing
(date of publication). The closing date for receipt of
applications is (45 days from date of publication), at
4 P.M., (Eastern Time) at the address below. Telefacsimile (FAX)
applications WILL NOT BE HONORED.
ADDRESSES: Applications shall be mailed to: U.S. Department of
Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Division of
Acquisition and Assistance, Attention: Ms. Laura Cesario,
Reference: SGA/DAA 98-003, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room
S-4203, Washington, D.C., 20210.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Division of Acquisition and
Assistance, telephone: (202) 219-8694 (this is not a toll free
number). This solicitation will also be published on the
Internet, on the Employment and Training Administration's Home
Page at http://www.doleta.gov. Award notifications will also be
published on this Home Page.
INDUSTRY/TRADE ASSOCIATION SOLICITATION
I. Purpose. To invite proposals to support industry and trade
associations to undertake outreach, technical assistance, and
other activities to engage and to build the capacity of employers
to participate in STW systems.
II. Background. The School-to-Work Opportunities Act was signed
into law by the President on May 4, 1994. Jointly administered
by the Departments of Labor and Education, this Act is a new
approach to education that seeks to better prepare all American
youth for careers in high skill, high wage jobs and to strengthen
the linkages between what is learned in school with work. Under
the Act, venture capital grants are provided to States and local
communities to undertake systemic reform. Grants are for a
limited duration with the Federal investment declining over time.
These investments are intended to support the one-time costs of
States and local communities to restructure learning experiences
for all students. The Act also provides a set-aside of funds for
national activities to support School-to-Work system-building
nationwide. These funds are used for technical assistance and
capacity building, for outreach, and for research and evaluation.
Section 403 of the Act, relating to training and technical
assistance, specifically directs the Secretaries to "work in
cooperation with ....employers and their associations. . .to
increase their capacity to develop and implement effective
School-to-Work programs."
III. Statement of Work. Employer Participation in STW. Changes
in our economy, technology and global competition are driving
forces behind efforts to improve the academic performance and
career preparedness of today's youth. Among its purposes, the
National School-to-Work Opportunities Act was enacted to:
"utilize workplaces as active learning environments in the
educational process by making employers joint partners with
educators in providing opportunities for all students to
participate in high-quality, work-based learning experiences."
Work-based learning is one of the three key components within a
STW system (school-based learning and connecting activities are
the other two). Thus, employer participation is critical for the
implementation and sustainability of STW systems.
Employers participate in STW systems through a number of
different activities involving students, teachers and with State
and local governing bodies. The Employer Participation Model,
published by the National Employer Leadership Council, outlines
more than 50 different opportunities for employer involvement in
STW. States and local communities are actively working to engage
employers in becoming partners and active participants within
their STW systems.
Status of Employer Investments. Prior to this year, the two
Departments through the National School-to-Work Office have made
a number of investments to support employer knowledge and
participation in aspects of emerging STW systems. A major
investment included support for the establishment and development
of the National Employer Leadership Council (NELC), the mission
of which has been to enlist the leadership of highly visible CEOs
of major companies in order to promote STW at the highest levels
of corporate business. Another significant investment included
one through an existing ETA grant to the National Alliance of
Business (NAB). The purpose of this project was to promote
participation in STW through ETA's workforce development
infrastructure featuring a partnership comprised of NAB, NELC,
the Association of Private Industry Councils, and the National
Employer Council. The National STW office also invested in
outreach activities and specific publications targeted to
business entities and employers. Additional investments have
been made in the research and evaluation area to collect data on
employer participation. Such data has been collected from three
sources: 1.) the National Employer Survey conducted by the
University of Pennsylvania's Center on Educational Quality of the
Workforce, 2.) the School to Work progress measure system, and
3.) The Bureau of Labor Statistics' National Longitudinal Survey
of Youth Data Collection.
There is preliminary information that supports the notion that
the investments made to date on employer participation are having
a modest impact, and that there is an extremely long way to go
before employer participation can be considered at scale and
sufficiently sustainable. The recently released evaluation of
STW work systems conducted by Mathematica Policy Research
revealed that employers are playing an active role in local
partnerships, participating widely in governing boards and in
about a quarter of the cases are actually chairing these bodies.
They are offering varied forms of work based learning
opportunities, hosting teacher internships and contributing to
curriculum development. However, according to the Mathematica
report, partnerships face major challenges to recruit large
numbers of employers. The report concludes that "Employer
recruiting will have to expand participation manyfold beyond 1996
levels if the goals States are setting for workplace activity are
to be realized."
