U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABORIETAIOGCM

September 29, 2011

DIVISION OF FEDERAL ASSISTANCE 200 CONSTITUTION AVENUE NW - ROOM N-4716 WASHINGTON, D.C. 20210

Community College of Denver 1111 West Colfax Avenue Denver, COLORADO 80217-3363

Dear Diane Mourning:

Enclosed is an executed copy of your recently awarded grant or agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA).

The following provides information on how to access funds via the Payment Management System (PMS), and access to Grantee Reporting System for financial reporting. These systems require two separate password/pins. PMS instructions are in step one and financial reporting is in step two. Please complete both steps.

1. Payment Management System

To Create an ETA PMS Account

For Existing ETA PMS Users

To Designate a Separate Entity

To establish a PMS account with DOL ETA for the first time, submit the following documents:

-Complete an SF-1199a Direct Deposit Sign-up form - Provide the information contained in the ETA Accounting Contact Information document

Send both documents via overnight mail to: Ms. Pamela Wilkerson U.S. Department of Labor/ETA OF AM/Office of Comptroller 200 Constitution Avenue, NW N4702 Washington, D.C. 20210 Telephone (202) 693-2602

The SF-1199A Direct Deposit Sign-up Form and the ETA Accounting Contact Information document are both available at www.doleta.gov/grants under Payment Information.

Allow at least 3 weeks from ET A;_s receipt of the SF-1199A for access.

Direct any inquiries regarding the status of the SF-1199A to (202) 693-3408 or send an e-mail to etaaccntg.custserv@dol.gov.

If a PMS account is already established for other ETA grants, send an email to Lanisha White, White.Lanisha@dol.gov or Julia Murray, Murray.Julia@dol.gov with the following information:

- Grant agreement number - Grant award amount - PMS account number

Once the email is received, the funds awarded under the new grant agreement will be available under the designated PMS Account in a separate Subaccount within 2-3 business days.

To designate a separate entity to act as the fiscal agent to access and disburse grant funds, submit the following:

as the Fiscal A letter from the Authorized Representative of the grant to the ETA contact Agent mentioned above with the Fiscal Agent's name, address and Employer

Identification Number -The grantee completes sections A through Con the SF-1199A for the grantee organization. (Banking information is not needed for the grantee) - The grantee must provide the page number in their grant proposal that identifies the fiscal agent or request a grant modification to make this change (subject to Grant Officer review and approval). - The Fiscal Agent completes the entire SF-1199A separate from the grantee's SF-1199A.

The Fiscal Agent provides the information contained in the Payment Management System Access Form.

Once both SF-1199A forms and the Payment Management System Access Form are received and the account has been established in PMS, the primary contact indicated will receive a certified letter from the Payments Management System with drawdown instructions, PMS pin/account number and temporary password.

These documents are available at www.doleta.gov/grants under Payment Information.

Allow at least three weeks from ETA's receipt of the SF-1199A for access. Direct all inquires for the SF-1199 A to (202} 693-3408 or e-mail etaaccntg.custserv@dol.gov.

2. Financial Status ReportinQ

Access to Financial Identify two individuals in the organization responsible for financial Reporting- ETA reporting: 9130 - The Primary Contact person will certify the accuracy of the report by

entering the PIN. The PIN acts as an electronic signature. - The Secondary Contact will enter the reporting data.

Provide the following information to both Shantay Logan Logan.Shantay@dol.gov and Avery Malone Malone.Avery@dol.gov.: - Grant agreement number - Name & phone number of both individuals - Email address for Primary contact person

The Financial Reporting Access document can be found at www.doleta.gov/grants under Financial Reporting.

Only the Primary Contact person will be emailed the password/PIN upon receipt of the required information.

Direct inquiries regarding the Password/PIN to Shantay Logan and Avery Malone. Contact your Federal Project Officer for questions on Financial Reporting.

Lastly, the Federal Project Officer (FPO) assigned to this grant is Brie Burleson. Brie Burleson will serve as your first line point of contact and can be contacted via phone (214} 767-8263 or e-mail BURLESON.BRIE@dol.gov. If your FPO is not available, please call your Regional Office at 404-302-5300 for assistance.

Grant Officer

DONNA KELLY

Enclosures

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR GRANT/AGREEMENT EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION NOT/FICA TION OF

AWARDIOBLIGA TION

Under the authority of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, this grant or agreement is entered into between the above named Grantor Agency and the following named Awardee, for a project entitled- Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants Program.

Name & Address of Awardee:

Agreement #: CFDA#:

TC-22506-11-60-A-8 17.282

Community College of Denver

Accounting Code· 1630·2011..Q501871111BD2o110187ooo111Sccooo1141BAOwlooAowloa-A9a2oo-410023·ETA· • DEFAULTTASK·

1111 West Colfax Avenue Denver, COLORADO 80217-3363

Mod Amount: $17,256,881.00 EIN: 383721881 DUNS #: 796082600

The Period of Performance shall be from October 01, 2011 thru September 30, 2014. Total Government's Financial Obligation is $17,256,881.00 (unless other wise amended). Payments will be made under the Payments Management System, and can be automatically drawn down by the awardee on an as needed basis covering a forty-eight (48) hour period.

In performing its responsibilities under this grant agreement, the awardee hereby certifies and assures that it will fully comply with the following regulations and cost principles, including any subsequent amendments:

Uniform Administrative Requirements: 29 CFR Part 97, for State/Local Governments and Indian Tribes; OR 29 CFR Part 95, for Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals and other Non-Profit Organizations and Commercial Organizations.

Cost Principles: OMB Circular A-87, for State/Local Governments and Indian Tribes; OMB Circular A-21, for Institutions of Higher Education; OR OMB Circular A-122, for Non-Profit Organizations. 48 CFR Part 31.

Other Requirements (As Applicable}: 29 CFR Part 96 and 99, Single Audit Act 29 CFR Part 93, Lobbying Certification 29 CFR Part 37, Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity Requirements 29 CFR Part 98, Debarment and Suspension; Drug Free Workplace 20 CFR Part 652 et al., Workforce Investment Act Wagner-Peyser Act Grant Award Document, Parts I through IV, and attachments.

90-day indirect

The awardee's signature below certifies full compliance with all terms and conditions as well as the above stated grant regulations and certifications, and that this document has not been altered.

Signature of Approving Official- AWARDEE

No Additional Signature Required (Signature I Date)

See SF 424 for Signature (Type Name and Title)

Signature of Approving Official- DOL I ETA

DONNA KELLY----~-September 29, 2011 Grant Officer

Application for Federal Assistance SF-424

• 1. Type of Submission: • 2. Type of Application: • If Revision. select appropriate letter(s):

Preapplication ~New I ~ Application Continuation • Other (Specify):

Changed/Corrected Application Revision I • 3. Date Received: 4. 1\fJf.lli<-a"' Identifier:

10412~11 I I I 5a. Federal Entity Identifier: 5b. Federal Award Identifier:

I I I State Use Only:

6. Date Received by State: I J I 7. State Application Identifier: J

8. APPLICANT INFORMATION:

*a. Legal Name: Jcommunity College of Denver

*b. Employer/Taxpayer Identification Number (EINITIN): * c. Organizational DUNS:

138 ·3721881 I 17960826000000 I d. Address:

* Street1: l1111 West Colfax Avenue

Street2: I *City: !Denver I

County/Parish: !Denver I *State: I CO: Colorado

Province: I I *Country: I USA: UNITED STATES

*Zip I Postal Code: Jso217 3363 I e. Organizational Unit:

' Department Name: Division Name:

I I I f. Name and contact information of person to be contacted on matters involving this application:

Prefix: [Dr I *First Name: I Rhonda

Middle Name: I I *Last Name: jEpper

Suffix: I I Title: jAssistant Pl.vvv"~ I Organizational Affiliation:

I *Te!ephoneNumber· j3o3 595 1596 J Fax Number: j3o3 534 4832

• Email [rhonda "W"''-'~'-,:cs .edu

I

I

OMB Number: 4040-0004

Expiration Date: 03131/2012

I

I

I

I I

I

I

I

I

I

I I

I

Application for Federal Assistance SF-424

* 9. Type of Applicant 1: Select Applicant Type:

of Applicant 3: Select Applicant Type:

13. Competition Identification Number:

Title:

14. Areas Affected by Project (Cities, Counties, States, etc.):

Add Attachment

Attach supporting documents as specified in agency instructions.

Application for Federal Assistance SF-424

16. Congressional Districts Of:

• a. Applicant lo1 I b. Program/Project lo1 I Attach an additional list of Program/Project Congressional Districts if needed.

!colorado Congressional Districts Impacted J 1\dt:i Awx•~"' ns;m I Delete Attachment I View A:u.,..., """'m I 17. Proposed Project:

• a. Start Date: lo7 /01/2011 I • b. End Date: Jo6/30/2014 I 18. Estimated Funding ($):

• a. Federal 17,256,881 ool

• b. Applicant 0 00

• c. State 0 00

• d. Local o ool

• e. Other o ool

• f. Program Income o ooJ

*g. TOTAL 17,256,881 ool

*19. Is Application Subject to Review By State Under Executive Order 12372 Process?

D a. This application was made available to the State under the Executive Order 12372 Process for review on I I· D b. Program is subject to E.O. 12372 but has not been selected by the State for review.

rgJ c. Program is not covered by E.O. 12372.

• 20. Is the Applicant Delinquent On Any Federal Debt? (If "Yes," provide explanation in attachment.)

DYes rgJ No

If "Yes". provide explanation and attach

I I Ad(j ~'"""'"m'" 1 I Delete Attk7s.otnvm I View ''""'v""""' J 21. *By signing this application, I certify (1) to the statements contained in the list of certifications** and (2) that the statements herein are true, complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge. I also provide the required assurances** and agree to comply with any resulting terms if I accept an award. I am aware that any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or claims may subject me to criminal, civil, or administrative penalties. (U.S. Code, Title 218, Section 1001)

rg} ** I AGREE

•• The list of certifications and assurances. or an internet site where you may obtain this list, is contained in the announcement or agency specific instructions.

Authorized Representative:

Prefix jMs I *First Name: I Diane I Middle Name: I I *Last Name: jMourning I Suffix: ! I *Title: IRxF>rnl' i ve Director I *Telephone Number: j303 556 ·2384 1 Fax Number: 1303 556 ·4302 I * Email: lctiane . mourn.i ncrGJrrrl . edu I • Signature of Authorized Representative: ID1ane Moum1ng J * Date Signed: 10412012011 I

Colorado Congressional Districts Impacted by the Project

Colorado 1

Colorado 2

Colorado 3

Colorado 4

Colorado 5

Colorado 6

Colorado 7

Administrative Costs

Pursuant to 20 CFR 667.210(b), grantees are advised that there is a 10°/o limitation on administrative costs on funds administered under this grant. In no event may administrative costs exceed 1 0°/o of the total award amount. The cost of administration shall include those disciplines enumerated in 20 CFR 667.220(b) and (c).

Sec. 667.220 What Workforce Investment Act title I functions and activities constitute the costs of administration subject to the administrative cost limit?

(a) The costs of administration are that allocable portion of necessary and reasonable allowable costs of State and local workforce investment boards, direct recipients, including State grant recipients under subtitle B of title I and recipients of awards under subtitle D of title I, as well as local grant local grant subrecipients, local fiscal agents and one-stop operators that are associated with those specific functions identified in paragraph (b) of this section and which are not related to the direct provision of workforce investment services, including services to participants and employers. These costs can be both personnel and non-personnel and both direct and indirect.

(b) The costs of administration are the costs associated with performing the following functions:

(1) Performing the following overall general administrative functions and coordination of those functions under WIA title I:

(i) Accounting, budgeting, financial and cash management functions; ( i) Procurement and purchasing functions; (iii) Property management functions; (iv) Personnel management functions; (v) Payroll functions; (vi) Coordinating the resolution of findings arising from audits, reviews,

investigations and incident reports; (vii) Audit functions; (viii) General legal services functions; and (ix) Developing systems and procedures, including information systems, required

for these administrative functions; (2) Performing oversight and monitoring responsibilities related to WIA

administrative functions; (3} Costs of goods and services required for administrative functions of the

program, including goods and services such as rental or purchase of equipment, utilities, office supplies, postage, and rental and maintenance of office space;

(4} Travel costs incurred for official business in carrying out administrative activities or the overall management of the WIA system; and

(5} Costs of information systems related to administrative functions (for example, personnel, procurement, purchasing, property management, accounting and payroll systems) including the purchase, systems development and operating costs of such systems.

(c) (1) Awards to subrecipients or vendors that are solely for the performance of administrative functions are classified as administrative costs.

(2) Personnel and related non-personnel costs of staff who perform both administrative functions specified in paragraph (b) of this section and programmatic services or activities must be allocated as administrative or program costs to the benefiting cost objectives/categories based on documented distributions of actual time worked or other equitable cost allocation methods.

(3) Specific costs charged to an overhead or indirect cost pool that can be ident fied directly as a program cost are to be charged as a program cost. Documentation of such charges must be maintained.

(4) Except as provided at paragraph (c) (1), all costs incurred for functions and activities of subrecipients and vendors are program costs.

(5) Costs of the fol information systems the purchase, systems development and entry) costs are charged to the program category:

(i) or of and performance information; (ii) Employment statistics information, including job listing information, job

skills information, and demand occupation information; (iii) Performance and program cost information on eligible providers of training

services, youth activities, and education activities; (iv)Local area performance information; and (v) Information relat to supportive services and unemployment insurance claims

for program participants; (6) Continuous act ies are charged to administration Or program

based on the purpose nature of the activity to be improved. Documentation be maintained.

The Solicitation for Grant Applications for this

competition is attached and

hereby incorporated into this Grant Agreement.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration Notice of Availability of Funds and Solicitation for Grant Applications for Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants Program

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Notice of Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA) Funding Opportunity Number: SGAIDFA PY 10-03 Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 17.282

KEY DATES: The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is April21, 2011. APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN 4 p.m. Eastern Time. A pre-recorded webinar will be on-line (http://www.workforce3one.org) and accessible for viewing on January 24, 2011 at 1 :00 p.m. Eastern Time, and will be available for viewing anytime after that date. While a review of this webinar is encouraged it is not mandatory that applicants view this recording. Applicants are also encouraged to view the online tutorial, "Grant Applications 101: A Plain English Guide to ETA Competitive Grants," available through Workforce30ne at: http://www.workforce3one.org/page/grants toolkit.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of labor (DOL or the Department) announces the availability of up to $500 million in grant funds to be awarded under the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grants program (T MCCCT). These funds are available to eligible institutions of higher education to serve workers who are eligible for training under the TAA for workers program in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The T AACCCT provides community colleges and other eligible institutions of higher education with funds to expand and improve their ability to deliver education and career training programs that can be completed in two years or less, are suited for workers who are eligible for training under the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers program, and prepare program participants for employment in high-wage, high-skill occupations. The targeted population of this program is workers who have lost their jobs or are threatened with job loss as a result of foreign trade. The Department intends to fund multi-year grants to eligible institutions for either developing innovative programs or replicating evidence-based strategies. As a result of this Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA), the Department is helping to ensure that our nation's institutions of higher education are able to help the targeted population succeed in acquiring the skills, degrees, and credentials needed for high-wage, high-skill employment while also meeting the needs of employers for skilled workers.

In accordance with requirements of the T MCCCT, the Department intends to award at least 0.5 percent of the total amount of available funds to eligible institutions in each State, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The eligible applicants for this SGA are institutions of higher education and consortia of two or more of those eligible institutions. The Department intends to fund grants ranging from $2.5 million to $5 million for individual applicants and from $2.5 million to $20 million for consortium applicants. Grants may exceed the award amount ceiling on two conditions only:

• Individual or consortium applicants propose to replicate, at multiple sites and/or with the targeted and other populations, strategies that have been shown by prior research to have strong or moderate evidence of positive impacts on education and/or employment outcomes. See Attachment F for more information on the Evidence-Based Conceptual Framework; or

• Individual or consortium applicants propose to develop and implement online and technology-enabled courses and learning projects that will be taken to scale beyond the community level to reach significant numbers of diverse students over a large geographic area.

ADDRESSES: Mailed applications must be addressed to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Division of Federal Assistance, Attention: Donna Kelly, Grant Officer, Reference SGA/DFA PY 10-03, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N-4716, Washington, DC 20210. For complete "Application and Submission Information," please refer to Section IV.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This solicitation consists of nine (9) sections: Section I provides a description of this funding opportunity.

A. Overview of the Grant Program B. Funding Priorities C. Allowable Activities D. Sustainability E. Targeted Population F. Required Community Outreach for Needs Assessment and Project Planning

Section II provides award information. A. Award Amount B. Period of Performance

Section Ill provides eligibility information. A Eligible Institutions B. Consortium Applicants C. Additional Eligibility Information D. Leveraged Expertise E. Involvement of Employers and the Public Workforce System F. Cost Sharing G. Other Grant Specifications

Section IV provides information on the application and submission process. A. How to Obtain an Application Package B. Content and Form of Application Submission C. Submission Date, Times, Process and Addresses D. Intergovernmental Review E. Funding Restrictions F. Other Submission Requirements

Section V describes the criteria against which applications will be reviewed and explains the proposal review process.

A. Evaluation Criteria B. Evaluation of Supplementary Materials for Applications Requesting Funds Above

Award Amount Ceiling C. Review and Selection Process

Section VI describes award administration information. A. Award Notices B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements C. Reporting

Section VII provides agency contacts. Section VIII provides additional resources of interest to applicants.

A. Web-Based Resources B. Industry Competency Models and Career Clusters C. Annotated Bibliography

Section IX provides other information.

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I. Funding Opportunity Description A. Overview of the Grant Program

In an increasingly competitive world economy, America's economic strength depends upon the education and skills of its workers. In the coming years, jobs requiring at least an associate's degree are projected to grow twice as fast as those requiring no college experience. The nation needs workers with the education and skills to succeed in growing, high-wage occupations, and community colleges serve as significant and rapidly growing contributors to the nation's higher education system, enrolling more than 11.8 million students. Community colleges work with business, labor, and government in their communities to create tailored education and training programs to meet employers' needs and give students the skills required to obtain good jobs, earn family-sustaining wages, and advance along a career pathway.

The college graduation goals set by President Barack Obama and the need to increase the number of workers who attain degrees, certificates, and other industry-recognized credentials are addressed by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Reconciliation Act), Public Law No. 111-152, 19 USC 2372- 2372a, which appropriated $2 billion for Fiscal Years (FY) 2011 2014 ($500 million annually) for the TMCCCT. The TMCCCT provides eligible institutions of higher education with funds to expand and improve their ability to deliver education and career training programs that can be completed in 2 years or less, and that result in skills, degrees, and credentials that prepare program participants for employment in high-wage, high-skill occupations, and are suited for workers who are eligible for training under the T M for Workers program, chapter 2 of title II of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 USC 2271 et seq.). The Department expects that successful applicants will propose projects that expand and improve their ability to deliver education and training programs and achieve improved education and employment outcomes, rather than simply offering their existing courses to more workers and other students. The Department is implementing this program in partnership with the Department of Education.

The T MCCCT is one of several new Federal grant programs in which grantor agencies fund projects that seek to use evidence to design program strategies. 1 These initiatives fund the development of innovative programs or replication of evidence-based strategies and award grants to eligible institutions that are committed to using data to continuously evaluate the effectiveness of their strategies in order to improve their programming. The Department is committed to funding programs that are likely to improve education and employment outcomes for program participants while providing grantees the flexibility to identify and integrate effective strategies in their education and training programs and adjust or improve weaker strategies. The Department believes community colleges are an ideal place to apply this new approach, because they have been leaders in seeking out strategies that get results. Community colleges have innovated in many ways, crossing traditional boundaries to collaborate with employers, the public workforce system, Registered Apprenticeship programs, and other service organizations; and have continuously adapted their programs to respond to local economic needs and produce better outcomes for their students.

As the research on community college practices is currently limited, the Department anticipates that grants awarded in the T MCCT program will chiefly support the development of innovative program models that can be evaluated. For all funded projects, the T MCCCT will support institutions that are committed to using data to continuously assess the effectiveness of their strategies in order to improve their programming, and structuring programs to facilitate evaluation that can build evidence about effective practices. One outcome of the initiative will be to

1 For the purposes of this solicitation, the standards of evidence are described as follows: (1) strong - the evidence includes a study or multiple studies whose designs can support strong causal conclusions and studies which demonstrate the strategy to be effective with multiple populations and/ or in multiple (2) moderate - evidence from a study or studies that include multiple sites and/ or populations that support weaker causal conclusions or that support strong causal cm;clusions Lhat are not yet generalizable; and (3) preliminary- conclusions are based on research fmdings or reasonable hypotheses, including related research or theories of change in education, training, and other sectors. See Attachment F for more information on standards of evidence.

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build knowledge about effective practices so that, in the future, institutions can replicate practices that are effective and identify and strengthen practices in need of improvement.

DOL is also interested in supporting consortia of two or more eligible institutions that will work together to take a broad view across an entire community, region, State, industry sector or cluster of related industries, and leverage their collective experience to expand and improve their ability to deliver education and career training programs. This may include developing and sharing courses that are affordable, offered during the day, at night, on weekends and virtually, and provide more workers with academic and industry-recognized credentials and meet the needs of more employers for skilled workers in the communities represented by the consortium. The Department encourages consortia to share resources in order to provide more cost-effective education and training programs.

Furthermore, the Department is interested in accessible online learning strategies that can effectively serve the targeted population. Online learning strategies can allow adults who are struggling to balance the competing demands of work and family to acquire new skills at a time, place and pace that are convenient for them. For example, these strategies can improve access to quality education for targeted workers and other students in underserved areas and have the potential to help workers who are eligible for training under the T AA for Workers program (the "targeted students" or "targeted population") learn more in less time than they would with traditional classroom instruction alone. Interactive software can tailor instruction and tutoring to individual students, while simulations and multimedia software offer experiential learning. With the creation of new online, open-source courses that can ultimately be shared and distributed nationwide, community colleges and other eligible institutions across the country can offer more classes without building more classrooms. New online courses can create new routes for workers and other students to gain knowledge, skills and credentials, and earn academic credit based upon achievement rather than class hours, all while providing continuous feedback to students and instructors.

Finally, the Department will ensure that deliverables resulting from projects developed with these funds are available publicly, and that the aggregate data used to analyze the impact of the programs are available to the public. This means that curricula, course materials, teacher guides, and other products developed with grant funds will be considered grant deliverables and provided to the Department before completion of the grant period of performance with the appropriate licenses. Applicants should note this grant program has specific intellectual property and licensing requirements, which are defined in Section IV. E.4. Applicants should also note that before submitting grant deliverables to the Department, grantees will be required to submit the deliverables for independent review by subject matter experts, as described in Section III.G.5.

B. Funding Priorities 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. The Department is committed to funding applications that use data and evidence to demonstrate that strategies are likely to produce significant positive change and advance learning, allowing grantees to identify and integrate promising and proven strategies into their education and training programs. This program is designed to ensure that all eventual grant winners will contribute to strengthening the evidence base that exists on the impact of education and career training programs.

All successful applicants will be required to allow broad access for others to use and enhance project products and offerings, including permitting for-profit derivative uses of the courses and associated learning materials. See Section IV.E.4 for more information on Intellectual Property Rights.

All successful applicants that propose online and technology-enabled learning projects will develop materials in compliance with SCORM, as referenced in Section 1.8.4 of this SGA. These

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courses and materials will be made available to the Department for free public use and distribution, including the ability to re-use course modules, via an online repository for learning materials to be established by the Federal Government. All grant products will be provided to the Department with meta-data (as described in Section III.G.4) in an open format mutually agreed-upon by the grantee and the Department.

Each proposed strategy should include an ongoing evaluation to ensure continuous improvement and data-based decision making.

The overarching goals of this SGA are to increase attainment of degrees, certificates, and other industry-recognized credentials and better prepare the targeted population, and other beneficiaries, for high-wage, high-skill employment. This SGA contains four priorities and corresponding strategies toward achievement of these goals:

1. Accelerate Progress for Low-Skilled and Other Workers; 2. Improve Retention and Achievement Rates to Reduce Time to Completion; 3. Build Programs That Meet Industry Needs, Including Developing Career Pathways; and 4. Strengthen Online and Technology-Enabled Learning. The first three priorities are education and workforce development approaches and the last

priority, strengthening online learning, is a delivery mechanism that may be used in any of the priorities outlined above and should be integrated into projects as appropriate to support their implementation. In order to be considered for funding under this Solicitation, applicants must focus on one or more of these four priorities and must propose a set of evidence-based strategies designed to address the needs of the targeted population.

The following discussion provides a set of strategies that correspond to each priority, and includes selected study citations that demonstrate the type of evidence that applicants should consider when developing their program designs. The Department recognizes there is limited research in the field of higher education and workforce development, so many of these strategies are only supported by preliminary evidence, or moderate evidence that shows mixed results. Please note the lists of strategies associated with each of the four priority areas are not all­inclusive and applicants may identify other strategies as appropriate as long as these strategies align with the priority areas and are either evidence-based or supported by research findings or reasonable hypotheses. Please note, applicants may implement multiple strategies across different programs, course offerings, or curricula. Please refer to Appendix D for an Annotated Bibliography that contains more information on the research references in this section.

1. Accelerate Progress for Low-Skilled and Other Workers: DOL is interested in applications that increase success rates for students with basic skills deficiencies by redesigning developmental education, mitigating the need for developmental courses, and/or improving student services that improve retention (please note the limitations on the use of funds for supportive services established in Section IV.E.6 of this SGA). For the purpose of this solicitation, retention (or persistence) means the percentage of degree and credential-seeking students who entered the program in the previous year and are enrolled in the current year in the same program. Strategies for Priority 1 include, but are not limited to:

• Developing and implementing contextualized learning that combines basic skills with specific career knowledge. For example, several community colleges in Washington State use a model which simultaneously teaches basic skills and career-specific technical skills in the same class. An evaluation found students using this model had better rates of completion and persistence than a comparison group (Jenkins 2009).

• Improving student services, such as career counseling, tutoring, and job placement services. An ongoing random-assignment demonstration project is showing that enhanced student services (more frequent and/or intensive counseling) result in increased persistence in the short­term, although there was no significant impact in the latter part of the three-year follow-up period (Scrivener 2009).

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• Improving developmental education to better meet the needs of those students in the targeted population and other students with basic skills deficiencies, which will include pre­assessment upon entry to the program to identify basic skills levels for appropriate placement and post-assessment upon course completion to measure progress toward basic skills attainment. For example, most community colleges and adult education programs use assessment and placement tests prior to enrolling students in developmental education and career technical programs. There is little evidence that demonstrates a causal link between specific developmental education strategies and improved student outcomes (Bailey 2008). However, a few qualitative or correlational studies suggest a benefit from redesigning courses for underprepared students. For example, a quasi-experimental study that examined the outcomes of redesigned math courses at a university to allow underprepared students to take for-credit math without a non-credit developmental course prerequisite, demonstrated similar pass rates as regular courses that taught comparable material (Lucas 2007}.

• Enhancing relationships with community-based organizations and/or other appropriate entities that serve or represent segments of the diverse targeted population (men, women, racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, veterans, etc.) to conduct outreach about training opportunities and meet the needs of diverse workers while they are in training through appropriate supportive services such as mentoring, childcare, and transportation assistance.

2. Improve Retention and Achievement Rates and/or Reduce Time to Completion: DOL is interested in applications that strengthen education and training courses, and use innovative techniques in course sequencing, scheduling, and delivery to reduce barriers to enrollment, increase success rates, and reduce the time it takes to obtain degrees, certificates, and other industry-recognized credentials. For applicants that currently have disparities in retention or graduation rates by race/ethnicity, gender, or disability, strategies should include plans to address those disparities as part of the grant activities. Strategies for Priority 2 include, but are not limited to:

• Implementing self-paced learning strategies, block scheduling, and/or modular curriculum to reduce the time it takes to obtain degrees, certificates, and other industry-recognized credentials. For example, a 2009 report evaluating a university model that includes enhanced student supportive services and block scheduling used comparison group matching methodology to show that the intervention is two and a half times more likely to graduate a student in 2 years (Linderman 2009).

• Developing an articulation process or agreement that grants academic credit for participants' coursework (credit and non-credit), prior work experience, internships, and/or Registered Apprenticeships, and enabling transfer of credits to four-year institutions to encourage participants to advance to more education and training.

• Implementing curricular and instructional innovations, such as "learning communities." A learning community requires students to take blocks of classes with the same group of peers to help students navigate through the college experience. The most rigorous evaluations of learning communities are mixed and the Department is interested in more information in these areas. A randomized study of the 2-year effects of a freshman learning community program at a community college in Brooklyn, New York, found short-term positive impacts on the number of credits earned, but mixed results on persistence (Scrivener 2008). However, a newer randomized study at a learning communities program at a community college in Florida found no impacts on student outcomes (Weiss 2010). A less rigorous 1997 comparison group study of learning communities at a Seattle community colleg.e found increased probability of quarter-to-quarter persistence (Tinto 1997).

• Restructuring course scheduling at convenient times and locations to support attainment of degrees, certificates, and other industry-recognized credentials by the targeted population.

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3. Build Programs That Meet Industry Needs, Including Developing Career Pathways: DOL is interested in applications that expand and improve education and training programs to ensure relevance to area workforce needs, offer credit for both academic and occupational training, integrate industry-driven competencies, and result in degrees, certificates, and other industry-recognized credentials that are portable, stackable, and support placement into employment in a career pathway and/or further education. Strategies for Priority 3 include, but are not limited to:

• Implementing earn and learn education models, such as on-the-job training, clinical or cooperative education, paid internships, and/or Registered Apprenticeships that offer opportunities for both academic and occupational certificates and credentials. A study of all workforce development programs in Washington State estimated their longer-term net impact by using non­experimental statistical methods to compare exiters from Registered Apprenticeship programs to exiters from the State's labor exchange program. The study estimated that 9 to 12 quarters after exit, apprenticeship participants earned roughly $2,000 more per quarter than the comparison group. This was greater than the estimated net impact for community college programs (Hollenbeck 2006).

• Developing partnerships with employers that may include validation of curricula, use of equipment and facilities, and/or agreements to hire students following successful program completion. A recent report showed significant employment and earnings gains in a randomized evaluation of three sector-based training programs that included strong relationships with employers (Maguire 2010).

• Developing entrepreneurship training, including mentoring and peer-to-peer training, which may be appropriate and effective in seNing the needs of the targeted population. This training should include, at a minimum, programs that focus on developing a business plan, and may also include content focused on market research, marketing, pricing, financing, cash flow, accounting, hiring, permits and licenses, and legal issues. A recent ETA random-assignment demonstration project looked at an entrepreneurship program with classroom training and business counseling and found that program group members started their first business sooner and their businesses had greater longevity than control group businesses (Benus 2009).

4. Strengthen Online and Technology-Enabled Learning: Both individual eligible institutions and consortia of eligible institutions may apply to develop and implement fully­accessible online and technology-enabled learning courses and projects within the funding ranges described in Section II.A of this SGA. DOL is particularly interested in applications from consortia of eligible institutions, as described in Section III.B of this SGA, to develop and implement online and technology-enabled courses and learning projects. A consortium project will leverage expertise and resources from its members, in both the development and implementation of online learning materials, to ensure widespread use and encourage continuous improvement of the courses and learning materials created by these projects. DOL expects that online and technology-enabled learning courses and projects will prepare workers for job opportunities in the consortium members' community. DOL also encourages applicants to focus on education and training that can be taken to scale beyond a community level to reach significant numbers of diverse students over a larger geographic area.

Online and technology-enabled learning projects will support accelerated learning in a flexible manner that allows students to master concepts or course content more successfully and/or in a shorter period of time than possible with existing methods or the time previously required in cases where similar courses have been offered. The online learning projects developed under this program must contribute to the attainment of degrees, certificates, and other industry-recognized credentials that will better prepare the targeted population for high-wage, high­skill employment. The project proposals must provide evidence to support the design of the online learning projects and procedures for comparing the outcomes of the online project with comparable classroom instruction.

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Applicants under this priority should propose projects that include technology-based solutions to effectively teach content to students, enable students to teach themselves, learn from other students, or to engage in hands-on learning, through methods such as interactive simulations, personalized instruction, and elements of game design, including strategies for asynchronous and real-time collaboration among learners as well as between learners and instructors. Online learning materials developed for these projects may include a mix of courses, including remedial or basic courses, developmental courses, foundational courses, gateway courses for career areas (from basic to advanced), and courses that lead to portable and/or stackable degrees, certificates, and other industry-recognized credentials.

All online and technology-enabled courses developed under this SGA must be compliant with the latest version of SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model), as of this writing, version 2004 (3.0). All online and technology-enabled courses must permit free public use and distribution, including the ability to re-use course modules, via an online repository for learning materials to be established by the Federal Government. All grant products will be provided to the Department with meta-data as described in Section III.G.4 of this SGA. To learn about SCORM, download the standard, and test completed training products, please visit http://www.adlnet.gov/Technologies/scorm/default.asox.

All online and technology-enabled courses developed under this SGA must incorporate the principles of universal design in order to ensure that they are readily accessible to qualified individuals with disabilities in full compliance with the Americans with Disability Act and Sections 504 and 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

In addition, technology-based consortium projects are strongly encouraged to leverage expertise from content experts in the development of online learning materials. In the implementation and adoption of these materials, technology-based consortium projects may also leverage broad networks of education and training institutions to ensure widespread use and encourage continuous improvement of the courses and learning materials created by these projects. Applicants should refer to Section III.D for more information on Leveraged Expertise.

Strategies for Priority 4 include, but are not limited to: • Incorporating competency-based assessments, as appropriate, to allow students to

demonstrate mastery of content and skills, as well as contribute to attainment of certificates or degrees, based on performance on such assessments rather than on course credits or hours.

• Offering academic credit to students on the same basis as other equivalent onsite courses offered by the grant recipients (in the case of full courses).

• Providing continuous feedback to the learner and instructor in order to automatically identify and remediate individual student learning deficits, whenever feasible, to help the student master course content and enable an instructor to determine whether a student needs additional assistance or instruction.

• Incorporating mechanisms to provide feedback to course designers and instructors so that courses may be improved as students attend them.

• Offering multiple delivery points to educational programs so participants are able to learn from a worksite, a Web site, or a classroom.

• Making improvements to the infrastructure necessary for hosting online programs that enable public use.

C. Allowable Activities Applicants may only propose activities that directly impact the provision of education and

training. Within the framework of priorities and strategies in this SGA, a broad range of activities are allowable and applicants must propose budgets commensurate with their proposed project design.

The Department anticipates that the majority of applicants will include two specific types of allowable activities to support their work: a) hiring and/or training additional instructors or staff (including the costs of salaries and benefits)to assist in the development and/or delivery of new

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curricula, and establishing internship, Registered Apprenticeship, or clinical/cooperative education programs at employer sites; and b) purchasing or upgrading classroom supplies and equipment that will serve an integral instructional purpose in education and training courses supported by the grant or cover costs associated with implementing changes in the time or scheduling of courses.

Other allowable activities may include, but are not limited to, leasing space that is used for education and training and related activities, altering facilities that are used for education and training and related activities (which could include ensuring that the facilities comply with federal architectural accessibility obligations that require facilities to be readily accessible to and usable by qualified individuals with disabilities), implementing and/or enhancing the information technology infrastructure used to provide education and training and related activities, organizing and/or analyzing program data for program evaluation, and other costs of program development such as using subject matter experts from industry, education, state workforce agency labor market and economic research entities, and other areas to inform and assist in curriculum design. Applicants should note that specific Grant Officer approval will be required for the alteration of facilities after grant awards are made. Applicants should refer to Section VI of the SGA for a list of relevant Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars related to cost principles, administrative and other requirements that apply to this Solicitation.

Unallowable activities include the use of grant funds to pay the costs of tuition, wages of participants (including the wages of students participating in co-operative education programs, Registered Apprenticeship, or internships), stipends for wage replacement of participants, the purchase of real property, and construction. Applicants should ensure they do not propose these activities, as they may duplicate services, benefits, or stipends provided to workers eligible for assistance under the T AA, Unemployment Insurance, or Workforce Investment Act programs.

Applicants may not use grant funds to supplant other funding sources they are currently using to fund existing activities. As with all costs charged to the grant, the costs of equipment must meet the standards in the applicable Federal cost principles found in Part VI of this SGA, including that the costs are reasonable and necessary to achieve grant outcomes and have prior approval from the Grant Officer after a grant is received.

D. Sustainability Congress has provided the T AACCCT with four years of funding. Because permanent

funding is not anticipated, applicants are strongly encouraged to ensure that effective innovations developed under this program are sustained after the grant period ends. As indicated in Section V.A.3.i, applicants must describe how they will use data to determine which strategies and activities were effective and explain how they would integrate effective practices into core programs to enact broader institutional improvements. This sustainability planning may require securing funding or future funding commitments from non-Federal sources. Given limited availability of funding, applicants may look to develop low-cost strategies for integrating effective practices funded under the grant into their general operations. For example, an institution could propose that instructors funded to form a discrete learning community in a part of that institution during the three year period of performance would, if the proposal was achieving results, work with other instructors once the grant has ended to integrate learning community practices more widely across the institution. Where possible, applicants should encourage other institutions to adopt successful strategies developed with these funds.

E. Targeted Population The intent of this SGA is to fund projects that expand and improve the ability of eligible

institutions to provide education and training programs that are suitable for the diverse population of workers eligible for training under the T AA for Workers program. Workers certified as eligible for trade adjustment assistance are eligible to apply for income support payments, the health coverage tax credit, and training and other- services provided by the States with Federal T AA funds, While the Solicitation supports education and training programs suited to this targeted population, the

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Department expects that once the programs are implemented, they would also benefit a wide range of individuals.

F. Required Community Outreach for Needs Assessment and Project Planning The proposed project must meet the education and training needs of the targeted population

and effectively prepare them for job opportunities in the "community" or "communities" identified by the applicant. For purposes of the TAACCCT, a "community" is a "city, county, or other political subdivision of a State or a consortium of political subdivisions of a State," as defined under Section 271(2) of the Trade Act (19 USC 2371(2)). The applicant must demonstrate that it performed outreach to, and gathered information on, relevant entities in the communities to be served by the project, including the characteristics and skill needs of workers receiving T AA assistance in the community. In addition, the outreach will help ensure that the project complements and does not duplicate existing programs in the community. As evidence of this outreach process, the applicant must include the documentation listed in Section IV.B Part Ill, which describes the required data on the need for education and training within its community. The needs-assessment information gathered through the community outreach will factor heavily into the applicant's Statement of Need (see Section V.A.1 ), and will form the basis for developing the project work plan.

In collecting the information described above, applicants must reach out to and use data from the following organizations, to the extent appropriate to the program being proposed:

• Employers and industry associations, including small- and medium-sized firms, and if applicable, representing emerging industries;

• Local, county, and/or State government agencies, including the State workforce agency that administers the TAA for Workers program;

• Local Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) established under Section 117 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2832);

• Labor organizations, including State and local labor federations and labor-management initiatives, representing workers in the community;

• Local educational agencies, and other relevant educational entities, such as career and technical education and adult education programs serving the community;

In addition to the required organizations listed above, applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to and use data from the following organizations: ·

• Community-based organizations that may provide supportive services and play a role in outreach to ensure the diversity of the targeted population;

• Sponsors of Registered Apprenticeship programs; • State workforce agency labor market information and/or economic research entities; • Economic development agencies; • Small business development organizations; and, • Existing federally- or state-funded consortia, such as regional cluster2 consortia, that

are organized by related sector or regional focus and that may inform the applicant's activities.

2 Regional clusters are geographic concentrations of firms and industries that do business with each other and have common needs for talent, technology, and infrastructure. The strengths and relationships within these interconnected firms as well as with supporting organizations in the region create a multiplier effect that increases efficiency and innovation, and ultimately enhances conditions for businesses to prosper. A cluster will encompass local universities, government research centers, and other research and development resources, which serve as catalysts of innovation and drivers of regional economic grmvth. A successful cluster will leverage the region's unique competitive strengths and find ways to nurture networks for entrepreneurship, business fmancing, business-to-business sales, education, and workforce development. Clusters include an array of strategic pa.rtners, such as (but not limited to) state and local government, labor organizations, venture capitalists, private banks, workforce investment boards, community organizations, and community colleges and other institutions of higher education.

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Applicants must involve at least one employer in the implementation of the project, as described in Section II I.E of this SGA. DOL also strongly encourages applicants to involve other stakeholder organizations listed above in the implementation of the project.

II. Award Information A. Award Amount

Under this SGA, DOL intends to award up to $500 million in grant funds to eligible institutions as described in Section Ill. These awards will fund the development of innovative programs or replication of evidence-based strategies, and will support eligible institutions that are committed to using data to continuously evaluate the effectiveness of their strategies in order to improve their programming. DOL intends to make awards to eligible institutions ranging from $2.5 million to $5 million for individual applicants, and awards of $2.5 million to $20 million for a consortium of eligible institutions as described in Section 111.8. DOL does not expect to fund any project for less than $2.5 million but will consider applications below that amount with proper justification. In the event additional funds become available, ETA reserves the right to use such funds to select additional grantees from applications submitted in response to this solicitation.

Grants may exceed the award amount ceiling on two conditions only: • Individual or consortium applicants propose to replicate, at multiple sites and/or with the

targeted and other populations, strategies that have been shown by prior research to have strong or moderate evidence of positive impacts on education and/or employment outcomes. See Attachment F for more information on the Evidence-Based Conceptual Framework; or

• Individual or consortium applicants propose to develop and implement online and technology-enabled courses and learning projects that will be taken to scale beyond the community level to reach significant numbers of diverse students over a large geographic area.

See Section V.B of this SGA for more information on the additional requirements for applicants who wish to exceed the funding caps. All applicants wishing to exceed the funding caps must have a well-justified budget. Under these two conditions, individual applicants may request an additional $2 million, while consortium applicants may request an additional level of funding that is commensurate with the project's scope, specific activity costs, and the likely importance and magnitude of its impact on student outcomes.

Section 279(b) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 USC 2372a(b)), specifies that not less than 0.5 percent of the amount appropriated for these grant awards, or $2.5 million, will support eligible institutions in each State. In the case of an award to a consortium, the proportion of funding allocated to each member in the Budget Narrative (as described in Section III.B and IV.B. Part I of this SGA) will be used to attribute the funding amount to the state in which the consortium member institution resides.

In order to ensure that at least one eligible institution from each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico (see Section 247(8) of the Trade Act of 1974, 19 USC 2319(8)) receives an award, the Grant Officer will first select fundable applications that represent as many States as possible. If the Grant Officer finds that a State is not represented by a fundable application, a determination will be made whether any non-fundable applications can be made fundable by placing conditions on the grant. If the Grant Officer determines that no applications can be made fundable by placing conditions on the grant, or if there are no applications received from eligible institutions within a given State, DOL will make contact with the State agency responsible for the State college system to identify, and work with, an eligible institution to submit a proposal.

B. Period of Performance The period of performance for these grant awards will be 36 months from the effective date of

the grant. However, applicants may propose a period of grant performance that is less than 36 months if it is reasonable and appropriate to the project timeline, deliverables, and proposed award amount. This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities, program development and enhancement, pre- and post-program services, and grant close-out

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activities. A timeline clearly detailing the required grant activities, progress measures, outcomes, and their expected completion dates must be included in the grant application. Applicants should note that DOL may elect to exercise its option to award no-cost extensions to grants for an additional period, based on the success of the program and other relevant factors, if the grantee applies and provides a significant justification for an extension.

Ill. Eligibility Information A. Eligible Institutions

Eligible institutions are institutions of higher education as defined in Section 1 02 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. These "institutions of higher education" include public, proprietary, or other nonprofit educational institutions. Applicants must identify their institution type in Section 9 of the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance. Eligible institutions must be accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association that has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. A database of institutions that are accredited by bodies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education can be found at http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. Applicants are strongly encouraged to check this Web site, as the Department will reference this database in determining an applicant's accreditation to ensure eligibility. Generally, institutions of higher education include 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Hispanic Serving Institutions, among others.

B. Consortium Applicants Institutions of higher education may submit a proposal on behalf of a consortium of eligible

institutions. For the purpose of this solicitation, a consortium is comprised of two or more individual eligible institutions, as defined in Section liLA of this SGA, that do not constitute a single legal entity, but who join together to apply for an award under this solicitation. While consortium applicants must meet the education and training needs of workers impacted by foreign trade in at least one community served by the consortium, consortium applicants must report education and training outcomes as described in Section V.A.3 for all program participants. In addition, the Department strongly encourages consortium applicants to propose projects that focus on regional, national, or industry-wide education and training needs, and membership may cross geographic boundaries as necessary to the project design. Consortium applicants are also encouraged to leverage expertise from content experts, as well as broad networks of education and training institutions, as described in Section III.D of this SGA. Consortium applicants may submit proposals for quality projects at any funding level that is demonstrated to be reasonable and appropriate to the scope and complexity of the proposed project.

A consortium applicant must clearly indicate in the required abstract that the application is a consortium proposal and identify each consortium member. Consortium applicants must also provide in their Technical Proposal a complete description of each consortium member's role in the design, development, and implementation of the project in each community. Consortium applicants must also identify in the application a lead institution in the consortium that will serve as the grantee and have overall fiscal and administrative responsibility for the grant. This grantee institution must be the organization specified in Section 8 of the SF-424 Application Form.

For the purposes of this Solicitation, the grantee institution specified on the SF-424 Application Form will be: 1) the point of contact with DOL to receive and respond to all inquiries or communications under this SGA and any subsequent grant award; 2) the entity with authority to withdraw or draw down funds through the Department of Health and Human Services - Payment Management System (HHS-PMS); 3) responsible for submitting to DOL all deliverables under the grant, including all technical and financial reports related to the project, regardless of which consortium member performed the work; 4) the entity that may request or agree to a revision or amendment of the grant agreement or statement of work; 5) the entity with overall responsibility for carrying out the programmatic functions of the grant, as well as for the stewardship of all

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expenditures under the grant; and 6) the entity responsible for working with DOL to close out the grant.

An applicant applying as a consortium must provide as an attachment to its technical proposal a consortium agreement, which could take many forms including but not limited to a letter, agreement, or Memorandum of Understanding, but which must be signed by each consortium member and: 1} reflect an appropriate agreement among two or more eligible institutions as defined in Section liLA, referred to as consortium members, to work together on the grant; 2) declare the intent of each consortium member to carry out the goals and activities contained in the project work plan included in Section V.A.2.ii of the SGA, for which each consortium member will be responsible; and 3) specify the amount of funds and deliverables for which each member will be responsible; 4) designate one member of the consortium as the lead institution that will serve as the grantee for DOL; and 5) reflect a commitment of all consortium members to provide the lead institution all information needed to meet the reporting requirements of the grant. As a grantee, the lead institution is required to serve as both the programmatic and fiscal agent responsible for the grant, and is ultimately responsible for all deliverables as well as performance and financial reports.

If any entity identified in the application as a consortium member drops out of the consortium before or upon award of the grant, the grantee institution must provide, within 60 days of award, an explanation as to why that entity will not be participating in the project. The Department reserves the right to re-evaluate a consortium award in light of any such change in the consortium membership and may terminate the award if deemed appropriate. Please note, if a consortium member drops out, the funds and activities committed to in the application and consortium agreement may not be shifted automatically to another consortium member or to a new institution; the grantee must conduct a competition to award the remaining funds.

A consortium application that does not meet the applicant eligibility requirements of the Solicitation will be deemed non-responsive to the SGA and will not be reviewed.

C. Additional Eligibility Information Eligible institutions may submit only one application in response to this SGA, either as a

single eligible institution or as the lead institution in a consortium. Applicants that submit more than one application, either as a single eligible institution or as the lead institution in a consortium, will be found non-responsive and none of their applications will considered for funding. However, eligible institutions may submit an application as a single eligible institution, and also as a member of a consortium in one or more consortium applications in which they do not serve as the lead institution.

Due to the expanded scope and potentially larger funding ranges for consortium applicants, the Department plans for technical review panels to evaluate applications from single eligible institutions separately from consortium applications. All applications will be evaluated based on the Evaluation Criteria established in Section V.A of this SGA. For more information on the grant Review and Selection Process, please see Section V.B.

D. Leveraged Expertise Eligible institutions are strongly encouraged to leverage the knowledge and resources of

organizations, public and private, that have expertise and experience in successfully developing, implementing, and evaluating projects in the identified priority areas, and are encouraged to leverage the expertise of content experts such as cognitive scientists, human-computer interaction experts, information technologists, program evaluation experts, and others as appropriate to the development and implementation of the project. In addition, eligible institutions are strongly encouraged to engage in outreach and coordinate with broad networks of education and training institutions (which could include entrepreneurship support programs at small business organizations or other colleges and universities) in the implementation and adoption of materials to ensure widespread use and encourage continuous improvement of the courses and learning

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materials created by these projects. Applicants are also encouraged to leverage other resources to sustain and expand strategies funded through this solicitation.

The eligible institutions may propose to procure from these organizations goods or services that are ancillary or supportive of the applicant's project work plan. Please refer to procurement information in Section VI.B.3 for more information. However, these activities may only be implemented through a contract, not through a sub-grant, and follow all procurement requirements. Please see Section IV.E.7 of the SGA for more information on the difference between a contract and a sub-grant.

E. Involvement of Employers and the Public Workforce System Eligible institutions must include or consult with the following organizations in their

application:

1. Required Employer Involvement Eligible institutions must involve at least one employer in the project that is actively engaged

in the project in one or more of the following ways: defining the program strategy and goals, identifying necessary skills and competencies, providing resources to support education/training (such as equipment, instructors, funding, internships, or other work-based learning activities), providing assistance with program design, and where appropriate, hiring qualified participants who complete grant-funded education and training programs. While only one employer is required, the Department encourages applicants to collaborate with multiple employers within a sector, ensuring that program graduates will be prepared with the skills needed in the applicant's region.

2. Public Workforce System Consultation Eligible institutions must consult the public workforce system (e.g., Local Workforce

Investment Boards, One Stop Career Centers, or State agencies that administer the TAA for Workers program) in the project, and the Department encourages applicants to actively engage the system in one or more of the following ways: identifying, assessing, and referring candidates for training; connecting workers with employers; and providing support services for qualified individuals, where appropriate.