Other research such as the National Employer Leadership Survey
conducted by the Center on Educational Quality of the Workforce
suggests that employers, under the right circumstances are more
than ready and eager to participate in STW programs. However, as
key stakeholders, contributors to and major beneficiaries of STW,
they will require more clear linkages and more focused attention
than has been typically occurring. It is also clear that other
stakeholders, particularly educators, need to be better connected
and attuned to employer perspectives.
These reports and past experience with national employer
investments obviously suggest that stronger and more strategic
employer investments will be necessary if the entire STW system
can really be brought to scale and confidently sustained.
Industry focus. On June 18, 1997, the National Advisory Council
for STW Opportunities held its third meeting. Advisory Council
members were asked to consider and provide their input to the two
Departments on key issues surrounding sustainability of the STW
initiative. Employer participation was identified as a key area
of consideration. Among the suggestions made by Council members
was for the Departments to make strategic investments with
industry associations to conduct outreach and develop the
capacity of employers to participate in STW systems.
The Departments agree that engaging employers by industry sectors
and through industry groups and trade associations has the
potential to capture a critical mass of STW business partners.
In addition, when industries are partners with education they can
be engaged in the design of portable, industry recognized
credentials that certifies that a student has mastered skills at
least as challenging as skill standards endorsed by the National
Skill Standards Board or those developed under an approved State
plan. Through the resources of several industry-specific
business associations, affiliate networks of national and State
trade associations can link to small and large employers and use
the associations' infrastructures to develop the capacity of
employers to participate in local STW partnerships.
Industries which already have a solid base of employer
participation to build upon, provide jobs that lead to high wage
careers for students; or are projected to grow are considered to
be of high priority by the Departments for making strategic
investments.
The Mathematica national evaluation report and occupational and
industry outlook data prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS) data, identify industries that show significant potential
for building employer participation in STW. Mathematica's
national evaluation report provides baseline information on
leading industries in which students have paid workplace
experiences through jobs obtained either outside of school or
through school. The data was collected through student surveys
in eight states and identified the following industries as the
leading employers of students: retail trade; manufacturing,
transportation, and utilities; finance, insurance, and real
estate; automotive repair; health service; and education, public
administration and legal/social services. BLS data on growth
industries and occupations and on industries expected to need a
high number of replacement workers confirm that these are the
leading industries for job opportunities and growth.
Employer Investment Categories. Reaching a critical mass of
employer participation and sustaining the effort will require
that both private and public sector employers are knowledgeable
enough to want to participate, that there is research - both hard
evidence and anecdotal examples - to demonstrate the conditions
under which there is return on the investment when they
participate, that employer participation is easily facilitated,
that other stakeholders are ready and knowledgeable enough to
partner with employers, that employers are able to influence
other institutions for mutual benefit, that employers help infuse
STW into other systems, and that investments in employer
participation grow and leverage other resources. Based on lessons
learned from previous investments, results of research and
evaluative data gathering, and the degree of employer
participation required for bringing STW to scale, activities for
employer engagement can be clustered around the following broad
investment categories.
1. Products and activities that enable employer participation
and build a knowledge base of employers.
This includes but is not limited to those activities that
address barriers to participation, provide more information to
employers, organize employer events, highlight effective and best
practices, and generally provide outreach to the employer
community.
2. Educating other stakeholders about business need and
business culture.
Educators especially need a better grounding on how to work
effectively in partnership with employers. Previous experience
tells us that employer involvement becomes tenuous when they are
in a ready posture to participate but schools and others are not
ready to engage employers.
3. Employers influencing institutions.
There are multiple and complex institutional entities that
necessarily interact with business in STW. Policies and
practices of these institutions are often out of line with
business and industry need and are often inadvertently misaligned
with economic trends that affect their own effectiveness. Thus,
there is a need for business influence on not only education, but
other initiatives.
4. Advocating for Intermediaries.
The process of connecting schools with employers and students
with employers can be time consuming and challenging given the
institutional and cultural barriers described above. One
successful approach has been the use of intermediary
organizations that connect the two. Demonstrating and
researching the features of intermediary relationships that are
particularly effective in linking schools and employers will be
especially valuable to bringing STW to scale. As one report
states: "Employers want a reliable intermediary much more than
they want incentives."
5. Research.
Anecdotal stories of success and effectiveness are useful, but
lack wide scale generalization. Research is needed that
empirically demonstrates the benefit of employer participation in
STW and those variables likely to contribute to effective
employer involvement and employer return on investment.