All applications will be evaluated on the inclusion of an employer and consultation with the public workforce system in Section V.A.2.iii of this SGA, and must also provide a signed letter of commitment from an employer(s) as described in Section IV.B.Part lll.b. Applicants that fail to provide the required letter of commitment from the employer( s) will be found non-responsive and their application will not be reviewed.

F. Cost Sharing Cost sharing or matching funds are not required as a condition for application, but leveraging

other resources is strongly encouraged.

G. Other Grant Specifications 1. Veterans Priority

The Jobs for Veterans Act (Pub. L. 107-288) requires 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 can be found at 20 CFR part 1010. In circumstances where a grant recipient must choose between two qualified candidates for training or 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 admitting him or her into the training program or providing 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

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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 http:/ /wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr doc.cfm?DOCN=2816.

2. Grant Recipient Training Grant recipients are required to participate in all ETA training activities related to orientation,

financial management and reporting, performance reporting, product dissemination, and other technical assistance training as appropriate during the life of the grant. These trainings may occur via conference calls, through virtual events such as webinars, and in-person meetings. Applicants should budget to attend two in-person training events in Washington, D.C. during the life of the grant.

3. Transparency The Department is committed to conducting a transparent grant award process and

publicizing information about program outcomes. Applicants are advised their application and information related to its review and evaluation (whether or not the application is successful) may be made publicly available, either fully or partially. In addition, information about grant progress and results may also be made publicly available.

4. Required Data Tags Applicants must identify specific words or phrases - also known as "keywords" or "tags" that

summarize their proposed grant activities. The keywords/tags identified must accurately reflect substantial components of the proposed project and be provided in the applicant's Abstract. Individual applicants may specify up to 15 keywords/tags. Consortia applicants may specify up to 30 keywords/tags. Applicants should use standard keyword/tag terms provided in Appendix E of this SGA, to the greatest extent possible. In the event none of the words or phrases in Appendix E is sufficiently precise, applicants may substitute other keywords/tags of their own choosing that are 28 characters or less per word with a maximum of three words per tag and will most efficiently enable machine indexing and searching of grant activities.

5. Third-Party Review of Grant Deliverables Successful applicants will be required to identify third-party subject matter experts to conduct

reviews of the deliverables produced through the grant. Applicants should allot funds in their budget ·for the independent review of their deliverables by subject matter experts. Subject matter experts are individuals with demonstrated experience in developing and/or implementing similar deliverables. These experts could include applicants' peers, such as representatives from neighboring education and training providers. The applicant must provide ETA with the results of the review and the qualifications of the reviewer(s) at the time the deliverable is provided to ETA.

6. Required Disclaimer for Grant Deliverables The grantee must include the following language on all Work developed in whole or in part

with grant funds, including its incorporation in the License: "This workforce solution was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. The solution was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership."

IV. Application and Submission Information A. How to Obtain an Application Package

This SGA contains all of the information and Web addresses for forms needed to apply for

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grant funding.

B. Content and Form of Application Submission Proposals submitted in response to this SGA must consist of three separate and distinct

parts: (I) a cost proposal; (II) a technical proposal; and (Ill) attachments to the technical proposal. Applications that do not contain all three parts or that fail to adhere to the instructions in this section will be considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the funding amount requested is consistent across all parts and sub­parts of the application. Grants may exceed the amount of $20 million for consortia under the two specific conditions provided in Section II.A. Applicants must provide supplementary materials required in Section V.B.1 of the SGA to be considered for funds above the award amount ceiling.

Part I. The Cost Proposal. The Cost Proposal must include the following items: • SF-424, "Application for Federal Assistance" (available at

http://www07.grants.gov/agencies/forms repository information.jsp). The SF-424 must clearly identify the grant 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 shall be considered the authorized representative of the applicant. All applicants for Federal grant and funding opportunities are required to have a Data Universal Numbering System (0-U-N-S®) number, and must supply their D-U-N-S® Number on the SF-424. The D-U-N-S® Number is a nine-digit identification number that uniquely identifies business entities. If you do not have a D-U-N-S® Number, you can get one for free through the Dun & Bradstreet® (D&B) Web site: http://smallbusiness.dnb.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Giossary?flink=glossarv&footerflag=y&st oreld=1 0001 &indicator=?.

• The SF-424A Budget Information Form (available at http://www07.grants.gov/agencies/forms repository information.jsp). In preparing the Budget Information Form, the applicant must provide a concise narrative explanation to support the budget request, explained in detail below.

• Budget Narrative: The budget narrative must provide a description of costs associated with each line item on the SF-424A. The entire Federal grant amount requested (not just one year) must be included on the SF-424, SF-424A, and the budget narrative. The amount listed on the SF-424, SF-424A, and the budget narrative must be the same. Please note, the funding amount included on the SF-424 will be considered the official funding amount requested if any inconsistencies are found. Applications that fail to provide an SF-424, SF-424A, a D-U-N-S® Number, and a budget narrative will be considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed.

• Regardless of the method of application submission, all applicants must register with the Federal Central Contractor Registry (CCR) before submitting an application. Step-by-step instructions for registering with CCR can be found at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/org step2.jsp. An awardee must maintain an active CCR 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 CCR database after the initial registration, the applicant is required to review and update on an annual basis from the date of initial registration or subsequent updates its information in the CCR database to ensure it is 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. Failure to register with the CCR before application submission will result in your application being found non-responsive and not being reviewed.

Part II. The Technical Proposal. The Technical Proposal must demonstrate the applicant's capability to implement the grant project in accordance with the provisions of this Soiicitation. The guidelines for the content of the Technical Proposal are provided in Section V of this SGA. The

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Technical Proposal from individual eligible institutions is limited to 30 double-spaced, single-sided, 8.5 x 11 inch pages with 12 point text font and 1 inch margins. For applications from consortia of eligible institutions, the Technical Proposal is limited to 35 double-spaced, single-sided, 8.5 x 11 inch pages with 12 point text font and 1 inch margins. Any materials beyond these specified page limits will not be read. Applicants should number the Technical Proposal beginning with page number 1. Applications that do not include Part II, the Technical Proposal, will be considered non­responsive and will not be reviewed.

Part Ill. Attachments to the Technical Proposal. In addition to the Technical Proposal, the applicant must submit the following required attachments:

a) The applicant must provide an Abstract, not to exceed three pages, which will serve as a summary of the grant and will be shared publicly, and which includes the following sections: 1) applicant name and a clear designation that the applicant is applying as an individual applicant or a consortium applicant; 2) applicant city/state; 3) areas served by grant; 4) project name; 5) funding level requested; 6) identification of the priorities and strategies addressed through the project (as identified in Section I. B); 7) description of the proposed project; 8) targeted industry and/or occupations and related credentials; 9) populations to be served, including identification of trade-impacted community to be served; 10) the required employer partner(s); 11) other stakeholder organizations from the community outreach and project planning activity that remain involved in the implementation of the project, as described in Section I.F of the SGA; 12) projected numbers for each of the seven outcome measures listed in Section VI.C.2; 13) public contact information for the grant which may be an email or Web site; and, 14) the keywords/tags that summarize the proposed grant activities as required in Section III.G.4 and Appendix E. Applicants that fail to provide this required information in the Abstract will be found non-responsive and not be considered for funding.

b) All applicants must submit one letter of commitment that includes signatures from the employer partner(s) as required in Section III.E.1 of the SGA, and describes their role and responsibility in the project. This letter must also describe the outreach and consultation efforts with the public workforce system as discussed in Section III.E.2. In the case of consortia, the applicant must also provide an additional single letter of commitment that includes signatures from each consortium member and describes the role and responsibilities as well as the amount of grant funding budgeted for each eligible institution within the project. Electronic signatures are permissible in the letter(s) of commitment.

c) Applicants must include the following documentation as evidence of completion of the community outreach process described in Section I.F, not to exceed five pages: 1) a list of organizations in the community that the applicant reached out to; and 2) a complete inventory of existing education and training offered for each proposed industry sector in the community and suitable forT AA eligible individuals, including highlights of best practices and evidence-based training that may support or inform the design of the proposed project.

d) As applicable, applicants should include documentation of an Affirmative Determination by the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (http://www.eda.gov/Contacts/Contacts.xml) with the attachments to the technical proposal described in Section IV.B. Part Ill of this SGA.

Applications that do not include the required attachments will be considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed.

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These additional materials (three-page abstract, commitment letter(s), and five-page community outreach documentation) do not count against the page limit for the Technical Proposal, but may not exceed 15 pages. Any additional materials beyond the 15-page limit will not be read. Only the attachments listed above as required attachments will be excluded from the Technical Proposal page limits established in Part II of this section. The required attachments must be affixed as separate, clearly identified appendices to the application. Additional materials such as resumes or general letters of support or commitment will not be considered in the evaluation review process.

Applicants should not send letters of commitment or any of the other required attachments separately to ETA, because letters received separately will be tracked through a different system and will not be attached to the application for review. ETA will not accept general letters of support. Support letters of this nature will not be considered in the evaluation review process.

C. Submission Date, Times, Process and Addresses The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is April 21, 2011.

Applications must be received at the address below no later than 4 p.m. Eastern Time. Applications may be submitted electronically on Grants.gov or in hardcopy by mail or hand delivery. Applications sent by e-mail, telegram, or facsimile (FAX) will not be accepted.

Applicants submitting proposals in hard-copy must submit an original signed application (including the SF-424) and one "copy-ready" version free of bindings, staples or protruding tabs to ease in the reproduction of the proposal by DOL. Applicants submitting proposals in hard copy are also required to provide an identical electronic copy of the proposal on compact disc (CD). If discrepancies between the hard copy submission and CD copy are identified, the application on the CD will be considered the official applicant submission for evaluation purposes. Failure to provide identical applications in hardcopy and CD format may have an impact on the overall evaluation.

If an application is submitted by both hard-copy and through http://www.grants.gov, a letter must accompany the hard-copy application stating why two applications were submitted and the differences between the two submissions. If no letter of explanation accompanies the hard-copy, the copy submitted through http://www.grants.gov will be considered the official submission in response to this SGA. Applications that do not meet the conditions set forth in this notice will be considered non-responsive. No exceptions to the mailing and delivery requirements set forth in this notice will be granted. Further, documents submitted separately from the application, before or after the deadline, will not be accepted as part of the application.

Mailed applications must be addressed to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Division of Federal Assistance, Attention: Donna Kelly, Grant Officer, Reference SGNDFA PY 10-03, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716, Washington, DC 20210. Applicants are advised that mail delivery in the Washington area may be delayed due to mail decontamination procedures. Hand-delivered proposals will be received at the above address at the 3rd and C Street, N.W. entrance. Proposals received at any other entrance will not be accepted. All overnight mail will be considered to be hand-delivered and must be received at the designated place by the specified closing date and time.

Applications that are submitted through Grants.gov must be successfully submitted at http://www.grants.gov no later than 4 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date and then subsequently validated by Grants.gov. The submission and validation process is described in more detail below. The process can be complicated and time-consuming. Applicants are strongly advised to initiate the process as soon as possible and to plan for time to resolve technical problems if necessary.

The Department strongly recommends that before the applicant begins to write the proposal, applicants should immediately initiate and complete the "Get Registered" registration steps at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get registered.jsp. Applicants should read through the

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registration process carefully before registering. These steps may take as much as four weeks to complete, and this time should be factored into plans for electronic submission in order to avoid unexpected delays that could result in the rejection of an application. The site also contains registration checklists to help you walk through the process. The Department strongly recommends that applicants download the "Organization Registration Checklist" at http://www.grants.gov/assets/Organization Steps Complete Registration.pdf and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process. Reviewing and assembling required information before beginning the registration process will alleviate last minute searches for required information and save time.

To register with Grants.gov, applicants applying electronically must have a D-U-N-S® Number and must register with the CCR. Step-by-step instructions for registering with CCR can be found at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/org step2.jsp. All applicants must register with CCR in order to apply online. Failure to register with the CCR will result in your application being rejected by Grants.gov during the submission process.

The next step in the registration process is creating a username and password with Grants.gov to become an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR). AORs will need to know the D-U-N-S® Number of the organization for which they will be submitting applications to complete this process. To read more detailed instructions for creating a profile on Grants.gov visit: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/org step3.jsp.

After creating a profile on Grants.gov, the E-Biz point of Contact (E-Biz POC) - a representative from your organization who is the contact listed for CCR - will receive an email to grant the AOR permission to submit applications on behalf of their organization. TheE-Biz POC will then log in to Grants.gov and approve an applicant as the AOR, thereby giving him or her permission to submit applications. To learn more about AOR Authorization visit: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/org step5.jsp , or to track AOR status visit: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/org step6.jsp .

An application submitted through Grants.gov constitutes a submission as an electronically signed application. The registration and account creation with Grants.gov, with E-Biz POC approval, establishes an AOR. When you submit the application through Grants.gov, the name of your AOR on file will be inserted into the signature line of the application. Applicants must register the individual who is able to make legally binding commitments for the applicant organization as the AOR; this step is often missed and it is crucial for valid submissions.

When a registered applicant submits an application with Grants.gov, an electronic time stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by Grants.gov. Within two business days of application submission, Grants.gov will send the applicant two email messages to provide the status of application progress through the system. The first email, sent almost immediately, will contain a tracking number and will confirm receipt of the application by Grants.gov. The second email will indicate the application has either been successfully validated or has been rejected due to errors. Only applications that have been successfully submitted by the deadline and subsequently successfully validated will be considered. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to ensure a timely submission. While it is not required that an application be successfully validated before the deadline for submission, it is prudent to reserve time before the deadline in case it is necessary to resubmit an application that has not been successfully validated. Therefore, sufficient time should be allotted for submission (two business days) and, if applicable, subsequent time to address errors and receive validation upon resubmission (an additional two business days for each ensuing submission). It is important to note that if sufficient time is not allotted and a rejection notice is received after the due date and time, the application will not be considered.

To ensure consideration, the components of the application must be saved as .doc, .xis or .pdf files. If submitted in any other format, the applicant bears the risk that compatibility or other issues will prevent the Department from considering the application. ETA will attempt to open the

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document but will not take any additional measures in the event of problems with opening. In such cases, the non-conforming application will not be considered for funding.

We strongly advise applicants to use the various tools and documents, including Frequently Asked Questions, which are available on the "Applicant Resources" page at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/resources.jsp.

ETA encourages new prospective applicants to view the online tutorial, "Grant Applications 101: A Plain English Guide to ETA Competitive Grants," available through Workforce30ne at: http://www.workforce3one.org/page/grants toolkit .

To receive updated information about critical issues, new tips for users and other time sensitive updates as information is available, applicants may subscribe to "Grants.gov Updates" at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/email subscription signup.jsp.

If applicants encounter a problem with Grants.gov and do not find an answer in any of the other resources, call1-800-518-4726 to speak to a Customer Support Representative or email "support@grants.gov". The Contact Center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is closed on federal holidays.

For applications submitted on Grants.gov, only applications that have been successfully submitted no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date and then successfully validated will be considered. Applicants take a significant risk by waiting to the last day to submit by Grants.gov.

Any hard-copy 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, it was properly addressed, and it was: a) sent by U.S. Postal Service mail, postmarked not later than the fifth calendar day before the date specified for receipt of applications (e.g., an application required to be received by the 20th of the month must be postmarked by the 15th of that month); or b) sent by professional overnight delivery service to the addressee not later than one working day before the date specified for receipt of applications. "Postmarked" 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. Therefore, applicants should request the postal clerk to place a legible hand cancellation "bull's eye" postmark on both the receipt and the package. Failure to adhere to these instructions will be a basis for a determination that the application was not filed timely and will not be considered. Evidence of timely submission by a professional overnight delivery service must be demonstrated by equally reliable evidence created by the delivery service provider indicating the time and place of receipt.

D. Intergovernmental Review This funding opportunity is not subject to Executive Order 12372, "Intergovernmental

Review of Federal Programs."

E. Funding Restrictions All proposed costs must be necessary and reasonable and in accordance with Federal

guidelines. Determinations of allowable costs will be made in accordance with the applicable Federal cost principles. Disallowed costs are those charges to a grant that the grantor agency or its representative determines not to be allowed in accordance with the applicable Federal cost principles or other conditions contained in the grant.

Applicants, whether successful or not, will not be entitled to reimbursement of pre-award costs.

1. Indirect Costs As specified in OMB Circular Cost Principles, indirect costs are those that have been

incurred for common or joint objectives and cannot be readily identified with a particular final cost objective. An indirect cost rate (ICR) is required when an organization operates under more than

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one grant or other activity, whether Federally-assisted or not. Organizations must use the ICR supplied by the Federal Cognizant agency. If an organization requires a new ICR or has a pending ICR, the Grant Officer will award a temporary billing rate for 90 days until a provisional rate can be issued. This rate is based on the fact that an organization has not established an ICR agreement. Within this 90 day period, the organization must submit an acceptable indirect cost proposal to their Federal Cognizant Agency to obtain a provisional I CR.

2. Administrative Costs Under this SGA, an entity that receives a grant to carry out a project or program may not

use more than 10 percent of the amount of the grant to pay administrative costs associated with the program or project. Administrative costs could be direct or indirect costs, and are defined at 20 CFR 667.220. Administrative costs do not need to be identified separately from program costs on the SF-424A Budget Information Form. However, they must be tracked through the grantee's accounting system. To claim any administrative costs that are also indirect costs, the applicant must obtain an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement from its Federal Cognizant agency, as specified above. ·

3. Salary and Bonus Limitations Under Public Law 109-234, none of the funds appropriated in Public Law 109-149 or prior

Acts under the heading "Employment and Training Administration" that are available for expenditure on or after June 15, 2006, may be used by a recipient or sub-recipient of such funds to pay the salary and bonuses of an individual, either as direct costs or indirect costs, at a rate in excess of Executive Level II, except as provided for under Section 101 of Public Law 109-149. Public Laws 111-8 and 111-117 contain the same limitations with respect to funds appropriated under each of these Laws. This limitation also applies to grants funded under this SGA. The salary and bonus limitation does not apply to vendors providing goods and services as defined in OMB Circular A-133 (codified at 29 CFR Parts 96 and 99). See TEGL number 5-06 for further clarification: http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr doc.cfm?DOCN=2262.

4. Intellectual Property Rights In order to further the goal of career training and education and encourage innovation in the

development of new learning materials, as a condition of the receipt of a Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant ("Grant"), the Grantee will be required to license to the public (not including the Federal Government) all work created with the support of the grant ("Work") under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License ("License"). This License allows subsequent users to copy, distribute, transmit and adapt the copyrighted work and requires such users to attribute the work in the manner specified by the Grantee. Notice of the License shall be affixed to the Work. For more information on this License, please visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0.

Separate from the Creative Commons license to the public, the government reserves a paid-up, nonexclusive and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use, and to authorize others to use for Federal purposes: i) the copyright in all products developed under the grant, including products developed through a subcontract under the grant; and ii) any rights of copyright to which the grantee, or a contractor purchases ownership under an award (including but not limited to curricula, training models, technical assistance products, and any related materials). Such uses include, but are not limited to, the right to modify and distribute such products worldwide by any means, electronically or otherwise. The grantee may not use federal funds to pay any royalty or license fee for use of a copyrighted work, or the cost of acquiring by purchase a copyright in a work, where the Department has a license or rights of free use in such work.

5. Use of Grant Funds for Participant Wages Organizations that receive grants through this SGA may not use grant funds to pay for the

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wages of participants. Further, the provision of stipends to training participants for the purposes of wage replacement is not an allowable cost under this SGA.

6. Use of Funds for Supportive Services Grantees may not use grant funds to provide supportive services to individuals who are

served through these grants. Supportive services include services such as transportation, child care, dependent care, housing, and needs-related payments that are necessary to enable an individual to participate in training activities funded through this grant. However, grant funds may be used to expand and improve the capacity of student services (for example, career guidance programs) through activities such as hiring and/or training staff, developing or procuring online systems, or renovating space.

7. Prohibition on Use of Funds for Sub-grants Grantees do not have authority under this program to award sub-grants; sub-grantees carry

out one or more major programmatic functions to directly meet the project's goals. However, grantees do have the authority to award subcontracts under this program. A grantee enters into a subcontract to procure goods and/or services that are ancillary or supportive to the grantee's operation of the project. The determination of whether a grantee has entered into a subcontract relationship or a sub-grantee relationship with another organization is determined primarily with reference to the general purpose, programmatic functions, and responsibilities that the grantee gives to the other organization along with grant funds. These three elements should be closely examined, together with the usual characteristics (terms and performance standards, scope of work, etc.). As a reference tool in determining whether an agreement is a sub-grant or a subcontract, see Attachment A. The table in Attachment A is for reference only and does not create any legally binding obligation. Each applicant, including consortium applicants, should determine the necessity and/or appropriate role for subcontracts within their project workplan.

In the case of a consortium, the lead institution must determine the appropriate funding vehicle to be used for its consortium members, as described in Section 111.8 of this SGA. Due to the unique relationship of a consortium, this may be some other binding agreement to provide for the distribution of grant funds among member institutions, as well as subcontracts.

Subcontracts must be awarded in accordance with 29 CFR 95.40-48 and are subject to audit, in accordance with the requirements of 29 CFR 95.26 (d). Grantees are responsible for ensuring that all subcontractors are eligible for participation in Federal assistance programs and all procurement requirements at 29 CFR 95.40-48 are met.

F. Other Submission Requirements Withdrawal of Applications: Applications may be withdrawn by written notice to the Grant

Officer at any time before an award is made.

V. Application Review Information A. Evaluation Criteria

This section identifies and describes the criteria that will be used to evaluate the grant proposals. Applications for grants under this solicitation will be accepted after the publication of this announcement and until the specified time on the closing date. A technical review panel will carefully evaluate all applications against the evaluation criteria in this section.

Th ·t . d . t I ese en ena an porn va ues are: Criterion Points 1. Statement of Need 30 2. Work Plan and Project Management 45 3. Measurement I Evaluation of Progress 25 and Outcomes TOTAL I 100

1. Statement of Need (30 points) Applicants must demonstrate a clear and compelling need to expand and improve the

ability of eligible institutions to deliver education and career training programs for the targeted population in the community served by the project (please note that in order to receive full points for this section, consortium applicants must fully demonstrate this need in at least one community served by the proposed project). In this section, applicants will demonstrate the need for the proposed project by using data and observations collected through the community outreach process described in Section I.F of the SGA, as well as data collected from the applicant's own internal management information systems. Applicants must fully describe: i) the targeted population in each community who need training and their skill gaps related to the jobs in demand; ii) evidence of the need for training in the industries and occupations on which the project will focus; and iii) gaps in the existing education and career training opportunities in each community. Points in this section will be awarded based on the extent to which applicants address the following factors.

i. Impact of Foreign Trade in Community(ies) to be Served (5 points) In accordance with requirements of the TAACCCT, the Department will give priority to an

eligible institution that serves a community the Secretary of Commerce has determined is eligible to apply for assistance under the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Communities Program (Sec. 273 of Trade Act). Scoring under this criterion will be based on the extent to which applicants demonstrate that at least one community served by the proposed project is impacted by the threat to, or loss of, jobs resulting from foreign trade.

In demonstrating this, applicants must either: • Provide evidence that the Department of Commerce has made an Affirmative

Determination that a community or communities to be served by the project is impacted by trade. Applicants should include documentation of an Affirmative Determination by the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (http://www.eda.gov/Contacts/Contacts.xml) with the attachments to the technical proposal described in Section IV. B. Part Ill of this SGA; or

• Identify one or more T AA Certification determinations (providing the T AA for Workers (TAW) Number, company name, and decision date) in at least one community to be served by the project, made on or after January 1, 2007. The applicant must also provide a narrative that describes the threat to, or the loss of, jobs associated with the identified Certification(s). TAA for Workers petition determinations may be accessed and searched electronically at: http://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/taa/taa search form.cfm.

Applicants that do not provide either of these items will not receive points against this criteria.

ii. Targeted Population in Community(ies) to be Served (5 points) Applicants must demonstrate the education and training needs of the targeted population in

each community to be served by the project. Scoring under this criterion will be based on the extent to which applicants provide evidence of a strong understanding of:

• The industry and/or occupations in which the targeted population is or was employed; • The current level of skills and educational attainment of the targeted population; • The education and training required to attain the knowledge, competencies, and

degrees/certificates required of workers identified in Section V.A.1.iii; and • The additional barriers members of the target population may face in seeking

employment.

iii. Targeted Industries and Occupations (10 points) Applicants must fully describe current and future projected employment opportunities within

each community and the educational and career training skills required for workers to meet the

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employment demand. Applicants must identify the targeted industry(ies) and occupation(s) on which the project will focus. For each industry or occupation, applicants must provide data that was collected through the community outreach described in Section I. F. Scoring under this criterion will be based on the extent to which applicants demonstrate strong evidence of:

• A clear understanding of the current and future projected demand for employment, as demonstrated by relevant labor market information and job projection data (from DOL, State workforce agencies, employers, and other relevant sources), and commitments from employers to hire workers who successfully complete the program, where available;

• A clear understanding of the knowledge, competencies, and degrees/certificates required of workers in the targeted industries or occupations; and

• The demand for trained workers by employers in the targeted industries.

iv. Gaps in Existing Educational and Career Training Programs (10 points) Applicants must demonstrate a clear understanding of the gaps in existing education and

career training programs in each community, based on data collected through the community outreach process described in Section I.F, as well as relevant data from the applicant institution's own management information systems or other internal data sources. The data provided in this section will serve as evidence of the need for the education and career training programs proposed by the applicant.

Scoring under this criterion will be based on the extent to which applicants provide quantitative and qualitative data to: 1) identify and fully describe current gaps in, and/or opportunities to improve, existing educational and career training programs in each community; and, 2) fully describe how the identified gaps or opportunities impact the applicant's ability to effectively serve individuals seeking education or career training, particularly the targeted population. Information provided in this section may include, but is not limited to, evidence of:

• Limitations in the number of students successfully served by the institution and inability of the applicant to meet demonstrated demand for education and training in the community;

• Limitations in faculty expertise and facility infrastructure that serve as barriers to providing effective education and training programs in the community;

• Limitation in the content and quality of available courses that negatively impacts the ability of eligible institutions to meet the needs of the targeted population and employers;

• The identification of factors that contribute to program attrition, particularly among low­skilled students, and the need to address those factors to improve retention and completion rates; and

• If applicable, the need for specialized equipment, including a description of why the equipment is needed and why any currently available equipment is not sufficient to provide effective training in the targeted industries and occupations.

2. Work Plan and Project Management ( 45 points) The applicant must provide a complete and clear explanation of the proposed education

and training strategies (including the evidence on which those strategies are based), the proposed project work plan, and the capacity of the applicant (and if applicable, consortium members) to manage the project. The applicant must provide a comprehensive work plan for the education and training program(s) on which its strategies will focus, including: (a) a detailed table that accounts for each specific strategy that will be implemented to expand and improve education and training programs; and (b) an explanation of the applicant's capacity and plan to effectively manage and sustain the proposed investment. Points for this criterion will be awarded for the following factors:

i. Evidence-Based Design and Overview of Proposed Strategy ( 15 points) The applicant must clearly describe the evidence on which the proposed education and

training strategies are based, and how the evidence indicates that the proposed strategies wili lead to improved education and employment outcomes. Applicants must provide an overview of the

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project priorities and proposed education and training strategies and present the strongest evidence available for their particular program design or strategy and also discuss any existing evidence that is mixed or negative. All applicants, regardless of whether they present strong, moderate, or preliminary evidence, may get the maximum points for this section.

Applicants must also fully explain how the programs expanded and improved through the grant will meet the needs of the targeted population, as described in the Statement of Need. Please note, applicants may implement multiple strategies across different programs, course offerings, or curricula.

Scoring under this criterion will be based on the extent to which applicants: • Clearly indicate if the project will replicate evidence-based strategies or implement

innovative or new strategies supported by related research findings or reasonable hypotheses. Applicants proposing to replicate evidence-based strategies should cite strong or moderate evidence from prior research to support the proposed program design. Strong or moderate evidence should demonstrate the strategy ha? had a statistically significant, substantial, and important impact on education and/or employment outcomes. However, the Department recognizes that there are few, if any, program designs or strategies in the field of higher education and workforce development that have strong evidence, and few strategies supported by moderate evidence. If no strong or moderate evidence exists or an applicant is proposing a new strategy, the applicant should present research findings or reasonable hypotheses that the program or strategy would lead to improved education and employment outcomes, citing related research, theories, or logic models from education, training or other sectors. For example, a community college applicant may propose a hypothesis that implementing a new type of math curriculum could increase retention. While there is no strong or moderate evidence available on the effectiveness of this strategy in a community college setting, the applicant cites related research on high school students that has found that this type of math curriculum seems to improve student learning and engagement. Applicants must include evidence citations as footnotes in response to this evaluation criterion along with Web links to the location of the cited study or report. See Attachment F for a more detailed description of the standards of evidence for strong, moderate, and preliminary;

• Clearly identify the priorities to be addressed by the proposed project (selected from the four funding priorities defined in Section 1.8 of the SGA);

• Clearly explain how the proposed project will meet the needs of both the targeted population and employers in each community as described in Sections V.A.1.ii and V.A.1.iii, incorporating how the proposed education and training programs will provide participants with the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for employment in the targeted industries and occupations. As appropriate, applicants should also explain any regional, national, or industry-wide education and training impacts from their proposed project;

• Identify the degrees, certificates, and industry-recognized credentials that will result from the education and training programs implemented by the project;

• Clearly explain how the proposed project will directly address the gaps in the current education and training offerings in each community, as described in Section V.A.1.iv; and

• For applicants implementing online and technology-enabled strategies, clearly describe the technical feasibility of the design, technologies, and delivery methods for these strategies and discuss the potential re-use and repurposing of courses and materials to be developed through the program.

ii. Project Work Plan ( 15 points) The applicant must present a comprehensive project work plan that follows the format

described in this section and aligns to the proposed strategy description provided in response to Section V.A.2.i of this SGA. Scoring under this criterion will be based on the extent to which applicants: 1) present coherent priorities, strategies, and deliverables that demonstrate the applicant's complete understanding of all responsibilities and costs required to implement each

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phase of the project within the timeframe of the grant; 2) include feasible and reasonable timeframes for accomplishing all procurement and other necessary grant start-up strategies immediately following the anticipated grant start date of July 1, 2011; and 3) explain how the costs in the proposed project work plan align with the proposed budget, specifically the budget narrative, and are justified as adequate, cost-effective, and reasonable for the resources requested.

Points will be awarded based on how well the strategies meet the needs described in Section V.A.1, not on the number of strategies proposed. Applicants must present this work plan in a comprehensive table (see Attachment B), that is included within the technical proposal (not the attachments to the technical proposal) and formatted to include each of the following categories:

• Priorities: The applicant must identify the specific priorities to be addressed by the proposed project (selected from the four funding priorities defined in Section 1.8 of this SGA);

• Strategies: The applicant must identify the specific strategies that will be funded through the grant to operationalize each priority of the project. Each strategy must be aligned to a specific project priority, and include an explanation of how the strategy supports the expansion and improvement of education and training programs;

• Jmplementer(s): For each strategy, applications must include the name of the eligible institution or consortium member(s) that will be responsible for implementing the strategy and any proposed subcontractor(s), if known, who may assist the applicant in implementing the strategy;

• Costs: Applicants must provide the sub-total budget dollar amount associated with the strategy that aligns to the cost represented in the budget narrative, and a per-student cost estimate related to each strategy as well as the overall program;

• Time: The applicant must include the anticipated start date and end date for each strategy to be funded, as well as projected completion dates for key strategy milestones (including signing of subcontracts and expeditious procurement of equipment) and project deliverables for each year of the proposed period of performance; and

• Deliverables: The applicant must account for the specific project deliverables that will result from each funded strategy, such as the course materials, articulation agreements, and online learning modules. These project deliverables must be provided to ETA and can be distributed to the public (see Section IV.E.4).

iii. Project Management ( 1 0 points) The applicant must fully describe its capacity (and if applicable, the capacity of its

consortium members) to effectively manage the programmatic, fiscal, and administrative aspects of the proposed investment. Scoring under this criterion will be based on the extent to which the applicant demonstrates that the proposed project: 1) will be led by a competent full-time project manager who is hired in the early stages of the project; 2) has a management structure that enables efficient and effective communication between project staff and organizations; 3) uses systems and processes that enable timely and accurate financial and performance reporting and allow for expedient procurement procedures that comply with Federal, State (if applicable), and other relevant laws and requirements; and 4) includes well-defined roles for employers (including sectoral collaboration), consortium members (if applicable), and subcontractors.

In addressing this criterion, applicants should provide: • The professional qualifications that the applicant will require of the full-time project

manager, a demonstration that these qualifications are sufficient to ensure proper management, and a reasonable timeframe for hiring the project manager, if one is not already identified;

• A description of the expertise and/or resources that will be used in the development and implementation of the project, including content experts such as cognitive scientists, human­computer interaction experts, information technologists, and others as appropriate;

• An organizational chart that identifies all relevant leadership, program, administrative, and advisory positions (including, if applicable, positions within consortium members' organizations) and demonstrates that the project will be implemented through a comprehensive

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management structure that allows for efficient and effective communication between all levels of the project;

• A description of the applicant's procurement processes and procedures that demonstrates that the applicant (and if applicable, its consortium members) is equipped to meet Federal, State (if applicable), and other relevant procurement requirements;

• A description of the role for employers and the public workforce system in the design, development, and implementation of the project. This description should also include plans for employer and public workforce system involvement, as well as efforts to work with multiple employers in a sector, throughout the life of the grant;

• A description of the applicant's financial and reporting systems; • A description of the applicant's ability to secure resources and work with a third party to

rigorously evaluate the program if the project is not selected to participate in a DOL-led evaluation, or if an additional evaluation is appropriate; and

• For consortium applicants, a complete description of each consortium member's role in the design, development, and eventual implementation of the project in each community.

iv. Sustainability (5 Points) Applicants are strongly encouraged to ensure that effective innovations developed under

this program are sustained after the grant period ends. Applicants must describe: • Plans for securing funding or commitments for future funding (pending successful

project outcomes) from non-Federal sources; • Options for developing low-cost strategies for integrating effective practices, funded

under the grant, into their general operations. For example, an institution could propose that instructors funded to form a discrete learning community in a part of that institution during the three year period of performance would, if the proposal was achieving results, work with other instructors once the grant has ended to integrate learning community practices more widely across the institution.

3. Measurement of Progress and Outcomes (25 Points) The Department expects that grantees will set performance targets and will collect data on

participant characteristics, progress measures, and performance outcomes in order to continuously monitor and improve program performance. Applicants must demonstrate they have systems and processes in place to capture data related to short-term progress measures and longer-term outcome measures, or a strong plan to develop and implement such systems or bridge gaps in existing systems. Applicants will be evaluated on their identification of progress measures that will track progress toward successful implementation of the unique combination of strategies proposed by the applicant and determine whether the individuals they are serving are attaining their educational and employment goals. Applicants must also describe how they will track and report longer-term outcome measures for program participants, as well as for a comparison cohort of participants in another program that is not funded by the T AACCCT. The Department intends to use the progress and outcome measures described in this section as performance goals for the grants and to support future research into the effectiveness of strategies pursued by the grantees. All applicants should note the race/ethnicity and gender nondiscrimination requirements cited in Section VI.B.1 of this SGA. Points for this criterion will be awarded for the following factors:

i. Progress and Implementation Measures ( 1 0 points) The applicant must describe a coherent and effective plan for evaluating program data on a

quarterly basis and using conclusions drawn from the data to continuously improve grant-funded programs and ensure programs are on track toward meeting performance goals. Applicants should provide a description of the current data systems and processes that are available at the institution(s), including the metrics currently captured, and how these systems and processes will be used to monitor progress.

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This plan must include at least two progress measures for each strategy (as identified in the Project Work Plan) and two implementation measures that are designed to track progress toward successful implementation of each strategy. While the applicant may choose what metrics it will use, the following are provided as examples (further discussion of example progress metrics can be found at www.subnet.nga.org/ci/1001/).

Sample progress measures include, but are not limited to: • The number and percentage of students who place into and enroll in remedial math,

English, or both; • The number and percentage of students who complete a remedial education course in

math, English or both, and complete a college-level course in the same subject; • The number and percentage of students who complete entry college-level math and

English courses within the first two consecutive academic years; • The number and percentage of entering students who enroll consecutively from fall-to­

spring and fall-to-fall; • The percentage of credit hours completed out of those attempted during an academic

year; and • The annual ratio of certificates and degrees awarded per 100 full-time equivalent (FTE)

students.

Sample implementation measures include, but are not limited to: • Expansion and improvement in the capacity of support programs such as career

counseling, tutoring, and job placement services; • Establishment of credit for prior learning assessments; • Creation of new articulation agreements; • Number of employers that reviewed and validated new curriculum; and • Establishment of cooperative education or internship agreements. Applications will be rated on the following: 1) the strength of the plan to continuously

evaluate and improve program performance, which may include a description of prior experience in making decisions to improve specific programs based on evidence produced by research, rigorous evaluations, and/or program outcome data; 2) the evidence presented that the applicant has data systems and processes available to establish project baselines and monitor progress, or a strong plan to develop and implement such systems or bridge gaps in existing systems, including a timeline for bridging the gap; and 3) the extent to which the two measures identified for each strategy clearly measure progress toward successful implementation of each strategy, and align to one or more of the project priorities identified in Section 1.8 of this SGA.

ii. Outcome Measures ( 15 points) The applicant must describe how it will track and report longer-term outcome measures for

program participants toward their identified goals, as well as for a comparison cohort of participants in another program that is not funded by the TAACCCT. The Department encourages applicants to discuss identification of an appropriate comparison cohort during the required community outreach, and leverage evaluation experts to assist in identifying this group if necessary. Applicants should include a discussion of why their comparison cohort is appropriate for helping determine program impact on participant outcomes.

For both program participants and the comparison cohort, successful applicants will be required to report data for the following seven outcome measures on an annual basis (or every fourth quarterly report): entered employment rate, employment retention rate, average earnings, attainment of credits toward degree(s), attainment of industry-recognized certificates (less than one year), attainment of industry-recognized certificates (more than one year), and graduation number and rate for degree programs. This requirement is also discussed in Section VI.C.2 of this SGA.

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Applicants proposing strategies to accelerate progress for low-skilled adults under Priority 1 , must also report data on basic skills attainment of program participants.

In order to establish a baseline for these seven outcome measures, and demonstrate current capacity to evaluate programs, applicants must provide data on the seven outcome measures and aggregate demographic information for a current group of enrolled (or recently enrolled) students who have similar characteristics to the targeted population. Where there are gaps in available data, the applicant must explain how the available data systems and processes will be improved to address those gaps. The applicant will be scored based on the ability to provide such data and/or a reasonable plan to bridge gaps in existing data systems and processes, including a timeline for bridging the gap.

Applicants must describe their existing or planned approach to tracking and reporting employment, retention, and earnings outcomes using administrative records. This may include working with the State Directory of New Hires, the State Labor Market Information units (that house the Local Employment Dynamic survey data), the State Workforce Agency that is responsible for tracking and reporting outcomes on T M for Workers program participants using the Trade Act Participant Record (http://www.doleta.gov/Performance/pfdocs/12050392 TAPR Revision Track Changes Draft TE GL Change 112909.pdf), or other federally-supported administrative record data. This may also include working with the State Workforce Agency to access employment data available in unemployment wage records. For example, if the applicant does not have an existing relationship with its State's agency responsible for collecting wage record information to verify employment, it should describe the process that it will use to obtain employment outcome information, which may include establishing data sharing agreement(s) to access administrative records containing this information.

ETA is working to develop data matching processes that could assist grantees with tracking long-term employment outcomes that would be of interest to schools as well as prospective students. These processes would have strong privacy protections to ensure that personally identifiable student information is not disclosed. We will provide more information as these processes are developed, and may require grantees to participate by submitting data. ETA expects that grantees will still rely on access to State agency data to report the required outcome measures on employment and earnings which are explained in Section VI. C.

Applicants must provide numerical outcome projections for each of the seven outcome measures that reflect the program's expected impact on participants, which will show the organization's capacity to provide these outcomes. For applicants that do not have outcome data available at this time, the narrative shoUld clearly reflect that a plan is in place to obtain it as part of the grant activities.

Applicants should refer to Attachment C for a sample of the format for providing baseline data and projections for outcome measures. Applicants must provide this data as part of the technical proposal and not in the attachments to the technical proposal. In addition, applicants should refer to Section VI.C.2 for a description of the quarterly and annual reporting requirements for the grants, including definitions of the annual outcome measures.

Applications will be rated on the following: 1) strong evidence of an effective plan to track and report outcome measures for program participants, as well as an appropriate comparison cohort of participants; 2} strong evidence that the applicant has data systems and processes available to establish project baselines for the seven outcome measures, or a strong plan to develop and implement such systems or bridge gaps in existing systems, including a timeline for bridging the gap; and 3) strong evidence of an existing or planned approach to tracking and reporting employment, retention, and earnings outcomes.

B. Evaluation of Supplementary Materials for Applications Requesting Funds Above Award Amount Ceiling

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As specified in Section II.A, grants may exceed the award amount ceiling on two conditions only (see Section II.A of this SGA for more information):

• Individual or consortium applicants propose to replicate, at multiple sites and/or with the targeted and other populations, strategies that have been shown by prior research to have strong or moderate evidence of positive impacts on education and/or employment outcomes. See Attachment F for more information on the Evidence-Based Conceptual Framework; or

• Individual or consortium applicants propose to develop and implement online and technology-enabled courses and learning projects that will be taken to scale beyond the community level to reach significant numbers of diverse students over a large geographic area.

Applicants must provide supplementary materials as required in Section V.B.3 of the SGA to be considered for funds above the award amount ceiling.

A technical review panel will evaluate all applications as described in Section V.A. Applications with funding requests that exceed the award amount ceiling under one of the two conditions described above will be subject to an additional review by an expert review panel consisting of a mix of experts in education and training research as well as online and technology­enabled learning. The expert review panel will validate the strength of the evidence cited by applicants under condition one, or verify the technical feasibility of the design, technologies, and delivery methods for online and technology-enabled strategies proposed by applicants under condition two. For both conditions, the expert panel will examine the additional funding request to ensure it is appropriate and reasonable for the project design. The findings of the expert review panel will inform the Grant Officer's determination to approve or deny the request for funding beyond the award amount ceiling.

The expert review panel will consider the following factors in evaluating the supplementary information provided by these applicants:

1. Content and Form of Supplementary Application Materials Applicants must provide the supplementary materials described in this section to be eligible

to exceed the award amount ceiling of $5 million for individual applicants and $20 million for consortium applicants. These supplementary materials consist of three separate and distinct parts: (I) budget narrative; (II) factors for consideration; and (Ill) attachments to the supplementary materials. All supplementary materials must be provided in an electronic format on a CD. The CD containing this information must be labeled and submitted as an additional CD; separate and apart from the CD required with the original proposal. Applications that fail to adhere to the instructions in this section will not be eligible to exceed the award amount ceiling and will only be eligible for funding at their base-level funding request.

Part I. Budget Narrative The budget narrative must provide a description of the additional costs associated with

funding the proposal in excess of the award amount ceiling, under one of the two conditions described in Section V.B.2 and 3. All costs included in the supplementary budget narrative must be reasonable and appropriate to the project timeline and deliverables.

Part II. Factors for Consideration The factors for consideration must demonstrate the applicant's capability to implement the

grant project in accordance with one of the two conditions described in Section V.B.2 and 3. The factors for consideration are limited to 5 double-spaced, single-sided, 8.5 x 11 inch pages with 12 point text font and 1 inch margins. Any materials beyond this specified page limit will not be read.

Part Ill. Attachments to the Supplementary Materials Applicants proposing to replicate, at multiple sites or with multiple populations, strategies

that have been shown by prior research to have strong or moderate evidence of a positive impact on education and/or employment outcomes must provide copies of the specific evidence (e.g.,

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research and studies) cited in their proposal. Applicants that cite copyrighted work must follow appropriate laws for use of such materials.

2. Factors for Consideration of Applicants Citing Strong or Moderate Evidence The expert review panel will consider the following factors: • Identification of strong or moderate evidence. For the purposes of this solicitation,

strong evidence includes a study or multiple studies whose designs can support strong causal conclusions and studies which demonstrate the strategy to be effective with multiple populations and/ or in multiple sites. For the purposes of this solicitation, moderate evidence is evidence from a study or studies that include multiple sites and/ or populations that support weaker causal conclusions or that support strong causal conclusions that are not yet generalizable. See Attachment F for more information on the Evidence-Based Conceptual Framework;

• How the additional funding will enable the applicant to replicate evidence-based strategies at multiple sites and with multiple populations;

• The improvement in outcome measures (as described in Section V.A.3.ii) that will result from the additional funding.

3. Factors for Consideration of Consortium Applicants Proposing Online and Technology-Enabled Projects

The expert review panel will consider the following factors: • The technical feasibility of the design, technologies, and delivery methods for the

proposed online and technology-enabled strategies; • How the additional funding will enable the applicant to take the project to scale beyond

a community level to reach significant numbers of diverse students over a large geographic area; • How the additional funding will enable the widespread re-use and repurposing of

courses and materials developed through the program; and • The improvement in outcome measures (as described in Section V.A.3.ii) that will result

from the additional funding.

C. Review and Selection Process Up to 100 points may be awarded to an application, depending on the quality of the

responses to the required information described in Section V.A. The ranked scores will serve as a primary basis for selection of applications for funding, along with the requirement that not less than 0.5 percent of the amount appropriated for these grant awards, or $2.5 million, will support eligible institutions in each State. Other factors that may be considered include: balance across the four priorities and strategies identified in Section I. B, the availability of funds, and which proposals are most advantageous to the government. In addition, the Grant Officer will consider findings from the expert review panel's evaluation of supplementary materials for applications requesting funds above the award amount ceiling. The panel results are advisory in nature and not binding on the Grant Officer. The Grant Officer may consider any information that comes to his/her attention. The government may elect to award the grant( s) with or without discussions with the applicant. Should a grant be awarded without discussions, the award will be based on the applicant's signature on the SF-424, including electronic signature via E-Authentication on http://www.grants.gov, which constitutes a binding offer by the applicant.

VI. Award Administration Information A. Award Notices

All award notifications will be posted on the ETA Homepage (http://www.doleta.gov). Applicants selected for award will be contacted directly before the grant's execution and non­selected applicants will be notified by maiL All applicants will be given the opportunity to request written feedback based on the results of the technical panel review.

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Selection of an organization as a grantee does not constitute approval of the grant application as submitted. Before the actual grant is awarded, ETA may enter into negotiations about such items as program components, staffing and funding levels, and administrative systems in place to support grant implementation. If the negotiations do not result in a mutually acceptable submission, the Grant Officer reserves the right to terminate the negotiation and decline to fund the application. DOL reserves the right to not fund any application related to this SGA.

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 1. Administrative Program Requirements

All grantees will be subject to all applicable Federal laws, regulations, and the applicable OMB Circulars. The grant(s) awarded under this SGA will be subject to the following administrative standards and provisions:

i. Non-Profit Organizations- OMB Circular A-122 (Cost Principles), relocated to 2 CFR Part 230, and 29 CFR Part 95 (Administrative Requirements)

ii. Educational Institutions- OMB Circular A-21 (Cost Principles), relocated to 2 CFR Part 220, and 29 CFR Part 95 (Administrative Requirements).

iii. State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments- OMB Circular A-87 (Cost Principles), relocated to 2 CFR Part 225, and 29 CFR Part 97 (Administrative Requirements).

iv. Profit Making Commercial Firms- Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)- 48 CFR part 31 (Cost Principles), and 29 CFR Part 95 (Administrative Requirements).

v. 20 CFR Part 667.220- Administrative Costs. vi. All entities must comply with 29 CFR Part 93 (New Restrictions on Lobbying), 29 CFR

Part 94 (Government-wide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Financial Assistance)), 29 CFR 95.13 and Part 98 (Government-wide Debarment and Suspension, and drug-free workplace requirements), and, where applicable, 29 CFR Part 96 (Audit Requirements for Grants, Contracts, and Other Agreements) and 29 CFR Part 99 (Audits of States, Local Governments and Non-Profit Organizations).

vii. 29 CFR Part 2, subpart D-Equal Treatment in Department of Labor Programs for Religious Organizations, Protection of Religious Liberty of Department of Labor Social Service Providers and Beneficiaries.

viii. 29 CFR Part 31-Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs of the Department of Labor-Effectuation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

ix. 29 CFR Part 32-Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance.

x. 29 CFR Part 33-Enforcement of Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap in Programs or Activities Conducted by the Department of Labor.

xi. 29 CFR Part 35- Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Age in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance from the Department of Labor.

xii. 29 CFR Part 36-Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance.

xiii. 29 CFR Part 37 - Implementation of the Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity Provisions of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.

xiv. 29 CFR Parts 29 and 30-Labor Standards for the Registration of Apprenticeship Programs, and Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship and Training.

2. Other Legal Requirements: i. Religious Activities The Department notes that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), 42 U.S.C.

Section 2000bb, applies to all Federal law and its implementation. If your organization is a faith­based organization that makes hiring decisions on the basis of religious belief, it may be entitled to receive Federal financial assistance under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act and maintain that hiring practice even though Section 188 of the Workforce Investment Act contains a general ban

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on religious discrimination in employment. If you are awarded a grant, you will be provided with information on how to request such an exemption.

ii. Lobbying or Fundraising the U.S. Government with Federal Funds In accordance with Section 18 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (Public Law 104-65)

(2 U.S.C. 1611 ), non-profit entities incorporated under Internal Revenue Service Code Section 501(c) (4) that engage in lobbying activities are not eligible to receive Federal funds and grants. No activity, including awareness-raising and advocacy activities, may include fundraising for, or lobbying of, U.S. Federal, State or Local Governments (see OMB Circular A-122).

iii. Transparency Act Requirements Applicants must ensure that it has the necessary processes and systems in place to comply

with the reporting requirements of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Pub. Law 109-282, as amended by section 6202 of Pub. Law 11 0-252) (Transparency Act), as follows:

• All applicants, except for those excepted from the Transparency Act under sub­paragraphs 1, 2, and 3 below, must ensure that they have the necessary processes and systems in place to comply with the subaward and executive total compensation reporting requirements of the Transparency Act, should they receive funding.