6. Building employer capacity.
There is a need to address industry specific needs as well as to
tie STW participation into each industry's evolving skill
standards. There are a host of other ways in which to flexibly
address employer needs as agents of STW implementation.
While the intensity and mix of activities that will lead to scale
and sustainability of employer participation is best determined
on an industry-by-industry basis, the Departments believe that it
is beneficial to all industries involved to coordinate efforts
across industries to share lessons learned, discuss common issues
and share related products. The Departments expect that
successful applicants will coordinate activities and share
results.
IV. Application Process.
Eligible Applicants: Any industry or trade association or a
nonprofit organization in partnership groups. Potential
applicants however, should note the Departments' priority in
supporting industry groups that can demonstrate that they have a
strong base of STW participation to build upon, are in growth
industries, or have high potential for providing jobs that
provide career pathways for new job entrants. High priority
industries include: retail trade; manufacturing, transportation
and utilities; finance, insurance and real estate; automotive
repair; health service; and education, public administration and
legal/social services. In preparing the proposal, please use the
following headings and respond to the information in each of the
following categories.
1. Industry and Project. Identify the industry, sponsoring
association (or nonprofit organization) and title of the
proposal. Provide information on the number and percentage of
industry and mix (large and small) employers that will be
represented by this proposal.
2. Project Proposal. Provide a detailed work plan that includes
a description of the proposed activities, with accompanying time
lines, and the target audiences for these activities. The
offeror should demonstrate how the proposed work plan will
contribute to bringing STW to scale and how it will lead to
sustainability. Indicators demonstrating whether the work plan
is likely to help bring STW to scale include:
showing the impact/usefulness at the national, state,
and local levels and demonstrating an "outreach" effort
to enhance this impact.
articulating how the planned activities will build
linkages between the business and education communities
in measurable ways, including and especially through
the use of intermediary organizations.
connecting to emerging industry recognized skill
standards.
identifying opportunities/activities/materials for
teacher's professional development in the area of
employer engagement.
identifying innovative approaches to work based
learning that can accommodate any student.
Indicators showing whether the plan demonstrates
sustainability after the federal investment has ended include:
providing a realistic plan for institutionalizing the
endeavor beyond merely a specific project level.
extracting and documenting the common lessons
applicable to other interested entities within a
targeted industry, occupation or sector.
identifying both federal and non-federal funding
sources that amplify and outlast the federal
investment.
describing in business terms how it is a solution to a
business problem or address a business need.
identifying clear roles for major stakeholder groups
such as industry, organized labor, educators, parents
and students.
3. Connecting to related initiatives and entities. The offeror
should demonstrate how its proposed plan of activities will build
upon existing or create new coalitions that maximize business
involvement and participation in STW; and/or connect with other
entities with similar experiences and interests to identify
related products, resources, funding and interests in order to
take advantage of activities in the larger arena of STW
implementation; and/or involve the public and private sectors in
ways that capitalize on, and connect to, existing,
infrastructures and overall workforce development systems; and/or
connect to existing industry skill standards development efforts,
including the work of the emerging Voluntary Partnerships funded
by the National Skill Standards Board.
4. Results. The offeror should provide specific and
quantifiable outcomes that are anticipated from the proposed plan
of activities. In identifying outcomes, the offeror should also
explain how it will collect data, document results and use these
results in ongoing working relationships with members.
5. Capability. The offeror should demonstrate the capability of
the organization and the key staff assigned to undertake the work
plan, including examples of prior related efforts that
demonstrate success in providing outreach and capacity building
of member firms.
V. Application Submittal. Applicants must submit an original
and three (3) copies of their proposal. The applications shall
be divided into two distinct parts: Part I - which contains
Standard Form (SF) 424, "Application for Federal Assistance,"
(Appendix A) and "Budget Information Sheet," (Appendix B). All
copies of the SF 424 MUST have original signatures of the
designated fiscal agent. Applicants shall indicate on the SF-424
the organization's IRS status. The Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance number is 17.249. In addition, the budget shall
include--on a separate page(s)--a detailed cost break-out of each
line item on the Budget Information Sheet. Part II shall contain
the program narrative that demonstrates the applicant's plan and
capabilities in accordance with the evaluation criteria contained
in this notice. Applicants must describe their plan in light of
each of the Evaluation Criteria. No cost data or reference to
price shall be included in this part of the application.
Applicants MUST limit the program narrative section to no more
than 30 double-spaced pages, on one side only. This includes any
attachments. Applications that fail to meet the page limitation
requirement will not be considered.