• Upon award, applicants will receive detailed information on the reporting requirements of the Transparency Act, as described in 2 CFR Part 170, Appendix A, which can be found at the following website: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/201 0/pdf/201 0-22705.pdf

Exceptions to Transparency Act requirements: The following types of awards are not subject to the Federal Funding Accountability and

Transparency Act: • Federal awards to individuals who apply for or receive Federal awards as natural

persons (i.e., unrelated to any business or non-profit organization he or she may own or operate in his or her name);

• Federal awards to entities that had a gross income, from all sources, of less than $300,000 in the entities' previous tax year; and

• Federal awards, if the required reporting would disclose classified information.

3. Other Administrative Standards and Provisions

Except as specifically provided in this SGA, DOUET A's acceptance of a proposal and an award of Federal funds to sponsor any programs( s) does not provide a waiver of any grant requirements and/or procedures. For example, the OMB Circulars require that an entity's procurement procedures must ensure that all procurement transactions are conducted, as much as practical, to provide open and free competition. If a proposal identifies a specific entity to provide services, the DOL's award does not provide the justification or basis to sole source the procurement, i.e., avoid competition, unless the activity is regarded as the primary work of an official consortium member identified in the application.

4. Evaluation Requirement The Department is interested in determining if the activities supported through this grant

program impact workers' future labor force outcomes and may require the cooperation of the grantee in an evaluation of overall performance of ETA grants as a condition of award. The Department is committed to evaluating program results to assess whether programs meet this goal and which models are most effective, providing a basis for future program improvements and funding decisions. By accepting grant funds, grantees must agree to participate in such an evaluation should they be selected to participate. The Department intends to select some portion of grantees to participate in a rigorous evaluation, and these grantees may be required to use a random-assignment lottery in enrolling project participants. Depending on the evaluation design, grantees must be prepared to share records on participants, employers, funding, and outcomes,

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and to provide access to program operating personnel and participants, as specified by the evaluator ( s) under the direction of ETA, including after the expiration date of the grant. The Department will make available publicly the results of the program evaluation and supporting aggregate data. See Section V.A.4 for information on the bonus evaluation discussion criterion.

Such an evaluation is separate and apart from the grantees' responsibility to conduct their own ongoing review and evaluation of the actions taken to improve and expand the program that is being implemented.

C. Reporting Grantees must submit quarterly financial reports, quarterly progress reports, and

management information system data electronically. The grantee is required to provide the reports and documents listed below:

1. Quarterly Financial Reports A Quarterly Financial Status Report (ETA 9130) is required until such time as all funds have

been expended or the grant period has expired. Quarterly reports are due 45 days after the end of each calendar year quarter. Grantees must use DOL's Online Electronic Reporting System; information and instructions will be provided to grantees.

2. Quarterly and Annual Performance Reports The grantee must submit a quarterly progress report within 45 days after the end of each

calendar year quarter. The report will include quarterly information about grant activities as measured by the quarterly progress measures and as additional reporting requirements are approved. Every fourth quarterly report will also include progress against the outcome measures discussed in Section V.A.3.ii. This "annual" report will include data for program participants, as well as a comparison cohort of participants, for the following seven outcome measures: entered employment rate, employment retention rate, average earnings, attainment of credits toward degree(s), attainment of certificate(s) (less than one year), attainment of certificate(s) (more than one year), and graduation rate for degree programs. The definitions for these measures are as follows:

• Entered Employment Rate: Of those individuals who were not employed at the time of program participation, the percentage who are employed in the first quarter after they exit.

• Employment Retention Rate: Of those who are employed in their first quarter after exit, the percentage employed in both the second and third quarters after they exit.

• Average Six-Month Earnings: Of those who are employed in their first, second and third quarters after exit, the average gross earnings from the second and third quarters after exit.

• Credit Attainment: The annual number and percentage of students completing credit hours within their first year in the program.

• Attainment of certificate (less than one year): The number and percentage of individuals who complete a certificate in less than one year, with percentage defined as the number of students that complete in less than one year divided by all program entrants at the beginning of the time period. Completers are students who receive certificates in less than one year. Program entrants are those attending instruction as of the normal census date for establishing official enrollment.

• Attainment of certificate (more than one year): The number and percentage of individuals who complete a certificate in more than one year, with percentage defined as the number of students that complete in more than one year divided by all program entrants at the beginning of the time period.

• Attainment of degree: The number and percentage of all individuals who complete a degree, with percentage defined as all completers within 150 percent of the program's normal completion time divided by all program entrants at the beginning of the time period (minus allowable exclusions).

For all outcome measures, students may be removed from a cohort for reporting purposes if they left the institution for one of the following reasons: death or total and permanent disability; service in the armed forces (including those called to active duty); service with a foreign aid program of the federal government, such as the Peace Corps; or service on official church missions.

The last quarterly progress report that grantees submit will serve as the grant's Final Performance Report. This report should provide both quarterly and cumulative information on the grant's activities. It must summarize project activities, employment outcomes and other deliverables, and related results of the project, and must thoroughly document the training or labor market information approaches used by the grantee. DOL will provide grantees with formal guidance about the data and other information that is required to be collected and reported on either a regular basis or special request basis. Grantees must agree to meet DOL reporting requirements.

3. Record Retention Applicants must be prepared to follow Federal guidelines on record retention, which require

grantees to maintain all records pertaining to grant activities for a period of not less than three years from the time of submission of the final grant financial report.

VII. Agency Contacts For further information regarding this SGA, please contact Melissa Abdullah, Grants

Management Specialist, Division of Federal Assistance, at (202) 693-3346. Applicants should e­mail all technical questions to Abdullah.Melissa@dol.gov and must specifically reference SGNDFA PY 1 0-03, and along with question( s ), include a contact name, fax and phone number. This announcement is being made available on the ETA Web site at http://www.doleta.gov/grants and at http://www.grants.gov.

VIII. Additional Resources of Interest to Applicants A. Web-Based Resources

DOL maintains a number of web-based resources that may be of assistance to applicants. For example, the CareerOneStop portal (http://www.careeronestop.org), which provides national and state career information on occupations; the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) Online (http://online.onetcenter.org ) which provides occupational competency profiles; and America's Service Locator (http://www.servicelocator.org), which provides a directory of our nation's One-Stop Career Centers.

B. Industry Competency Models and Career Clusters ETA supports an Industry Competency Model Initiative to promote an understanding of the

skill sets and competencies that are essential to an educated and skilled workforce. A competency model is a collection of competencies that, taken together, define successful performance in a particular work setting. Competency models serve as a starting point for the design and implementation of workforce and talent development programs. To learn about the industry­validated models visit the Competency Model Clearinghouse (CMC) at http://www.careeronestop.org/CompetencyModel. The CMC site also provides tools to build or customize industry models, as well as tools to build career ladders and career lattices for specific regional economies.

Career Clusters and Industry Competency Models both identify foundational and technical competencies, but their efforts are not duplicative. The Career Clusters link to specific career pathways in sixteen career cluster areas and place greater emphasis on elements needed for curriculum performance objectives; measurement criteria; scope and sequence of courses in a program of study; and development of assessments. Information about the sixteen career cluster areas can be found by accessing: www.careerclusters.org.

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C. Annotated Bibliography This SGA includes several references that are provided within an annotated bibliography

that provides examples of education and training strategies and results that may be of interest to grant applicants. These references are provided for informational purposes only and the Department does not endorse or favor the programs or approaches that are included in this bibliography. This complete document can be found in Attachment D of this SGA.

IX. Other Information

OMB Information Collection No 1225-0086. Expires November 30, 2012.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 hours per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden estimated or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the U.S. Department of Labor, to the attention of the Departmental Clearance Officer, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room N 1301, Washington, DC 20210. Comments may also be emailed to DOL_PRA_PUBLIC@dol.gov. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN THE COMPLETED APPLICATION TO THIS ADDRESS. SEND IT TO THE SPONSORING AGENCY AS SPECIFIED IN THIS SOLICITATION.

This information is being collected for the purpose of awarding a grant, and applicants are required to respond to obtain or retain the benefit. The information collected through this SGA will be used by the Department of Labor to ensure that grants are awarded to the applicant best suited to perform the functions of the grant. Submission of this information is required in order for the applicant to be considered for award of this grant. Unless otherwise specifically noted in this announcement, information submitted in the application is not considered to be confidential, and may be posted on DOL's Web site.

Signed January 20, 2011, in Washington, D.C. by: Donna Kelly Grant Officer, Employment and Training Administration

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Attachment A: Definitions and Usual Characteristics of Sub-grants vs. Subcontracts

DEFINITIONS Sub-grants Subcontracts An agreement that provides for the transfer of money or property to

Legal contract in which the purpose is *General Purpose accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation through the

to provide supplies and/or services.

grant, as authorized under statute. Does not support the goals of the grant

Carries out one or more major directly; instead the subcontractor *Focus programmatic functions in support provides supplies and/or services that

of the goals of the grant. are ancillary or supportive to the operation of the grant.

Has responsibility for programmatic Provides supplies and/or services for

decision making, adherence to use by the prime grantee that are

applicable Federal program supportive to the operation of the grant.

*Recipient compliance requirements, and is

Subcontractor is subject to procurement Responsibility

able to determine which participants regulations, but not programmatic compliance requirements and does not

are eligible to receive Federal have decision-making authority

financial assistance. pertaining to the grant.

USUAL Sub-grants Subcontracts

CHARACTERISTICS

Less rigorous to their terms and More rigorous to their terms and conditions. Performance is measures Terms and conditions than contracts. against the delivery of goods and Performance Performance is measures against services. The terms will define the Standards whether the objectives of the deliverables and indicate when they are Federal grant are met. due.

Less regulated. If the task is not More heavily regulated and more likely Monitoring accomplished, there may be fewer to carry substantial legal or financial

legal and financial ramifications. risk. Scope of work, deliverables, and Scope of work may be less flexible and

Scope of work delivery schedule are more flexible more difficult to amend. Firm delivery and easier to amend when changes schedule with deliverables subject to are necessary. rigorous inspection.

Fund usually drawn down by Payment is usually made by invoice

recipient or paid in lump sum. only after goods are delivered and services rendered. Advances are made Payment Schedule Payments are based on budgeted under specific, limited circumstances.

amounts rather than the unit cost of services.

Payment is related to goods delivered or services rendered.

*The distinction between sub-grants vs. subcontracts should be made primarily based on these three definitions. Even if an agreement has some or many of the "usual characteristics" of a sub-grant, project managers and auditors should closely examine its purpose, focus, and recipient responsibilities (using the definitions provided above) before determining whether it meets the definition of a sub-grant or subcontract.

37

Attachment B: Sample Project Work Plan

Attachment C: Sample Annual Outcome Measures Table

Credit Attainment Rate (#credits/# students) Annual number and percentage of students completing credit hours within their first in the nrr\rtr,:>m

Attainment Industry­Recognized Certificate (less than one year) (numerator and denominator) Annual number of, and percentage of certificates awarded. Attainment of Industry­Recognized Certificate (more than one year) (numerator and denominator) Annual number of, and percentage of certificates awarded. Attainment of Degree (numerator and denominator} Number and percentage of students who attain a degree, within the program timeline

or less

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Attachment D: Annotated Bibliography

Ausburn, Lunna. "Course design elements most valued by adult learners in blended online education environments: an American perspective." Educational Media International, Volume 41, Issue 4, pages 327-337. 2004. This research describes course design elements most valued by adult learners in blended learning environments that combine face-to-face contact with Web-based learning. It identifies the online course features and the instructional design goals selected as most important by a sample of 67 adults and compares the group rankings with those of various sub-groups based on gender, pre-course technology and self-direction skills and experiences, and preferred learning strategies as measured by Assessing the Learning Strategies of Adults (ATLAS). The results of the study support the principles of adult learning, indicating that adults value course designs containing options, personalization, self-direction, variety, and a learning community.

Baider, Allegra, Vickie Choitz, Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield, Marcie W.M. Foster, Linda Harris, Elizabeth Lower-Basch, Neil Ridley, Julie Strawn. "Funding Career Pathways and Career Pathway Bridges: A Federal Policy Toolkit for States." Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). May 2010. This policy toolkit lays out several core components of career pathway programs based on 7 states who are participating in a career pathway initiative: Multiple entry points; Innovations in program content and delivery, (e.g., flexible scheduling, contextualization, integration of bridge programs); Sequence of education and training leading to credentials with value in the labor market; Support services (provided by community organizations, community colleges, and/or other organizations); and Strong role for employers in pathway development, worksite training, and contribution of resources.

Bailey, Thomas. "Challenge and Opportunity: Rethinking the Role and Function of Developmental Education in Community College." Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University. November 2008. Research finds that developmental education as it is now practiced is not very effective in overcoming academic weaknesses, partly because the majority of students referred to developmental education do not finish. This report recommends implementing a comprehensive approach to assessment, supporting more rigorous "tracking" research, and streamlining developmental programs and accelerating students' progress toward engagement in college-level work. "The existing approaches to assessment for developmental placement should be reconsidered and perhaps replaced with an approach that tries explicitly to determine what a student will need to succeed in college generally rather than one that aims to identify a somewhat narrow set of skills a student possesses at a given point. "

Ben us, Jacob. "Growing America Through Entrepreneurship: Final Evaluation of Project GATE." IMPAQ International, LLC. December 2009. Recognizing the untapped potential of Americans to start their own businesses and become self­employed, the US. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration, teamed with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to create a demonstration project-Project GATE (Growing America Through Entrepreneurship)-designed to help people create, sustain or expand their own business. This report examines the effectiveness of Project GATE in creating businesses and improving participants' well-being during a 60-month observation period. An earlier report analyzed program impacts during an 18-month observation period.

Cal-PASS Initiative Web site Cal-PASS is a simple and very practical approach that helps educators understand student performance, including transitions; improve instruction; and increase student success. Cal-PASS is an

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initiative that collects, analyzes and shares student data in order to track peiformance and improve success from elementary school through university. Through the Cal-PASS project, elementary, middle, high schools, colleges and universities can/earn the answers to questions such as: 1) How do my students do when they leave here? 2) Were they well prepared? Are adjustments in curriculum necessary to improve their preparation? And 3) How many got degrees? What did they get degrees in? How long did it take?

Center for Working Families. "An Integrated Approach to Fostering Family Economic Success: How Three Model Sites are Implementing the Center for Working Families Approach." This report found clients who received the "bundled" services were three to four times more likely to achieve a major economic outcome (earning a vocational certification was the most common outcome) than clients receiving only one type of service. Clients who received high-intensity bundled services (i.e., more intensive support services) were five times more likely to achieve a major economic outcome than clients who received non-bundled assistance. The results also suggest that the CWF approach can produce good results within different kinds of service-providing organizations and can be useful in serving different kinds of populations- ranging from community college students and people leaving welfare to residents of low-income communities.

Central Texas Student Futures Project. "Education and Work after High School: Recent Findings from the Central Texas Student Futures Project." February 16, 2010. The Central Texas Student Futures project is providing a new comprehensive, longitudinal study of high school graduates. This project combines surveys of high school seniors with administrative records to produce a new stream of data that benchmarks regional educational and workforce outcomes. One purpose of the Student Futures Project is to provide ISDs, postsecondary institutions, and employers with comprehensive, longitudinal research on what high school students are doing after graduation, why they are making these decisions, and how a variety of educational, personal and financial factors are related to their success in higher education and the workforce.

Chisman, Forrest. "Background and Supporting Evidence for Adult Education for Work." National Center on Education and the Economy, Workforce Development Strategies Group. October 2009. This paper provides specific steps the adult education system can take to develop and implement career pathways systems of/earning that move low-skilled adults through work-oriented adult education programs and onto postsecondary programs. First, it briefly reviews how the basic skills problem in this country affects our economy and explains why the present response of the adult education system is inadequate to meet that problem. Second, it presents an overall vision of how a more comprehensive career pathways learning system that meets our nation's education and skill needs could be constructed, and the role that an Adult Education for Work system should play in that broader system. And third, it details specific measures that adult education programs can take (through the identification of quality elements) to make that vision a reality, focusing on seven areas: program design, curriculum and instruction, assessment and credentialing, high-quality teaching, support and follow-up services to encourage access and retention, connections to the business community, and monitoring and accountability systems.

Data Quality Campaign. "Maximizing the Power of Education Data while Ensuring Compliance with Federal Student Privacy Laws: A Guide for State Policy Makers." March 2007. The DQC issue brief identifies areas that already are resolved and proposes approaches to issuesfor which there may not be clear answers at the current time, but for which our legal experts believe there are viable strategies for states to pursue. Additionally, this issue brief aims to provide states with suggested actions to think about in relation to both federal and state policies and regulations. Policymakers, educators and researchers need statewide longitudinal data systems capable of

41

providing timely, valid and relevant data. Access to these data: I) gives teachers (as well as parents and students) the information they need to tailor instruction to help each student improve; 2) gives administrators resources and information to effectively and efficiently manage; and 3) enables policymakers to evaluate which policy initiatives show the best evidence of increasing student achievement. ·

Emerging Workforce Committee, Governor's Workforce Investment Board. "Maryland's Emerging Workforce: Opportunities for Youth Success." September 2009. This report is a list of policy recommendations from the Maryland Governor's Workforce Investment Board and its Emerging Workforce Committee. Among the recommendations, the state should continue to develop the Longitudinal Data System, similar to the State of Florida 's, that allows organizations and agencies serving young people to exchange valuable information and track individuals through programs and services, using a unique student identifier. This will help in the alignment, integration and coordination of all youth services and address the need to build/increase capacity for providers through a variety of avenues.

Eyster, Lauren, Alexandra Stanczyk, Demetra Smith Nightingale, Karin Martinson and John Trutko. "Characteristics of the Community-Based Job Training Grant (CBJTG) Program." The Urban Institute Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population. June 2009. The evaluation reports that "less than half the grantees (Community-Based Rounds 1-3) were planning to use the funds for collaborating with partners or developing certifications". In addition, Technical colleges are more likely than the average grantee to develop a new training program or expand an existing one and create certifications but are less likely to engage in partnerships and develop a new curriculum. Other types of grantees, including four-year educational institutions and public workforce investment system organizations, are more likely than average to collaborate with partners but are less likely to develop a new training program, certifications, or curriculum.

Grubb, W.Norton and Norena Badway. "Linking School-Based and Work-Based Learning: The Implications of LaGuardia's Co-op Seminars for School-to-Work Programs." National Center for Research in Vocational Education and University of California at Berkeley. March 1998. This monograph describes the mandatory cooperative education program at LaGuardia Community College in New York City, and the series of seminars that integrate school-based and work-based learning. This series of studies examines the history, practice, and quality of cooperative education (CE) in two-year colleges in regions where career education is firmly ingrained and widespread. One study describes a mandatory cooperative education program and its series of seminars that integrate school-based and work-based learning to actively explore careers; to master skills and competencies common to all jobs; and to explore social, ethical, political, and moral themes associated with working. The second study found that benefits of CE cited by students, employers, and schools were allowing employers to screen and "grow their own" employees, giving students direct knowledge about the workplace and applications of school-based learning in the workplace; and strengthening schools' links to employers. A key finding is that work-based components must become central to educational purposes of institutions so that it becomes as unthinkable to give them up, even in times of scarce resources.

Headrick, Nancy. "Innovating Practices in CTE Teacher Preparation: A Case Study from Missouri." 2003. This case study examines teacher preparation to ensure program content and instructors keep current on industry content and techniques necessary to provide high quality instruction. Referenced research indicates a strong positive connection exists between a teacher's preparation in their subject matter and their peiformance and impact in the classroom. In addition, many school programs are reviewed by advisory committees comprised of business and industry leaders to get feedback on the kinds of skills

being used in industry. The study concludes that is particularly necessary for CTE teachers to have a knowledge base in industry skills, pedagogy, and academics to be prepared in the classroom and benefit student learning.

Hollenbeck, Kevin and Wei-Jang Huang. "Net Impact and Benefit-Cost Estimates of the Workforce Development System in Washington State." W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. September 2006. This study estimates the net impacts and private and social benefits and costs of 11 workforce development programs administered in Washington State. Six of the programs serve job-ready adults: Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Title I-B Adult programs, WIA Title I-B Dislocated Worker programs, Community and Technical College Job Preparatory Training, Community and Technical College Worker Retraining, Private Career Schools, and Apprenticeships. The net impact analyses were conducted using a non-experimental methodology. A variety of estimation techniques was used to calculate net impacts including block matching, comparison of means, regression-adjusted comparison of means, and difference-indifference comparison ofmeans. We estimated short-term net impacts that examined outcomes for individuals who exited from the education or training programs (or from the Labor Exchange) in the fiscal year 200312004 and longer-term impacts for individuals who exited in the fiscal year 200112002.

Howell, Scott, Peter Williams and Nathan Lindsay. "Thirty-two Trends Affecting Distance Education: An Informed Foundation for Strategic Planning." Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, Volume 6, III. Fall 2003. This article provides decision makers with 32 trends that affect distance learning and thus enable them to plan accordingly. The trends are organized into categories as they pertain to students and enrollment, faculty members, academics, technology, the economy, and distance learning. All the trends were identified during an extensive review of current literature in the field including the changing role of faculty. In response to these trends, distance learning may rise to meet student needs and overcome funding challenges that traditional institutions cannot. Distance education administrators must resolve concerns with faculty and university administrators to ensure adequate support, as well as to develop the needed course management systems and teaching strategies. Technological advances and increased fluency will continue to open opportunities for distance education. Although higher education institutions are changing to favor distance education, the complexities of major transformations will require patience.

Institute for a Competitive Workforce and the National Career Pathways Network. "Thriving in Challenging Times: Connecting Education to Economic Development through Career Pathways." October 2009. This report highlights the growing importance of business engagement in education and successful models that create relevant, challenging learning environments with the potential to significantly increase American employers' access to high-quality employees. The report notes four key conditions needed for the success of career pathway models, including the agreement among employers, college administrators, and accreditation groups within a region on curriculum that matches their career ladders. The report provides multiple case studies that demonstrate an involvement on the part of employers and community organizations with a commitment to collaboration between secondary and postsecondary educators.

Jenkins, Davis, Matthew Zeidenberg and Gregory Kienzl. "Building Bridges to Postsecondary Training for Low-Skill Adults: Outcomes of Washington State's I-BEST Program." Community College Research Center (CCRC) Brief. May 2009. The CCRC study compared the educational outcomes over a two-year tracking period of I-BEST students with those of other basic skills students. The study found that students participating in I-BEST

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achieved better educational outcomes than did other basic skills students, including those who enrolled in at least one non-I-BEST workforce course. I-BEST students were more likely than others to: Continue into credit-bearing coursework; Earn credits that count toward a college credential; Earn occupational certificates; and Make point gains on basic skills tests. On all the outcomes examined, I­BEST students did moderately or substantially better than non-I-BEST basic skills students in general.

Jenkins, Davis and Christopher Spence. "The Career Pathways How-To Gnide." Workforce Strategy Center. October 2006. This "how-to" guide describes a number of characteristics of successful career pathways programs, including clear linkages between remedial, academic and occupational programs within educational institutions; easy articulation of credits across institutions; "Wrap-around" supportive services; and "Bridge" programs.

Klein-Collins, Rebecca. "Building Blocks for Building Skills: An Inventory of Adult Learning :Models and Innovations." Council for Adult & Experiential Learning (CAEL). 2006. CAEL 's Building Blocks' research, developed during WIRED, identifies the need for regional partnerships to focus on the merits of delivering accelerated and online learning programs, including "bridge" efforts to create logical sequences of content leading to articulated career ladders. Emphasis was placed on the assessment of prior learning leading to career readiness credentials, on-the-job learning (apprenticeships) and, transitional jobs. The overarching goal was to engage employers in developing regional economic development strategies focused on sectoral approaches. Emphasis also was placed on data sharing through formative and summative evaluations.

Klein-Collins, Rebecca. Council for Adult & Experiential Learning (CAEL). "Fueling the Race to Postsecondary Success: A 48- Institution Study of Prior Learning Assessment and Adult Student Outcomes." March 2010. This is a report that looks at Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) and Adult Student Outcomes. The Summary of Findings is as follows: The data from 62,475 students at the 48 postsecondary institutions in our study show that PLA students had better academic outcomes, particularly in terms of graduation rates and persistence, than other adult students. Many PLA students also shortened the time required to earn a degree, depending on the number of PLA credits earned.

Linderman, Donna. "Early Outcomes Report for City University of New York (CUNY) Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP)." The City University of New York (CUNY) and NYC Center for Economic Opportunity. November 2009. The ASAP program is designed to help students earn their Associate's degree as quickly as possible, with a target of 50 percent of students graduating within three years. Infall2007 ASAP began with a pilot cohort of I, 132 students who were deemed fully skills proficient in reading, writing, and math. Having just completed its second year ASAP is well on its way to realizing its ambitious goals of graduating at least 50 percent of its original 2007 cohort within three years. As of August 2009, a total of 341 ASAP students from the original cohort have graduated with an Associate's degree, representing a 30.1 percent 2-year graduation rate. A comparison group of similar studentsft-omfall2006 had a 2-year graduation rate of 11.4 percent. An additiona/325 students are currently on track to graduate by September 2010, which would result in 3-year graduation rate of nearly 60 percent. Fall2006 comparison group students had a 3-year graduation rate of 24 percent.

Lncas, Marva and Nancy McCormick. "Redesigning Mathematics Curriculum for Underprepared Students." The Journal of Effective Teaching. September 2007. Middle Tennessee State University published a report to examine the results of the pilot year of its redesign initiative for two mathematics general education courses. The courses, which counted/or credit, were designed to accommodate the needs of underprepared students. These new courses

44

replaced a course sequence that required underprepared students to take non-credit developmental courses before enrolling in general education. The new courses included enhanced use of technology and smaller class sizes. Hypothesis testing using z-test statistics showed that there was no significant difference between the pass rate in the newly designed courses and the (non-credit) developmental courses used in previous years, suggesting that underprepared students could learn more material in the same amount of time. Also, there was no statistically significant difference between the pass rate of underprepared students in the specially designed courses and students in the standard general education course that taught similar material.

Maguire, Sheila, Joshua Freely, Carol Clymer, Maureen Conway and Deena Schwartz. "Tuning In to Local Labor Markets: Findings From the Sectoral Employment Impact Study." Private/Public Ventures. July 2010. This study found that participants in sector-focused education and training programs were more likely to work, earned significantly higher wages, and were more likely to work in jobs with benefits than control group members. The study also found that successful sector-focused programs require strong organizational capacity and adaptability among the involved workforce organizations; strong links to local employers that result in an understanding of the targeted occupations and connections to jobs; job readiness and basic skills training linked to occupational training; recruitment screening and intake processes that result in a good match between the applicant, the program, and the target occupation; and individualized supportive services to encourage training completion and success in the workplace.

Matus-Grossman, Lisa and Susan Tinsley Gooden. "Opening Doors to Earning Credentials: Impressions of Community College Access and Retention from Low-Wage Workers." Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC). November 2001. This paper presents impressions from Opening Doors to Earning Credentials, a qualitative study that examines access and retention issues for low-wage working parents. The researchers were able to make a series of recommendations based on the feedback they received from students to better serve their needs given their financial and time constraints. Findings include: 1) Students are very interested in short-term certification programs and believe they could reduce work hours for a long period of time due to lost wages. Intensive, short-term education or training options may be more attractive for them. These demonstrations could include certification programs with employers or trade associations that use flexible modularized classes, the integration of basic academic and technical skills, and the opportunity to earn credit toward an AA degree, or beyond. These training programs could be offered along with support services that could be delivered through community-based organizations. 2) Students support distance learning that allows working parents more flexibility in when they attend classes and reduce transportation barriers.

National Fund for Workforce Solutions. "The Principles of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions and Their Implications for Public Policy." November 2009. The National Fund for Workforce Solutions is an approach to workforce development designed to meet the needs of 21st-century workers, employers, and regional economies. It is built upon a set of principles that are grounded in over a decade of innovation, research, and evaluation. This policy brief summarizes these principles and their policy implications in order to inform efforts to reform the US. workforce development system. The recommendations include Building Public-Private Regional Funding Collaboratives; Organizing Workforce Partnerships Around Dual Customer Sector Strategies; Building and Promoting Career Pathways; and Facilitating Results-Orientated Coordination Across Workforce Programs and Systems.

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National Governors Association Chair's Initiative. "Complete to Compete." Comparable, reliable metrics are essential for states under current fiscal constraints. Information on the progress toward, and degree completion of, all students in higher education allows state leaders to gauge whether policies are successful and helps inform future fUnding decisions. NGA convened a Work Group on Common College Completion Metrics to make recommendations on the common higher education measures that states should collect and report publicly.

Neuhauser, Charlotte. "Learning Style and Effectiveness of Online and Face-to-Face Instruction." American Journal of Distance Education, Volume 16, Issue 2, pages 99-113. June 2002. In this study the investigator compared two sections of the same course-one section was online and asynchronous; the other was face-to:face-by examining gender, age, learning preferences and styles, media familiarity, effectiveness of tasks, course effectiveness, test grades, and final grades. The two sections were taught by the same instructor and used the same instructional materials. The results revealed no significant differences in test scores, assignments, participation grades, and final grades, although the online group's averages were slightly higher. Ninety-six percent of the online students found the course to be either as effective or more effective to their learning than their typical face-to­face course.

Perin, Dolores. "Curriculum and Pedagogy To Integrate Occupational and Academic Instruction in the Community College: Implications for Faculty Development." CCRC Brief Number 8. March 2000. This document describes a case study of seven community colleges that used curriculum and pedagogy to integrate academic and occupational education. Integration is accomplished by linking or clustering courses, infusing academic instruction into occupational education or vice versa, or adding components such as authentic assessment, career exploration, and work-based learning to traditional career-related education. An unanticipated finding was that only a small number of community colleges (at least in the four states targeted} actually offered courses that integrated academic and occupational curriculum. Benefits of integrated instruction included: (I) increased student motivation; (2) a greater sense of mutual support and community through linked courses; (3) interactions with different faculty offset the problem of increased faculty workload; ( 4) faculty improved their teaching skills and their awareness of other disciplines; and (5) integrated instruction may stimulate an updating of curriculum and help local employers to form relationships with the college. Obstacles included: (1) faculty resistance to change, or to academic-occupational integration in particular; (2) increased faculty workload; (3) a perception that integrated instruction reduced educational quality; (4) conflict in the standards or perceptions of faculty members in linked-course models; (5) questionable transferability of integrated courses.

Phipps, Ronald and Jamie Merisotis. "Quality on the Line: Benchmarks for Success in Internet­Based Distance Education." Institute for higher Education Policy. April 2000. This study identifies 24 benchmarks considered essential to ensuring excellence in Internet-based distance learning, as used by the following six institutions which are leaders in distance education: Brevard Community College (Florida); Regents College (New York); University of Illinois at Urbana­Champaign; University of Maryland University College; Utah State University; and Weber State University (Utah). The benchmarks are divided into seven categories: (I) institutional support; (2) course development; (3) teaching/learning; (4) course structure; (5) student support; (6) faculty support; and (7) evaluation and assessment. The study seeks to ascertain the degree to which the benchmarks are actually incorporated in the policies and practices of the institutions, and how important the benchmarks are to faculty, administrators, and students. The report concludes that, for the most part, the benchmarks are considered important and that the institutions strive to incorporate them into their policies, practices, and procedures.

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Prosio, Tony. "From Hidden Costs to High Returns: Unlocking the Potential of the Lower-Wage Workforce." Insight Center for Community Economic Development. Summer 2010. This business brief summarizes groundbreaking research, which found that these pioneering companies are benefitingfinancially by investing efforts and resources in employee development/or their lower­wage workers and rewarding their growth with significant earnings increases. These forward-thinking employers see workforce development as key to maintaining a competitive edge. They view their lower­wage workers as a valuable asset: a means of continually improving quality and a potential talent pool for higher level positions.

Pusser, Brian and John Levin. "Re-imaging Community Colleges in the 21st Century: A Student­Centered Approach to Higher Education." The Center for American Progress. December 2009. Community colleges' multiple missions make it difficult to comprehend the institutions in their totality, and they also challenge the institutions' overall effectiveness. A review of the research on these institutions suggests that few synergies have emerged between colleges' key domains of developmental education, vocational training, and transfer for baccalaureate attainment. Several researchers recommend that community colleges act as pivotal institutions in a career ladder linking secondary, postsecondary, and regional job training programs into a single, progressive, coherent, and sequential system with no redundant or competing parts. This is meant to maximize the effectiveness of community college vocational and occupational education. They stress the importance of institutional connections to local employers and regional job markets, and the need to integrate the academic and occupational curricula into programs in order to provide students with the broad set of skills and knowledge needed in the world of work.

Rezin, Andrew A., and N.L. McCaslin. "Comparing the Impact of Traditional and Cooperative Apprenticeship Programs on Graduates' Industry Success." 2002. This study compared the outcomes of cooperative apprenticeship program graduates with those of traditional programs to identifY if learning gains from these programs justified expansion of the models. Although nearly 95% of all graduates sampled were employed full-time, graduates from cooperative apprenticeship programs outperformed traditional program graduates in several areas, including higher minimum and maximum salaries, and reported current employment in jobs directly related to their program compared to traditional program graduates. The study concludes that cooperative apprenticeship programs provided improved outcomes and supports education I industry partnership efforts as a method to improve educational outcomes.

Scrivener, Susan and Michael J. Weiss. "More Guidance, Better Results? Three Year Effects of an Enhanced Student Services Program at Two Community Colleges." MDRC's Opening Doors Project. August 2009. As part of MDRC 's multisite Opening Doors demonstration, Lorain County Community College and Owens Community College in Ohio ran a program that provided enhanced student services and a modest stipend to low-income students. This study's findings include the following: the program improved academic outcomes during the second semester that students were in the study; and after students in the Opening Doors program received their two semesters of enhanced counseling services, the program continued to have a positive effect on registration rates in the semester that followed. The program did not, however, meaningfully affect academic outcomes in subsequent semesters.

Scrivener, Susan Dan Bloom, Allen LeBlanc, Christina Paxson, Cecilia Elena Rouse, and Colleen Sommo. "A Good Start: Two _year Effects of a Freshman Community Learning Program at Kingsborough Community College." MDRC's Opening Doors Project. March 2008. As part ofA1DRC's multisite Opening Doors demonstration, Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, New York a large, urban college with a diverse student population that includes many immigrants operated a learning community program. The program placed freshmen in groups of up

47

to 25 who took three classes together during their first semester. Using a rigorous research design, MDRC assigned 1,534 freshmen, at random, either to a program group that was eligible for the learning community or to a control group that received the college's standard courses and services. Analyses in this report show that the program improved some educational outcomes for students while they were in the program, but the impact did not persist. Initially the program did not change the rate at which students reenrolled. In the last semester of the report's two-year follow-up period, however, slightly more program group members than control group members attended college.

Shifting Gears Project. The Joyce Foundation. Compilation of policy papers on data collection by the Shifting Gears project funded by the Joyce Foundation, datingfrom 2003-2010. An overview ofthe project: States seeking to increase the number of young adults and workers obtaining valuable postsecondary credentials can help achieve that goal by collecting data on student success. States can use the data to identifY student achievement gaps and leaks in the educational pipeline, improve education and training programs, identifY transition issues, and evaluate the effectiveness of state education and workforce development strategies as a whole.

Tin to, Vincent. "Classrooms as Communities: Exploring the Educational Character of Student Persistence." The Journal of Higher Education. November 1997. This study examined the experiences of students enrolled for one year in the Coordinated Studies Program (CSP) at Seattle Central Community College. CSP required students to enroll together in a series of courses that crossed disciplines but dealt with the same theme, and the program emphasized cooperative learning activities. The study had both a qualitative component and a quantitative analysis that compared survey results and institutional outcomes between a sample of CSP students and students sampled from comparison classes at the college. Descriptive statistics showed that CSP students had significantly higher rates of persistence, and a multivariate analysis that controlled for student attributes and behaviors found that participation in CSP was an independent predictor of persistence into the second year of college. The qualitative case study suggested that CSP helped persistence by creating supportive peer groups, bridging the academic-social divide, and giving students ll voice in the learning process.

Vernez, Georges, Cathy Krop, Mirka Vuollo and Janet S. Hansen. "Toward a K-20 Student Unit Record Data System for California." Research funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation , conducted by RAND Education. January 2008. To take steps that will achieve the goal of improving student progression and quality, states need accurate information on student enrollment and retention, the effectiveness of programs, and factors that may affect how students move through the education system. To this end, they are developing robust data systems that are commonly termed "student unit record" (SUR) systems because they contain individual electronic records of each student enrolled in an educational institution. SUR data systems permit the tracking of an individual student's progress over time-from entry in kindergarten to exit from college and eventually into the labor market as well-to answer questions that are at the core of educational effectiveness. Currently, 18 states can match student individual records from K -12 and postsecondary education systems.

Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. "Building Pathways to Success for Low-Skill Adult Students: Lessons for Community College Policy and Practice from a Longitudinal Student Tracking Study (The "Tipping Point" Research)." April2005. This study of students in the Washington State Community and Technical College system finds evidence that attending college for at least one year and earning a credential provides a substantial boost in earnings for adults with a high school diploma or less who enter higher education through a community college. These findings are consistent with studies that have used nationally representative samples of community college students. Short-term training and adult haste skill<; education by itself may help

48

individuals get into the labor market, but usually does not help them advance beyond low-paying jobs. Only individuals who took basic skills courses concurrently with vocational training enjoyed a significant benefit in average rates of employment and quarterly earnings.

Weiss, Michael, Mary Visher, and Heather Washington, with Jed Teres and Emily Schneider. "Learning Communities for Students In Developmental Reading: An Impact Study at Hillsborough Community College." MDRC's Opening Doors Project. June 2010. This report presents results from a rigorous random assignment study of a basic learning community program at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa Bay, Florida. Hillsborough's learning communities co-enrolled groups of around 20 students into a developmental reading course and a "college success" course. Three cohorts of students (fall2007, spring 2008, andfal/2008) participated in the study, for a total of 1, 071. The findings show that overall (for the full study sample), Hillsborough 's learning communities program did not have a meaningful impact on students' academic success. Corresponding to the maturation of the learning communities program, evidence suggests that the program had positive impacts on some educational outcomes for the third (fall 2008) cohort of students.

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Attachment E: Standard Keywords/fags

• Accelerate Progress • Job Placement

• Accelerated Learning • Learning Communities

• Achievement Rates • Mentoring

• Assessment Technology • Mobile Devices

• Basic Skills • Modular Curriculum

• Blended Learning • On-the-Job training

• Block scheduling • Online Community of Practice

• Career Pathways • Online Teaching/Learning

• Certificate Attainment • Open Educational Resources

• Civic and Community Engagement • Paid Internships

• Cognitive Tutors • Retention

• Competency-based Training • Personalized Instruction

• Contextualized Learning • Real-time Online Interactions

• Degree Attainment • Registered Apprenticeships

• Developmental Education • Retention Strategies

• Digital Materials • SCORM

• Dual Degrees • SeU-pacedLearning

• Earn and Learn • Simulations

• Employer Partnership • Skill Assessments

• Enhanced Course Articulation • Stackable Credentials

• Enhanced Student Services • Technology Enabled Learning

• Game Design • Virtual Environments

• Industry-Driven Competencies • Web-based Training

• Industry-Recognized Credentials

Note: In the event none of the above are a sufficiently precise descriptor applicants should include

alternate keyword/ tags of their own choosing, not to exceed three words per tag and 28 characters for each

keyword/ tag.

50

Attachment F: Evidence-Based Conceptual Framework

Strong

(1) More than one well­designed and well­implemented experimental

~·.Lllll.'l study or well-designed and well- implemented quasi­experimental study; or (2) one large, well-designed and well­implemented randomized controlled, multisite trial

High internal validity and high external validity

*Related Research Definitions on Following Page

Moderate

(1) At least one well­designed and well­implemented experimental or quasi-experimental s~dy, with small sample SIZeS or other conditions of implementation or analysis that limit generalizability; (2) at least one well­designed and well­implemented experimental or quasi-experimental study that does not demonstrate equivalence between the intervention and comparison groups at program entry but that has no other major flaws related to internal validity; or (3) correlational research with strong statistical controls for selection bias and for discerning the influence of internal factors

High internal validity and moderate external validity; or, Moderate internal validity and high external validity

Preliminary

(1) Evidence that the proposed practice, strategy, or program, or one similar to it, has been attempted previously, albeit on a limited scale ~r in a limited setting, and ytelded promising results that suggest that more formal and systematic study is warranted; and (2) a rationale for the proposed practice, strategy, or program that is based on research findings or ~easonable hypotheses, mcluding related research or theories in education and other sectors

Theory and reported practice suggest the potential for efficacy for at least some participants and settings

51

Attachment F Continued: Related Research Definitions

• Well-designed and well-implemented means, with respect to an experimental or quasi­experimental study, that the study meets the What Works Clearinghouse evidence standards, with or without reservations (see http:/ /ies.ed.gov /ncee/ wwc/references/idocviewer I doc.aspx?docid=19&tocid=l and in particular the description of "Reasons for Not Meeting Standards" at http:llies.ed.gov lncee/ wwcl references/idocviewer I Doc.aspx?dodd=19&tocld=4#reason ~).

• Experimental study means a study that employs random assignment of, for example, individuals or sites to participate in a project being evaluated (treatment group) or not to participate in the project (control group). The effect of the project is the average difference in outcomes between the treatment and control groups.

• Quasi-experimental study means an evaluation design that attempts to approximate an experimental design and can support causal conclusions (i.e., minimizes threats to internal validity, such as selection bias, or allows them to be modeled). Well-designed quasi­experimental studies include carefully matched comparison group designs, interrupted time series designs, or regression discontinuity designs (see definitions below).

• Carefully matched comparison group design means a type of quasi-experimental study that attempts to approximate an experimental study. More specifically, it is a design in which project participants are matched with non-participants based on key characteristics that are thought to be related to the outcome. These characteristics include, but are not limited to: 1) prior test scores and other measures of academic achievement (preferably, the same measures that the study will use to evaluate outcomes for the two groups); 2) demographic characteristics, such as age, disability, gender, English proficiency, ethnicity, poverty level, parents' educational attainment, and single- or two-parent family background; 3) the time period in which the two groups are studied (~ the two groups are children entering kindergarten in the same year as opposed to sequential years); and 4) methods used to collect outcome data.

• Interrupted time series design means a type of quasi-experimental study in which the outcome of interest is measured multiple times before and after the treatment for program participants only. If the program had an impact, the outcomes after treatment will have a different slope or level from those before treatment. That is, the series should show an "interruption" of the prior situation at the time when the program was implemented. Adding a comparison group time series substantially increases the reliability of the findings.

• Regression discontinuity design study means, in part, a quasi-experimental study design that closely approximates an experimental study. In a regression discontinuity design, participants are assigned to a treatment or comparison group based on a numerical rating or score of a variable uruelated to the treatment such as the rating of an application for funding. Another example would be assignment of eligible students, teachers, classrooms, or schools above a certain score ("cut score") to the treatment group and assignment of those below the score to the comparison group.

52

BILLING CODE 4510-FM-P

53

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment & Training Administration

Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA) [SGA-DFA-PY -1 0-03]

Amendment One

Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants Program

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Labor

ACTION: Notice: Amendment to SGA/DFA PY 10-03

SUMMARY: The Employment and Training Administration published a notice in the Federal Register on January 21, 2011, announcing the availability of funds and Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA) for Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grant program (T AACCCT) to be awarded through a competitive process. This amendment to the SGA clarifies items related to the use of SCORM for online and technology-enabled courses. The document is hereby amended.

• Section 1.8, p.4-5 of the solicitation, the following text should be replaced:

o Old Text- "All successful applicants that propose online and technology-enabled learning projects will develop materials in compliance with SCORM, as referenced in Section 1.8.4 of this SGA. These courses and materials will be made available to the Department for free public use and distribution, including the ability to re-use course modules, via an online repository for learning materials to be established by the Federal Government. All grant products will be provided to the Department with meta-data (as described in Section III.G.4) in an open format mutually agreed-upon by the grantee and the Department."

o New Text- "All successful applicants that propose online and technology­enabled learning projects will develop materials in compliance with Section 1.8.4 of this SGA."

• Section 1.8.4, p. 8 of the solicitation, the following text should be replaced:

o Old Text- "All online and technology-enabled courses developed under this SGA must be compliant with the latest version of SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model), as of this writing, version 2004 (3.0). All online and technology-enabled courses must permit free public use and distribution, including the ability to re-use course modules, via an online repository for learning materials to be established by the Federal Government. All grant products will be provided to the Department with meta-data as described in Section III.G.4 of this SGA. To learn about SCORM, download the standard, and test completed training products, please visit http://www.adlnet.gov/Technologies/scorm/default.aspx."

o New Text - "All digital assets within online and technology-enabled courses, including course components, tests, e-publications, and applications used in course development under this SGA, should be produced to maximize

interoperability, exchange, and reuse. In addition, all assessments and/or other content that result in a student score or grade must conform to industry-leading e-leaming open standards and specifications (for example, AICC [Aviation Industry Computer-Based Training Committee], IMS [Information Management Standard], PESC [Postsecondary Electronic Standards Council], or SCORM [Shareable Content Object Reference Model]). Applicants must identify the industry standard they will use in online course development. All digital assets must be licensed for free, attributed public use and distribution (as described in Section IV.B.4)."

• Section V.A.2.i, p. 25 of the solicitation, the following text should be replaced:

o Old Text- "For applicants implementing online and technology-enabled strategies, clearly describe the technical feasibility of the design, technologies, and delivery methods for these strategies and discuss the potential re-use and repurposing of courses and materials to be developed through the program."

o New Text- "For applicants implementing online and technology-enabled strategies, clearly describe the technical feasibility of the design, technologies, and delivery methods for these strategies and discuss the potential re-use and repurposing of courses and materials to be developed through the program, and identify the industry standard to be used in online course development."

• Section V.A.2.iii, p. 26-27 of the solicitation, add the following bullet to the published section:

o "A list or description of the student services available to the targeted group of TAA-eligible online learners."

• Section VI.B.4, p. 34 of the solicitation, the following text should be replaced:

o Old Text- "See Section V.A.4 for information on the bonus evaluation discussion criterion."

o New Text- "See Section V.B for information on the bonus evaluation discussion criterion."

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melissa Abdullah, Grants Management Specialist, Division of Federal Assistance, at (202) 693-3346.

Signed at Washington, D.C., this 8th day of February, 2011 Donna Kelly

Grant Officer, Employment & Training Administration

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment & Training Administration

Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA) [SGAIDFA PY 10-03]

Amendment Two

Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants Program

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Labor

ACTION: Notice: Amendment to SGA/DFA PY 10-03

SUMMARY: The Employment and Training Administration published a notice in the Federal Register on January 21, 2011, announcing the availability of funds and Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA) for the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grant program (T AACCCT) to be awarded through a competitive process. This amendment to the SGA announces the posting of Frequently Asked Questions.

• A set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) has been posted to the Employment and Training Administration's website. The FAQs can be found under the Full Announcement for this SGA at http://www.doleta.gov/grants/find grants.cfm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melissa Abdullah, Grants Management Specialist, Division of Federal Assistance at (202) 693-3346 or Abdullah.Melissa@dol.gov.

Signed at Washington, D.C., this 5th day of April, 2011

Donna Kelly Grant Officer, Employment & Training Administration

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment & Training Administration

[SGA-DFA-PY -1 0-03)

Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA); Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants Program; Amendment Three

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Labor

ACTION: Notice: Amendment to SGA/DFA PY 10-03

SUMMARY: The Employment and Training Administration published a notice in the Federal Register on January 21, 2011, announcing the availability of funds and Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA) for the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grant program (T AACCCT) to be awarded through a competitive process. This amendment to the SGA clarifies items related to making portions of grant applications publicly available. The document is hereby amended.

In Section IIIG3, of the solicitation (http://www.doleta.gov/grants/pdf/SGA-DFA­PY-10-03.pdf), the following text should be replaced:

Old Text- "The Department is committed to conducting a transparent grant award process and publicizing information about program outcomes. Applicants are advised their application and information related to its review and evaluation (whether or not the application is successful) may be made publicly available, either fully or partially. In addition, information about grant progress and results may also be made publicly available."

New Text- "The Department is committed to conducting a transparent grant application and award process. Among other things, posting grant applications on public websites is a means of promoting and sharing innovative ideas. For this grant competition, we will publish the Technical Proposal required by Section IVB, Part II for all those applications that are awarded grants, on the Department's website or a similar location. Additionally, in accordance with Section IVB, Part lila, of the SGA, which states that the Abstracts will be shared publicly, we will publish the Abstracts for all applications on the Department's website or similar location. No other attachments to the application will be published. The Technical Proposals and Abstracts will not be published until after grants are awarded.

DOL recognizes that grant applications sometimes contain information that an applicant may consider proprietary or business confidential, or they may contain personally identifiable information. Information is considered proprietary or confidential commercial/business information when it is not usually disclosed outside your organization, and when its disclosure is likely to cause you substantial competitive harm. Personally identifiable information is information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's identity, such as a name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother's maiden name, or biometric records, or any other information that is linked or linkable to an individual, such as medical, educational, financial, and employment information.

In order to ensure that such information is properly protected from disclosure when DOL posts the winning Technical Proposals, applicants whose technical proposals will be posted will be asked to submit a second redacted version of their Technical Proposal, with proprietary, confidential commercial/business, and personally identifiable information redacted. All non-public information about the applicant's and consortium members' staff (if applicable) should be removed as well. The Department will contact the applicants whose technical proposals will be published by letter or email, and provide further directions about how and when to submit the redacted version of the Technical Proposal. Submission of a redacted version of the Technical Proposal will constitute permission by the applicant, and anyone identified in the application, for DOL to post that redacted version. If an applicant fails to provide a redacted version of the Technical Proposal, DOL will publish the original Technical Proposal in full, after redacting personally identifiable information. (Note that the original, unredacted version of the Technical Proposal will remain part of the complete application package, including an applicant's proprietary and confidential information and any personally identifiable information.)