VI. Late Applications. Any application received after the exact
date and time specified for receipt at the office designated in
this notice will not be considered, unless it is received before
awards are made and it - (a) Was sent by registered or certified
mail not later than the fifth calendar day before the date
specified for receipt of applications (e.g., an application
submitted in response to a solicitation requiring receipt of
applications by the 20th of the month must have been mailed/post
marked by the 15th of that month); or (b) Was sent by the U.S.
Postal Service Express Mail Next Day Service to addresses not
later than 5:00 P.M. at the place of mailing two working days
prior to the date specified for receipt of applications. The
term "working days" excludes weekends and Federal holidays. The
term "post marked" means a printed, stamped or otherwise placed
impression (exclusive of a postage meter machine impression) that
is readily identifiable, without further action, as having been
supplied or affixed on the date of mailing by an employee of the
U.S. Postal Service.
VII. Hand Delivered Proposals. It is preferred that
applications be mailed at least five days prior to the closing
date. To be considered for funding, hand-delivered applications
must be received by 4:00 P.M., (Eastern Time), on the closing
date. TELEGRAPHED AND/OR FAXED APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE HONORED.
Failure to adhere to the above instructions will be a basis for a
determination of nonresponsiveness. Overnight express mail from
carriers other than the U.S. Postal Service will be considered
hand-delivered applications and MUST BE RECEIVED by the above
specified date and time.
VIII. Funding Availability and Period of Performance. The
Departments expect to make up to 5 awards with a maximum total
investment for these projects of $6 million. The period of
performance will be for 24 months from the date the grant is
awarded. The Departments may, at their option, provide
additional funds for a third year at a lower level of funding,
depending upon fund availability and performance of the awardee.
IX. Review Process. A careful evaluation of applications will
be made by a technical review panel, who will evaluate the
applications against the criteria listed below. The panel
results are advisory in nature and not binding on the Grant
Officer. The government may elect to award the grants with or
without discussions with the offeror. In situations without
discussions, an award will be based on the offeror's signature on
the SF 424, which constitutes a binding offer. Awards will
be those in the best interest of the Government.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
1. The extent to which the organization represents a critical
mass of employers within a growth industry . (25 Points)
. Is this the lead organization for the industry ?
. Is this a growth industry?
. Is this an industry in which there is already
significant participation in work place
experiences for teachers and/or students?
. Does the industry offer jobs that provide pathways
to high wage careers?
. Is the industry and/or lead organization currently
involved in the development and use of skill
standards within education and training systems?
2. The extent to which the proposed plan will leverage the
infrastructure of a national industry or trade association in
order to reach a critical mass of employers who will participate
in and benefit from STW. ( 25 Points)
. Is the plan specific as to the activities proposed
and how these activities will result in broad
employer participation?
. Does the proposal clearly demonstrate how the
activities proposed will bring employer
participation in STW systems to scale?
. Does the plan clearly demonstrate how the
organization plans to build upon existing venues
for reaching member firms?
. Are the outcomes proposed specific and realistic?
3. The extent to which the proposal addresses the system-
building elements of STW. (25 Points)
. Is it clear how other critical stakeholders will
be involved at the State and local levels?
. Does the proposal address how the activities will
connect with State and local STW system
initiatives?
. Does the proposal include how this project will
relate to other industry associations and
business coalitions?
. Does the proposal address the activities that
connect employers with schools at the local level
and how these activities will be accomplished?
. Does the proposal address how the activities will
connect and leverage other national initiatives
which promote industry involvement in the
development and use of skill standards?
4. The extent to which the proposed plan is likely to produce
sustainable employer engagement in STW after the federal
investment has ended. (25 Points)
. Is there evidence of non-grant funding that
amplifies the federal investment and that is
likely to contribute to sustaining the project's
impact?
. Is the proposal specific as to the business needs
and problems that the proposed activities are
designed to address?
X. Reporting Requirements. Applicants selected as grantees will
be required to provide the following information:
A. To facilitate exchange of information, the Departments expect
to convene grantees for meetings of approximately one-day
duration on a quarterly basis. It is anticipated that half the
meetings will be in Washington, D.C., and the remaining at
locations to be determined.
B. Semi-annual progress reports in a format to be determined.
C. Standard Form 269, Financial Status Report Form, on a
quarterly basis.
D. Final Project Report.
Signed at Washington, D.C., this 2nd day of December 1997.
Janice E. Perry
Grant Officer
Appendices
Appendix A: Application for Federal Assistance, SF Form 424
Appendix B: Budget Information Sheet