Applicants are encouraged to maximize the grant application information that will be publicly disclosed, and to exercise restraint and redact only information that truly is proprietary, confidential commercial/business information, or capable of identifying a person. The redaction of entire pages or sections of the Technical Proposal is not appropriate, and will not be allowed, unless the entire portion merits such protection. Should a dispute arise about whether redactions are appropriate, DOL will follow the procedures outlined in the Department's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regulations (29 CFR part 70).

Redacted information in grant applications will be protected by DOL from public disclosure in accordance with federal law, including the Trade Secrets Act (18 U.S.C. § 1905), FOIA, and the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. § 552a). If DOL receives a FOIA request for your application, the procedures in DOL's FOIA regulations for responding to requests for commercial/business information submitted to the government will be followed, as well as all FOIA exemptions and procedures. 29 CFR § 70.26. Consequently, it is possible that application of FOIA rules may

result in release of information in response to a FOIA request that an applicant redacted in its "redacted copy."

The Department is working with OMB to meet the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1965 (PRA), and will not require any applicants to submit any redactions until the PRA process has been completed. The public reporting burden for this collection of information is tentatively estimated at six hours per response."

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melissa Abdullah, Grants Management Specialist, Division of Federal Assistance, at (202) 693-3346.

Signed at Washington, D.C., this 14th day of April, 2011.

Donna Kelly Grant Officer, Employment & Training Administration

Billing Code 451 0-FN-P

PART I

STATEMENT OF WORK

(The awardee's technical proposal is incorporated as the Statement of Work. If there is a discrepancy between this

technical proposal and any DOL guidance or cost principle, the DOL guidance or cost principle will prevail. The grantee

must confirm that all costs are allowable before expenditure.)

1. Statement of Need. The Colorado Online Energy Training Consortium (CO ETC), led by the

Community College of Denver, and its 14 community college partners, will offer a wide

selection of degree and certificate programs in Colorado's booming cluster of energy industries.

The targeted industries include: clean energy technology, wind energy technology, line

technician, oil and gas technology, process technology and instrumentation, water quality

management, and mining/extractive technologies. This innovative project centers on a redesign

of program/curriculum that will reduce time to completion through the acceleration of nationally

replicable developmental education and technology-based delivery formats so that TAA-eligible

workers throughout Colorado, and particularly in the state's most remote areas, will be able to

enroll in a community college's energy program and quickly and conveniently learn skills for

immediate placement in some of Colorado's highest-paying and most in-demand jobs. The

CO ETC's project will improve student retention and achievement by providing students with

the option to enroll in their choice of energy fields and complete much of the program online,

with the aid of mobile labs to bring them hands-on experience. Workers who have been out of

school for a while and who require remediation to succeed in college level work will benefit

from a redesign of developmental education, utilizing evidence based practices in modular,

contextualized and accelerated curriculum and alternative assessments; along with career

guidance to help students select the right careers and wrap-around services to promote retention.

Colorado has earned a reputation as a national leader in sustainable energy policy and is

poised to see exponential job gro\vth in energy industries as recently-passed laws require

regulated utilities to use more renewable energy sources. Colorado has already invested in

transmission line construction to bring more renewable energy to market, ensuring the

infrastructure is there to support new jobs. The COETC's project is also critical to Colorado's

economic recovery. Colorado's unemployment rate of9.7% (February 2011, U.S. Bureau of

Labor Statistics) exceeds the nation's rate (9.2%) for the first time since the 2008 recession.

i. Impact of Foreign Trade. This project will serve all of Colorado. The table below documents

a sample of 94 T AA Certification determinations in Colorado since 2007.

TAW I Company Location Decision Date number 63996Y MPC Computers, LLC All Locations, CO 9/16/2008 70405J Avaya, Inc. All Locations, CO 9/11/2009 64611 Optima Batteries, Inc. Aurora, CO 12/23/2008 72251 I Supervalu, Inc. Aurora, CO 1115/2010 713581 Manpower, Inc. Boulder, CO 1/22/2010 73593 International Business Machines (IBM) Boulder, CO 9/16/2010 70428 Flextronics Broomfield, CO 7/30/2009 70216 Nexergy, Inc. Canon City, CO 10/27/2009 73797 Outotec (USA), Inc. Centennial, CO 10/29/2010 74257B Hewlett Packard Company Multiple cities, CO 7/9/2010 63593 Minco Manufacturing, LLC Colorado Springs, CO 7/9/2008 70917 Agilent Technologies Colorado Springs, CO 3/8/2010 72608 Quark, Inc. Denver, CO 7/7/2010 72416 Gates Denver Machining Center Denver, CO 11!24/2009 73430 Covad Communications Company Denver, CO 10/22/2010 73768 Local Insight Media, Inc. Englewood, CO 7/28/2010 74108 Harris Corporation Englewood, CO 6/11/2010 64653 RPM Electronics, Inc. Fort Collins, CO 12/19/2008 64114 Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. Fort Collins, CO 10/28/2008 71931 AMETEK Vehicular Instrumentation Grand Junction, CO 10/13/2009 62575 Norgren, Inc. Littleton, CO 2/4/2008 71131 Reliant Manufacturing Service LLC Longmont, CO 7/28/2009 70586 Sun Microsystems, Inc. Louisville, CO 10/21/2009 63459 Wolverine World Wide, Inc. Paonia, CO 6/18/2008

I 71482 Trane Pueblo, CO 1/22/2010

Local needs of TAA-impacted workers. In 2010, 9,196 TAt\ clients were served by Colorado's

employment system. The types ofjobs most significantly affected include: manufacturing,

electronics, electrical machinery, telecommunications and computer programming. Rural areas

have also seen jobs move overseas, and the economic impact of those losses is often greater than

in urban areas. However, 2010 job orders indicate that many energy employers are recruiting

2

skilled workers and that these jobs are primarily located in Colorado's rural regions. The most

in-demand jobs include: electrical engineers and technicians; chemical engineers and

technicians; electricians; electromechanical equipment assemblers; electromechanical

technicians; wind turbine service technicians: assemblers and fabricators; machinists;

water/liquid waste treatment operators; welders, cutters, solderers and brazers; industrial

engineering technicians; and industrial machinery mechanics.

ii. Targeted Population to be Served. Industry where employed. Colorado T AA workers that

the CO ETC will target were employed in a variety of industries including: construction,

telecommunications, information technology, aviation, oil and gas, roust-a-bout electricians,

measurement/diagnostics, auto manufacturing, electronics manufacturing, engineering and

industrial technology, software design, banking and employment services.

Target population's current skills/educational attainment. According to the majority of

employers that the CO ETC interviewed as part of its community outreach, skills and educational

attainment of the target population varies. Thirty-nine percent ofT AA workers have a high

school diploma or GED. At the highest levels of educational attainment and skill development,

only 11% ofT AA-certified students possess a two- or four-year college degree. The target

population has frequently completed on-the-job training to gain technical skills and competency

with industry-specific equipment, but lack formal credential. Of those T AA -certified students

enrolled at the COETC's colleges, had at least one remedial need, commonly math.

Education and training required. Preparing TAA-impacted workers for careers in the

emerging energy industries is a complex undertaking that must address the multi-faceted needs

of workers. According to the Urban Institute, the most promising rates of job grovvih in the

energy sector will occur in middle-skill jobs that require at least one year of postsecondary

3

education 1. Many jobs in the energy industries are relatively new occupations, but the skill set

required is similar to other traditional industries such as machinists, technicians, electricians,

equipment installers and welders. Employers contacted during community outreach consistently

shared that to be competitive for their jobs, students need to complete a degree and obtain

industry-required certifications. Employers also find that applicants lack science, technology,

English and math skills that are essential to success. In addition, employees' work-related skills,

such as taking direction from supervisors, adaptability, communication, teamwork and critical

thinking are often found to be lacking by employers that the COETC interviewed.

Additional barriers to employment. T AA workers must be retrained quickly before their

financial assistance is exhausted. Time constraints can result in making long-term career

decisions without sufficient career exploration. Often limiting their career decisions to programs

that will not require remedial education. Thus, career choices are based upon time and

prerequisite requirements rather than the prospect of future job growth and compatibility with the

worker's skills and interests. TAA workers must also balance multiple priorities associated with

their job search; training; and family responsibilities. Many workers are unfamiliar with how to

conduct a job search or navigate employment and education systems.

iii. Targeted Industries and Occupations. Current and future projected demand for

employment. Colorado, with its leading edge technologies, industry partnerships and energy

research labs is positioned to continue to lead the nation's energy economy. Between 1999 and

2009, Colorado's cleantech industry grew at an annualized rate of 18%, more than twice the rate

ofthe state's economy as a whole (8%).2 Colorado has an abundance of renewable energy assets

1 Martinson, M. Stanczyk, A. and Eysster, L. (201 0). Low-Skill Workers' Access to Quality Green Jobs. Urban Institute Brief 13.Washington D.C. Accessible at="-=~'--'-'--'=-'=-""-'--""''

Pew Center on the States. 2009. The Clean and Investments Across ,A.merica. h!!Jr!i.~~~~~!:illlllitili!l~QigLllillitLf!~!.L.l!WM~llil51

4

(wind, biomass, solar and water), in addition to a large concentration of fossil fuels (coal, natural

gas and oil), making it a leader in available energy-related work, as depicted in the table below.

Industry Cluster CO's national rank for 2010 direct Direct employment emplovment concentration employment growth (2005-2010)

Cleantech 4m 19,420 32.7% Fossil fuels 11th 34,680 20.6%

Even in 2010, while much of the nation's employers were delaying hiring, Colorado's

energy companies posted 30,165 jobs, and this is a conservative estimate because employers

often fill positions without posting them in the state employment system. Colorado is a national

hub for projects involving the integration of fossil fuels and cleantech. For example, BP Wind

Energy recently broke ground on a large-scale wind farm in Weld County that will supply energy

to 75,000 homes. Vestas, the world's largest producer of wind turbines, finished 2010 with a

record number of wind turbine sales and added 740 jobs in Colorado. Projections indicate that

much of the nation's demand for oil and gas will be met by Colorado's large oil and gas

reserves-in Weld County, oil shale will be able to produce up to five billion barrels of oil and

create an estimated 25,000 new jobs.3 Colorado has more than 100 water technology firms.

These companies are creating a draw for supply-chain partners to relocate in Colorado.4

Energy employers are additionally drawn to Colorado because of its access to federal

research labs, such as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the National Center

for Atmospheric Research and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation. Colorado ranked

among the top five states in energy-related venture capital. In addition, state legislation, such as

tax incentives and sales and use tax refunds for research and development of new products and

technologies tor producers of clean technologies foster energy companies' growth.

3 Jaffee M. (April4, 20 ll ). Energy companies map Niobrara formation for its oil potentiaL Denver Post.

Colorado Cleantech Action Plan. Prepared Navigant Consulting, Inc. for the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association. www.coloradocleantech.com.

5

While Colorado is poised to continue explosive employment growth in energy industries,

employers are bracing for the onslaught of skilled employees nearing retirement. For example,

Xcel Energy, Colorado's largest electric utility, told the CO ETC that 45% of its employees will

be eligible for retirement in the next five years and that it expects to lose 20% of its workforce in

the next 3-5 years. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that half of the nation's 150,000

power industry workers will be eligible to retire in the next ten years. Employers in Colorado's

wind industry anticipate that they will need to hire 1,200 wind technicians to service and

maintain the wind turbines in 2011 and 1,400 in 2012.5 Job grovvth in Colorado's water quality

management is expected to grow by 1.6% by 2019, employing 2,390 workers.6 The Colorado

Department of Labor expects jobs in process technology to increase by 25%.

As part of its community outreach effort, each college in the COETC asked its employer

partners for estimates of job openings over the next three years. Area wind farms hire trainees in

current programs for internship positions. Vestas intends to hire between 400-500 new

employees in late 2011. Abound Solar will hire an additional 100-200 workers in early 2012.

Among the Colorado Mountain College's employer partners, half indicated that they would hire

graduates for jobs in mining and oil/gas extraction. Red Rocks Community College's employer

partners typically post five water quality management jobs per week with the college.

The following table includes EMS! data from the first quarter of 2011 to depict the current

and anticipated job openings in a sample of occupations targeted by this project.

Job Title 2011 2014 Openings 2010 Median Education Jobs Jobs Hourly Wage Level

Mechanical engineering technicians 742 734 49 $26.62 Associate Electrical en2:ineering technicians 2,615 2,533 171 $26.40 Associate Engineering technicians 1,196 1,219 95 $25.91 Associate Geological and petroleum 1,713 1,833 298 $33.49 Associate

6

technicians Environmental science and 794 870 173 $22.51 Associate protection technicians Electro-Mechanical technicians 219 204 14 $23.08 Associate

Knowledge, competencies, and degrees/certificates required. One of the key messages

conveyed by employers to the COETC is that students need more training on the effective use of

high-tech equipment and technologies that are used by industry. As such, a significant portion of

this project is to purchase equipment for mobile learning labs and develop curriculum so students

enhance their competencies with the technology their careers will require.

Almost half of all companies interviewed for the WIRED Workforce Study 7 reported that the

region's workforce is weak or very weak in experience, educational background and mastery of

needed skills, and thus over 55% of energy companies are forced to recruit outside the region for

employees. Employers in the energy industries cited the need for employees to possess skills in

algebra, chemistry, biology and physics, basic business writing, accounting, management and

technical skills. The specialized skills that employers cited as lacking include: photovoltaic

research and development; process technology and instrumentation; project management;

systems engineering; chemical engineering; and high volume assembly and manufacturing.

The degrees or certifications required by employers vary according to the type of position

with advanced jobs requiring a two-year degree, while manufacturing positions require a

certificate. Skilled positions often also require an apprenticeship or internship. Many oil and gas

employers require individuals to take employment entrance exams for positions such as electrical

technicians, automation control specialists, mechanical technicians and plant operators. The Safe

Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 require that public water system operators possess

specific certifications and pass an examination certifying that they can oversee water treatment

Development Research Partners (2007). Metro Denver WIRED Initiative Workforce Study. http:l/www.metrodenver.org/news-center/metro-denver-news/WTRED-workforce-study.html

7

operations. Water plant technicians need formal training through a community college or

technical school. The table below briefly describes industry requirements (also see workplan).

Industry Degree Required Certifications Required Wind Associates in Applied Wind energy (a wind farm internship is often

Science (AAS) required) Clean Energy AAS or certificate Wind energy, power technology Oil and Gas AAS or certificate Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced Energy

Technician Process AAS Instrumentation, Process Technology, Petroleum Technology Technology, Safety in Process Technology, Basic

Solar Photovoltaic (and Installer), Thermal Installer Water Quality AAS or 1-yr Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management certificate Technology

Employer demand. The WIRED Workforce Study noted that the most in-demand energy

occupations fall into four major categories: scientists (engineers and physicists); technical

workers (lab, manufacturing and maintenance technicians and service providers) and field

personnel (COL drivers, landmen) and business operations (managers and sales). As described

above, employers from each of the targeted industries are expected to hire new workers.

iv. Gaps in Existing Educational and Career Training Programs. 1) Gaps in existing

educational and career training programs. The WIRED Workforce Study noted that there is a

lack of local occupational-based education programs that focus on energy. Lack of academic

preparation for college-level STEM courses and lack of coordination between workforce centers

and community colleges were also identified as major challenges. In addition, most energy

programs were offered on only one campus, virtually excluding most of the state's population

from enrolling in these specialized programs, despite a statewide need for these workers.

Colorado also lacks sufficient in-state training programs for some of the most in-demand careers.

More detail about available training programs is included in the appendices.

2) Impact of gaps on ability to serve target population. The skills gaps of workers who have

8

been out of school for several years, along with the need to retrain workers quickly for in­

demand energy careers, has led to the integrated COETC approach. This approach combines

career exploration and targeted referrals from the workforce system, the redesign of

developmental education, and the development of new technology-based training programs to

extend training opportunities to students across Colorado.

Limitations in the number of students served. The COETC's existing energy programs are in

high demand by students. Since Front Range Community College (FRCC) began offering its

Clean Energy Technology program (three cohorts of25 students per year), it has been enrolled at

full capacity and there is a waitlist of 40 students. FRCC' s new Wind Energy Certificate and the

Power Technology Certificate programs will be among the first certificate programs in the nation

developed in accordance with standards outlined for North American Board of Certified Energy

Practitioners (NABCEP) certification. Red Rocks Community College offers the only accredited

water quality management program in Colorado and courses fill to capacity each semester.

Trinidad State Junior College's line technician program also fills to capacity (55 students) at both

of its campuses and must cap enrollment because of limits due to equipment, infrastructure and

safe instruction ratios. Northeastern Junior College's \Vind Energy Technology program has a

maximum capacity of22 students, and to date the program has had a waitlist.

Currently there are no programs in Weld County, where Aims Community College is

located, to train energy technicians to fill the many jobs needed for drilling on the Niobrara

Shale. Finally, there are no programs in southwestern Colorado to train energy workers with

credentials that employers in the mining and extractive industries are seeking. Industries that

need skilled workers for careers in process technology have asked Colorado Mountain College to

develop an AAS program for that field. Without this project, it is unlikely that CMC will

9

have the resources to develop this degree program. San Isabel Electric is very concerned about

the shortage of well-trained linemen and asked Trinidad State Junior College to expand its

training program to address this anticipated workforce shortage.

Limitations in faculty expertise and facility infrastructure. All of the project faculty have

recent industry experience; however, because this project will transform the curricula for online

delivery, all of the faculty will need training to be able to etlectively convey course content using

these new methods. Several colleges will need to hire additional faculty to ensure that there are

enough sections available to meet student demand for these programs. Aims Community College

will need to provide training to its faculty to deliver the new fossil fuel curriculum that will be

developed through this project. Facility infrastructure is sufficient to carry out this project.

Limitation in the content/quality of courses. The vast majority ofT AA workers who enroll at

the consortium's community colleges are in need of developmental education in reading and

math-foundational knowledge necessary for success in the proposed energy programs. Because

attrition is a serious concern due to the time it traditionally takes students to complete

developmental courses (typically 3 semesters of remedial math for students who have been out of

school for several years), this project will redesign the developmental education courses to

reduce time to completion. More detail about the proposed redesign is described below.

Attrition-related factors. This project will also address attrition due to poor study and/or time

management skills. Retention strategies will include academic and non-academic strategies, such

as early warning systems, student success courses, logistical support for enrollment and financial

aid, recruitment and screening, career guidance and intrusive advising (wrap-around services).

Transportation barriers and the logistical challenges of relocation for rural students, will be

addressed by offering mobile labs, online and hybrid course delivery.

10

Need for specialized equipment. In order to provide T AA workers with the training they need

for work in Colorado's energy fields, the consortium's colleges must purchase the technology

and equipment with which employers expect workers to be competent. Clean energy industries

conveyed to the COETC that they expect that at least 60% of students' training time should be

spent gaining hands-on experience using the equipment that they will use in the careers. This

project will increase the number of computers that are available so that students can take courses

online and use industry-specific software. In order to increase the technical competency of

students in the wind program, lab equipment, including a Nacelle Wind Turbine Training System

and hydraulic hub trainers will be purchased. To ensure that students in remote areas of Colorado

learn required technical skills, mobile labs will be built. These labs will contain all of the

equipment and software required to simulate what they will encounter in their jobs.

2. Work Plan/ Project Management. i. Evidence-Based Design and Strategy Overview.

Through this project, the COETC's students will have access to high-demand, high-wage

training along with career guidance, accelerated developmental education and support services

that will enable them to complete their course of study quickly and reenter the workforce.

The proposed strategies for online and hybrid delivery are based on research about adult

learning, blended learning models and best practices in online career and technical education

courses. 8 Research indicates that online and hybrid learning models have a strong affinity with

adult learning theory, which stresses the need for autonomy, self-direction and relevant learning

as key design elements. 9 A strong body of evidence on blended learning models supports the

a Benson, A. D., Johnson, S. D., Taylor, G. D., Treat, Shinkareva, 0. N., & Duncan, J. (2004). Distance learning in postsecondary career and technical education: A comparison of achievement in online vs. on-campus CTE courses. St. Paul, MN: National Research Center for Career and Technical Education.

36.165.122.1 02/mambo/content/view/192/ 9 Ausburn, Lunna. "Course design elements most valued by adult learners in blended online education environments: an American "Educational Media International, Volume 41, Issue 4, pages 327-337. 2004~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

11

COETC's approach, and is based on research from the University of Central Florida10 and the

U.S. Department of Education. 11 The energy programs will replicate an on-campus skills-

acquisition model that blends online learning with hands-on labs delivered via two methods-

convenient and compressed weekend onsite training; or mobile labs that bring the equipment and

instructors to convenient locations around the state. While the evidence is preliminary, the

COETC hypothesizes that the strategy will lead to improved education and employment

outcomes because it will facilitate field experience, physical manipulation, as well as real-time

interaction and feedback for students.

The project draws on leading-edge, evidence-based practices in the acceleration and

contextualization of developmental education and technical education. The CO ETC will

replicate the successful "acceleration" developmental education models implemented at

Community College of Denver (i.e., FastS tart) and Baltimore County Community College. 12 A

meta-analysis of 27 studies on contextualization revealed that it has the potential to promote

short-term academic achievement and longer-term college advancement of low-skilled

students. 13 The CO ETC's strategy for contextualized developmental education, both at the

college and developmental education levels, will replicate a proven successful model, Integrated

Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST), developed by the Washington State Board for

Graham, C.R., & Dziuban, C.D. (2008). Core research and issues related to blended learning environments. In J.M. Spector. M.D. Merrill, J.J.G. Van Merrienboer, & M.P. Driscoll Eds., Handbook on educational communications and (3rd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates. http: 1/ cdl. ucfedu/research/ritelpub I ications/ 11 U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development, Evaluation of Evidence­Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies, Washington, D.C., 2010.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-W=

Edgecombe, N. (20 11 ). Accelerating the academic achievement of students referred to developmental education. Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University. ~~===~==='-!..-"~==~~"-'-"'--"'""-'-' Scrivener S and Coghlan E. (20 11 ). Opening doors to student success: A synthesis of findings from an evaluation at six community colleges. mdrc Policy brief. www.mdrc.org/publications/585/policybrief.pdf 13 Perrin, D. (20 11 ). Student Learning Through Contextualization. New York: Community College Research Center, Teachers Columbia . Available at

12

Community and Technical Colleges. 14 There is also preliminary evidence from the I-BEST

program and the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges to support

flexible, stackable credentials and career pathways. 15 Alternative assessments and targeted

diagnostics are encouraged in the Hughes' briefing paper. 16

While there is preliminary evidence for the ''career coach" model, the COETC strategy is

based on research that indicates that intrusive advising, with emphasis on career planning,

increases motivation. A recent study of students, randomly assigned to a coach, were more likely

to persist during the treatment period and more likely to be attending the university one year

later. Coaching also proved a more cost-effective method of achieving retention and completion

gains when compared to previously studied interventions such as increased financial aid. 17

Priorities addressed. The CO ETC addresses all four program priorities. The CO ETC will

accelerate progress for low-skilled and other workers through delivery of research-based

accelerated developmental education so that students can move quickly into training for a high-

demand, high-skill energy career. The COETC will improve retention and achievement rates

to reduce time-to-completion. Career coaches at each consortium college will guide students

through career exploration and present the energy training opportunities; advise and support

students as they complete the developmental education needed to succeed in the energy

programs; help students navigate the college's processes; and provide referrals and support for

14 Wachen, J., Jenkins D. & VanNoy M. (2010). How I-BEST Works: Findings from a Field Study of Washington State's Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training Program. New York: Community College Research Center, Teachers Co liege, Columbia University. Available at lllillliQIT:~c&.Q!!!!JlQ!l~lllL!:J!!l:.!.!.9:!!.1!;l!lJ!~Jill~.!lQ. 15 Building Pathways to Success for Low-Skill Adult Students: Lessons for Community College Policy and Practice from a Longitudinal Student Tracking Study (The "Tipping Point" Research). Research Report No. 06-2.

K & Scot!-Ciayton J. (20 II). Developmental Assessment in Community Colleges (CCRC Paper No. 19, Assessment of Evidence

17 Beninger, E and Baker R. II). The Effects of Student Coaching in College: An Evaluation of a Randomized rvr,Prtm"'"'t in Student Mentoring. Stanford University School of Education.

13

non-academic issues. Contextualized developmental education modules will be created for each

energy program so that students can begin mastering the math, reading and wTiting competencies

needed to succeed in their training programs prior to enrollment in energy programs. Diagnostics

and targeted remediation will be developed by a statewide faculty team as an alternative to the

traditional assessment process to ensure that students will only be required to master the skills

necessary to succeed in energy programs. Career coaches will provide intrusive advising/wrap­

around services and mentoring to support retention and achievement.

As part of retention and job placement services, every student will have a college-based

educational career coach assigned to him/her to: support the student in career guidance; offer

training opportunities throughout the consortium; assist with college processes such as financial

aid and enrollment; and advise students on alternative diagnostics and targeted remediation

options to prepare for the program. The COETC will also create a statewide energy career "hub"

website as a marketing and recruitment vehicle for the energy programs and will provide

leading-edge career resources and technologies directly to students and college advisors (e.g.,

real-time employer job openings, online career planning resources, eMentoring, placement

services, resource locator, and mobile apps delivered directly to students' devices).

The COETC will build programs that meet industry needs. The decision to focus training

on energy industries was the result of an extensive consultation process over the last three

months with employers and workforce system leaders who indicated strong projected job growth

in energy industries and a need for the programming proposed by the COETC. Flexible,

stackable short-term credentials and associate degree programs that lead through career pathways

were also requested by industry partners and are provided through this program.

The COETC will strengthen online and technology-enabled learning. COETC utilizes a

14

variety of evidence-based delivery strategies to meet the needs of the energy industry and

targeted student population. Selected energy certificate and degree programs will be delivered

via hybrid and online learning models to students statewide. Most of the energy programs require

"hands-on" training in the use of equipment and industry technologies. A creative and flexible

hybrid training model will allow for theoretical content to be delivered via online learning, while

the "hands-on" training will be delivered via mobile labs and/or compressed weekend site

training. Online delivery makes it possible for students in multiple locations to be "present" in

class and work with each other in community learning teams to solve contextualized problems, a

critical learning strategy for career and technical education programs. Further, online delivery

makes it more practical for industry experts to interact with students throughout the program,

providing real-world insights and mentoring while minimizing the barriers of time and travel

needed to attend face-to-face courses. Finally, the use of Open Educational Resources (OER)

will be prioritized so that online content will not be created where it already exists.

How project meets the needs of target population/ employers. The energy programs offered

through the COETC will meet the needs ofTAA workers by employing delivery methods that

address barriers to enrollment

and retention, such as living

in remote areas, transportation

difficulties and time

constraints. Also, recognizing

that many T AA workers are in

need of developmental

education, the program will

15

contextualize and accelerate the acquisition of basic skills necessary for students to be successful

in certificate and degree programs. Career coaches will work with students in selecting the

appropriate energy program, based on interest and aptitude, and provide retention and placement

services, including internships, in conjunction with the workforce centers.

A significant barrier faced by T AA and under-employed populations is weak academic

preparation that prevent them from qualifying for college level work, particularly in STEM

programs. To address this, the COETC will undertake a statewide redesign of developmental

education focused on accelerating students through the developmental sequence through the

incorporation of leading edge, evidenced-based practices, including the development of

alternative diagnostics and targeted remediation; contextualized basic skills instruction,

technology and accelerated curricular strategies. The consortium colleges implementing energy

programs will develop contextualized curricular modules that integrate academic and vocational

skills that are specific to their programs and can be delivered at all colleges through on-line or

face-to-face delivery methods. Career coaches will help students identify appropriate training,

support them with academic and non-academic issues and aid with job placement A success

course will help students who are new to college negotiate enrollment processes and upgrade

their technology skills so they can participate in online offerings. Reducing time to completion is

a major goal of the redesign, which will include the statewide development of new assessment

and remediation modules that can be used in place of traditional assessment tools. Individual

colleges will select one or more of the research-based structural or curricular formats:

compressed courses (FastStart), mainstreaming (ALP), modular (Emporium/ Pearson) or face-to­

face intensives. Career coaches will work with students beginning at enrollment to ensure the

smooth transition from developmental education to the energy program, and collaborate with the

16

workforce centers to maximize employment opportunities.

Regional, national or industry-wide impacts. By creating a model for sustainable and easily

accessible energy career pathways, the COETC has the potential to transform energy education

and training throughout the state, region and nation. In addition, the stronger ties established

between community colleges and the workforce system will enhance communication and

workflow between businesses, displaced workers and educational/training opportunities. A key

systemic outcome of the project will be the development of Workforce Center collaborative

processes that can identify the skills sets ofT AA and under-employed workers and match them

to community college training programs in high-demand occupations, such as energy.

Resulting degrees, certificates, and industry-recognized credentials. The COETC will offer

Workforce Readiness Certificates and Energy Certificates/Degrees in the following areas:

Clean Energy Technology: Front Range Community College (FRCC) will offer a clean energy

technology (CET) program that will enhance an existing Associate of Science degree program

with new technologies and develop three additional certificate programs (solar technician, wind

energy and power/smart grid)-all of which is informed by an industry advisory committee. The

Solar Technician Certificate program prepares students for careers in solar installation, operation

and maintenance. Upon completion of the certificate program, students will be prepared to take

industry recognized certification tests, continue working toward a two-year CET degree, or entry

level certification by the NABCEP as a Solar Thermal Installer or a PV installer. The FRCC

Wind Energy Certification will utilize hands-on training and provide students with opportunities

to practice skills using wind turbine machinery, diagnostics and monitoring systems. Internships

and innovative simulated experiences will also be incorporated. The FRCC Power Technology

certification will be developed in partnership with an industry advisory group from local power

17

companies will train students about smart grid technologies, solutions and power management.

The certification will consist of five courses resulting in an industry-recognized certificate.

Wind Energy Technician: Northeastern Junior College (NJC) will offer a Wind Energy

Technician Associates Degree program that teaches students about electricity, electronics, tluid

power, mechanics and wind turbine generator controls and technology and follows all American

Wind Energy Association's guidelines. NJC will expand this highly demanded program by

adding another student cohort and offer an online/hybrid delivery format. NJC's proximity to

several wind farms enables it to access these locations for lab-based teaching and internships.

Line Technician Program: Trinidad State Junior College (TSJC) will offer a one-year

certificate and two-year AAS degree that prepares students for a career as a line technician.

Through COETC, TSJC will expand the Line Technician Program to increase enrollment,

provide job placement and create sustainability for the electrical utility line technician program

via online delivery combined with intensive field/lab training at both of TSJC's field sites.

Oil and Gas Technology: Aims Community College will develop an AAS degree to prepare

students for work as skilled oil and gas technicians in production and processing technologies as

part of its Energy Systems Technology Training Program in coordination with the Colorado Gas

& Oil Association, the Rockies Energy Workforce and industry partners. The new degree can be

completed as a sequence of 3 certificates (Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced Energy

Technician) requiring 16-17 credits each with prescribed courses and approved electives.

Additionally, shortened express certificates of 8-9 credits each will be offered.

Process Technology and Instrumentation: Colorado Mountain College (CMC) will develop a

new AAS degree in instrumentation, as requested by employers, such as Williams, EnCana,

Antero and Chevron. These employers indicate a need for instrumentation technicians,

18

automation specialists, instrumentation and controls specialists, instrumentation purchasing

agents, process technicians, lease operators and pump operators. Currently, CMC's

instrumentation program is a certificate only. CMC's existing certificate in solar energy and

AAS degree in process technology will be enhanced with the deployment of a mobile training

lab with modules for solar, process technology and instrumentation.

Water Quality Management: Red Rocks Community College (RRCC) will adapt its water

quality management (WQM) degree and certificate programs for hybrid delivery and customize a

mobile lab to accommodate up to sixteen students at four learning stations. Each station will

engage students in workplace scenarios focused on process control and quality control assurance

analysis. Water industry partners across the state have agreed to host the WQM mobile lab to

provide students with access to hands-on learning. All materials will be validated by RRCC's

WQM Advisory Committee, which includes representation from 20 water utilities statewide.

Mining and Extractive Technologies: Pueblo Community College (PCC) will offer certificates

in mine safety health administration, welding, mechanical systems, electrical systems, and first

responder training, each of which was requested by employers in the mining and oil/gas

industries in Pueblo and Southwestern Colorado. Three mobile labs, housed in 48' truck trailers,

will be created to teach students about three discrete areas: mechanical systems (hydraulics,

pneumatics and natural gas compression); electrical systems (telemetry automation and

programmable logic controllers) and welding systems (with live welding booths and simulators).

How project addresses gaps in current education/ training. This project will fill gaps in

current program offerings by creating statewide access to energy training programs aligned with

job opportunities. The COETC provides the target population with hands-on training so they gain

industry-required technical skills. Incorporating hands-on training into educational programs

19

eliminates gaps in industry employer corporate training programs and creates the opportunity for

workers to transition seamlessly from school to employment.

Because of growing employer demand for trained energy technicians, community college

programs across Colorado are filled to capacity. The COETC will address these gaps by creating

energy programs where none exist, and by expanding capacity through online and hybrid

delivery for those programs that are in greatest demand. Currently, colleges can only serve

students in their immediate service area, but through COETC, students can receive training in an

energy field of their choice no matter where they live.

Technical feasibility and potential re-use. CCCS has experience with online course delivery

through CCCOnline, which supports scalable course development and delivery to over 30,000

students annually. In addition, some of the COETC's colleges provide online and hybrid

programs to students, along with professional development for faculty to integrate technology

into their teaching. All courses developed through the CO ETC will follow IMS standards for

development and design. The IMS "Digital Learning Services" provides a suite of open and free

interoperability standards that address the integration of enterprise systems, web services and

content. All online course products created through the COETC will be openly licensed under

Creative Commons for free, attributed public use and distribution. All courses and materials

developed through this project will be publicly available.

The potential for re-use is high, as the energy programs are designed to be "stackable" sets

of certificates that could be interchanged with related workforce training programs. Once the

online content is developed, it is highly scalable and can be easily modified to address evolving

industry needs. The mobile labs are designed so that equipment can be changed for different

purposes.

20

ii. Project Work Plan

Priority I. I Accelerate pro 5ress for low-skilled and other workers Strat Activities Implementers Costs Time Deliverables e2Y

Ll Redesign Colleges: ACC, CCA, CCD, Strateg $2,650,320 Start 711/11 developmental RRCC, FRCC, PPCC, PCC, y education. Develop LCC, TSJC, OJC, MCC, Equip $0 End 6/30114 alternative NJC, CNCC, CMC, Aims Personn $1,636,000 Milestone Year 1 Revised dev cd assessments and CC. el programs targeted Facility $0 Contextualized remediation Dev Ed F acuity, curriculum modules. State Dev Ed Coordinator IT/Infra $174,800 Accelerated

curriculum Consult $60,000 Modularized ant/SM curriculum, E alternative

assessments Other $46,000 Years Students complete

2/3 or test out of dev ed

1.2 Pilot the use of CCD Strateg $36,000 Start Date Aug, OER y 2011 developmental Dev Ed Faculty Equip $0 End Date June, math courses 2012

Personn $36,000 Milestone .Jan, lntro algebra pilot el 2012 tested at ceo Facility $0 June Pilot results are

2012 evaluated IT $0 /Infra Consult $0 ant/SM

21

E I T Priority II. Improve retention and achievement rates to reduce time-to-completion

Activities lmplementers Costs Time Deliverables L l Personalized Colleges: ACC, CCA, CCD, Strategy $3,268,215 Start Date July,

guidance. Develop RRCC, FRCC, PPCC, PCC, 2011 . statewide Energy LCC, TSJC, OJC, MCC, Equipment $0 End Date June,

Career Website. NJC, CNCC, CMC, Aims 2014 Develop systemic cc. Personnel $1,923,000 Milestone Year 1 CDLE develops processes for processes with identifying and Career Coaches workforce centers. referring students Students receive from workforce CDLE and local workforce guidance from centers to training centers, in partnership with Career Coach programs. Create colleges and employers Facility $0 Implementation of internships and revised student place students. success courses

IT I Infra $0 Statewide Energy Career website is launched

Consultant/ $725,000 Year2 COETC students SME persist at higher

rate than cohort Oth.er $0 Year 3 COETC students

graduate at faster rate than cohort

Priority III. Build programs that meet industry needs Activities lmplementers Costs Time Deliverables

-1. 1 Build online and Colleges: Strategy · $5,504,562 Start Date July,

hybrid flexible, 2011 stackable short- RRCC, FRCC, PCC, TSJC, Equipment $0 End Date June, term certificates NJC, CMC, Aims CC. 2014 and associate Personnel $3,290,225 Milestone Year 1 Energy program degree programs College program faculty, content advised by

22

that lead through Employer partners employers and career pathways content experts

Lease/Facil $0 Referral system in ity place between WF

Centers and colleges

IT $0 Year2 Job & internship Infrastructu · placements re Consultant/ $1,245,965 Year 3 Continued SME placement and

feedback from employers.

Other: $0 Priority IV. ~ Strengthen online and technology-enabled learning

Activities Implementers Costs . Time Deliverables 1.1 Develop hybrid and Colleges: RRCC, FRCC, Strategy $1,964,052 Start Date July,

online training PCC, TSJC, NJC, CMC, 2011 courses AimsCC. Equip $953,178 End Date June

2014 Use OER resources Energy program faculty, Personnel $149,300 Milestone Year I Energy courses where available Instructional designers designed/ develo_Q_ed

Facility $0 OER content integrated into courses

IT/ Infra $235,800 Year2 Students are enrolled in energy programs

Consultant/ $0 Year3 Students graduate SME from energy

programs Other $41,975 Colleges' capacity

for online delive!Y_

23

is strengthened L2 Develop and deploy Colleges: RRCC, FRCC, Strategy $2,564,444 Start Date July,

mobile labs for PCC, Aims 2011 hands-on training Equip $2,240,444 End Date June

College Energy 2014 coordinators Personnel $324,000 Milestone Year 1 Mobile Lab

equipment ordered, Energy program faculty labs built and ready

Facility $0 Year2 Mobile Labs are serving students statewide

IT/Infra $0 Year 3 Colleges' capacity to deliver hands-on training at a distance is strengthened

Consultant/ $0 SME Other $0

24

iii. Project Management. The Community College of Denver (CCD), a Hispanic Serving

Institution that educates over 17,000 students, is exceptionally well-prepared to lead the

COETC's project and coordinate its partners. It is committed to preparing students for high­

demand careers and has over 200 business/education partnerships that are strengthening the

workforce and stimulating the economy. CCD's accounting personnel also make it exceptional at

managing grants of this size, including prior management of an over $17 million per year Perkins

Grant. CCD currently manages over $40 million annually in federal funds.

Professional qualifications of project manager. CCD will hire a full-time project manager

within 30 days of award notification. The successful candidate must have prior experience

effectively managing projects of similar size and scope, and preference will be given to

candidates who have experience working with community colleges, as well as those with

knowledge of accelerated job-training programs. At a minimum, the project manager will have a

Bachelor's Degree in project management, or a Bachelor's Degree with a minimum of three

years of experience in positions that require project management. The project manager will be

responsible for the day-to-day management of the COETC, including serving as the central

liaison to the other 14 colleges in the CO ETC; monitoring the implementation of all project

activities and objectives to ensure that they are completed on time and within budget:

developing, distributing and collecting financial and performance data from each partner in the

COETC: and \Hiting and filing all required reports to the USDOL.

Expertise and/or resources that will be used. For the CO ETC programs, every college will

have the expertise of instructional designers and media production coordinators during the design

phase. All curriculum development teams for energy programs will be made up of content

experts, instructional designers and industry advisors. A subject matter expert will facilitate the

25

development of contextualized curriculum modules that integrate academic and vocational skills

for both developmental and energy program curriculum. Specialized content experts will be

engaged in the design of mobile labs to maximize student learning and mastery of skills. In

addition, the COETC will partner with Creative Commons, Carnegie Mellon's Open Learning

Initiative, CAST, and the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.

These highly experienced organizations will provide comprehensive infrastructure and technical

support in meeting the open licensing requirement, ensuring interoperability of C3T funded

content, ensuring universal design for learning, and applying results from the learning sciences to

the design, implementation, evaluation and continuous improvement of open web-based learning

environments. This partnership will also help the COETC develop best practices in OER

adoption and use, policies and professional development that work for participating institutions.

Services will be coordinated through Creative Commons, at zero budget impact to the CO ETC.

The COETC will also leverage the lessons learned from similar projects, such as the State

Energy Sector Partnership, Green Careers for Coloradans project, which trains workers for jobs

in green construction and the Denver Green Jobs Initiative which trains workers for jobs in

renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Organizational chart. CCD has strong working relationships with every college included in the

COETC and has the support of the CCCS, which has committed to provide additional resources,

as necessary to aid in the successful implementation of this project. The project advisory board,

comprised of key project staff and a representative of each participating college, will meet via

conference call or other mediated technology each quarter during the grant period to provide

advice and oversight to the project leaders. The board will be responsible for reviewing and

approving all project deliverables and ensuring that the project is sustainable. The following

26

organizational chart shows the management structure:

PRrram Direrlor -----------{ Projffi Achisof)' Bard I

CCO will use multiple methods to ensure that communication between all partners including

in-person COETC meetings and site visits by the project manager to each college. CCO will

employ video-conferencing and Go-To-Meeting computer technology to meet with all entities

included on the organizational chart. Some groups will meet quarterly, while others will meet

annually. The developmental education coordinator will visit each project twice a year, hold

statewide professional development meetings and coordinate the development of alternative

assessments. In addition, the project manager and program director will meet via conference call

on a biweekly basis to ensure that the project is progressing well.

CCD has used the proposed leadership and staffing structure on projects of comparable

scope and size, such as a multi-college Lumina grant, and has proven successful in ensuring

senior-level strategic and management oversight while dedicating ongoing operations and

implementation functions with a project manager. If areas of the COETC project fall behind

timeline projections, the program director and project manager will allocate additional resources

to ensure that all deliverables are met.

Procurement processes and procedures. All named partners will carry out major programmatic

functions in support of the goals of this project. ceo recognizes that if it needs to subcontract

27

with any entity during the grant period, it will follow all applicable state purchasing policies.

Role for employers/ public workforce system. A panel comprised of select members of the

advisory board, representatives of the public workforce system and employers will meet every

quarter during the first year of the project to ensure that each college's energy curricula and

resulting certifications will meet the needs of industry. Employers will remain engaged

throughout the grant period to advise on the training program's use of technology, provide

feedback about the skills of the graduates that they hire from the college's programs and offer

ongoing feedback about modifications to the curricula.

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) and regional workforce

centers will play an integral role in the implementation of this project. Each of the workforce

centers will contribute their Business Services Units (BSUs) to provide outreach to employers to

ensure that graduates ofthe COETC's programs are placed in energy-related jobs. In addition,

CDLE will coordinate the development of processes to identify customers with skill sets suitable

for training and supervise the implementation of these processes at all workforce centers. Case

managers from the workforce centers will refer clients to the COETC's energy programs and

work directly with BSUs to place students in internships and employment. The Colorado

workforce system will also administer the Career Readiness Certificate to T AA clients as part of

the referral and training processes. Collaboration between community colleges and workforce

centers will include: Customized hiring events/job fairs for groups of graduates; individual job

development for graduates; and improved processes to increase the number ofT AA clients

enrolled in the COETC's education/training programs.

Applicant's financial/ reporting systems. As a state agency and member of the Colorado

Community College System (CCCS), CCD is operates under federal and state fiscal rules. CCD

28

uses the Banner System, which is used by all but one consortium college, to track financial and

student information. This system is reconciled with the state's accounting system on a monthly

basis. CCD's end-of-year audits found no material weaknesses. Monthly reports of all grant

revenues and expenditures are available through the Banner System. Within this database,

accounts will be set up for each consortia partner so that the project's expenditures can be easily

tracked. The project manager will regularly monitor the project budget to ensure that grant

expenditures are fully permissible and aligned with the COETC's objectives.

Ability to work with a third party evaluator. The COETC selected the Sloan Center on

Innovation Training and Workforce Development at Rutgers University to serve as the external

evaluator of this project. This evaluator has vast experience researching online learning, as well

as workforce programs. The firm has evaluated Lumina Foundation grants and has worked with

the CDLE. The CO ETC will also provide all data to the USDOL's evaluator, if selected.

Consortium members' roles. The members ofthe consortia were heavily involved in the

project's design and development. On December 7, 2010, a meeting was convened with all ofthe

CCCS college presidents to determine each college's desire to be included in the application.

Those which elected to participate created a steering committee to further define their college's

role in the project. On February 17, 2011, all members of every steering committee met to work

through project priorities/design and individual consultations with each college continued

throughout the proposal development process. Each member will participate in the quarterly

advisory board meetings and will work regularly with the project manager and program director

throughout the grant period.

iv. Sustainability. Plans for future funding. The COETC's focus is on building capacity to

deliver energy training programs. The majority of costs are for curriculum redesign and

equipment, which will require minimal investment beyond the grant period. The project budget

gradually increases the college's share of personnel costs so those costs can be more easily

absorbed into general operations at the end of the grant. Personnel costs for retention services are

expected to demonstrate a positive cost-benefit in term of increased completion rates.

Low-cost strategies to integrate effective practices into general operations. By leveraging the

cost to redesign these energy programs, CO ETC will build the capacity of the entire CCCS as its

rural colleges will now be able to offer programs where enrollment would have otherwise been

too small, despite strong employer demand for skilled energy workers. All colleges will have

increased capacity to offer high quality, accelerated developmental education and students will

have the opportunity to participate in alternative assessments that will reduce time to completion.

3. Measurement of Progress and Outcomes. i. Progress and Implementation Measures.

Plan for evaluating project and using data. Rutgers University will conduct a

formative/process (beginning at project implementation) and summative/outcome evaluation of

this program (beginning at month 18). The evaluation methods will be standardized to the extent

possible across the consortia's colleges to enhance confidence in the findings, extend the

capacity to generalize findings to other community college settings, and, lastly, improve

understanding of how this project could be scaled, replicated and improved. The evaluation team

will use a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods for its formative and summative

assessments. These will include statistical analyses of education, employment and wage record

data, as well as survey data and participant and stakeholder interviews (collected as outlined

below). Findings and best practices will be shared among participating institutions throughout

the length of the grant so that changes to the program can be made as needed during

implementation. The research team will be in communication vvith program stakeholders

30

throughout the project to provide formative assessment data to guide further program

development. Interim evaluation reports will be provided in Year 1 and Year 2. These reports

will include preliminary statistical analyses and survey and interview data. They will document

changes that have been made to the project over the year and suggest possible improvements and

best practices. A final report will also be produced as well as brief case study reports on each of

the colleges. These reports will provide information on overall implementation and outcome

measures, and will provide data on how specific colleges implemented the program, and

participant and institutional outcomes.

Overall data collection: A local researcher will conduct monthly in person or phone

meetings with the program lead at each of the colleges to document the implementation ofthe

program. This researcher will be based in Colorado and will attend planning and implementation

meetings on the project and act as partner in the ongoing development of the program. The local

researcher and field researchers will attend in person gatherings of students to observe their

learning and interview them about their experiences. The larger research team will conduct

annual site visits to Colorado to conduct focus groups and interview program stakeholders,

program representatives, students and employers. Data on performance measures of individual

students will be gathered from the Banner System, and the Colorado Department of Labor &

Employment (CDLE) data systems to track wages and TAA data (these data sets are described

below). Data collection will be both short and long term. Short-term data on participants will be

gathered quantitatively through information on educational attainment from the Banner System

and qualitatively through the process evaluation. Long-term data on participants will be gathered

from both the Banner System and the CDLE's data sets. The Quantitative long-term data

collection will focus on educational attainment, employment and wages. Qualitative data

31

collection will also occur on a long-term basis and will address the research questions below.

Quantitative implementation and progress measures. The chart below is illustrative of the

measures that will be used to evaluate the program, but is not comprehensive as the qualitative

evaluation will allow for more in-depth analysis of the program's impact (described below).

r Priori_fJ_I 1: Accelerate progress for low-skilled and other workers ! Measur :Pro re Mea ur (PM) and lmplem ntation Data Sy tem and Proc

Measures (1M) . -·· ... -····· ·--

Strategy 1.1 Redesign developmental education so it is accelerated, modularized, and contextualized, allowing students to gain required foundational skills for quicker enrollment in energy training IM: Number of programs that were redesigned. How? Qualitative data collection, Which programs? Community college reports IM: Number of students enrolled in redesigned Banner System developmental courses PM: Time to completion for students in developmental Banner System Data-education (based on levels of remedial need) Treatment Group and

Comparison Cohort PM: Number of students who complete their required Banner System developmental sequence or alternative assessments & curriculum successfully (GPA and pass rates) PM: Number of students who complete "gatekeeper" Banner System college-level English and math Strategy I. 2 Pilot the use of OER developmental math courses (NROC Math, www.nrocmath.org) IM: Faculty trained to effectively teach these courses Qualitative data IM: Number of colleges implementing these course Qualitative data PM: Number and percentage of students who complete OER Banner System developmental math courses PM: Time to completion in OER developmental math Banner System Data -courses com~red to stan~~d developmental math courses Treatment and Comparison

' Priority 2: Improved retention and achievement rate__s to '!_duce time to_coTnJ2.fetion Measures D~ta System and Processes Strategy 2.1 Personalized guidance via career coaches, intrusive advising, early warning systems, student success courses IM: Number of career coaches hired Qualitative data IM: Implementation of early warnings systems (via LMS for Banner System and Learning online programs, Career Coach monitoring) Management System

(Desire2Learn) PM: Number and percentage of students who enroll in Banner System Data -consecutive semesters Treatment Group and

Comparison Cohort PM: Number of students who complete9 <;redits in a Banner System Data-

32

program of study (concentrators). Treatment and Comparison PM: Number and percentage of students using these Banner System- Treatment and services; type of services provided Com_12arison, Qualitative Data PM: Number of certificates and degrees completed annually B:...:a.::.n=.n:.:.e.::..r..::::S..._y.::..st::..:e..::.:m:.::._ _____ ---l PM: Student satisfaction with these services ualitative Data

~~~~~~~~~--~~ Priority 3: Buildprograms that meetindustry needs, including developing~..;;~'""' pc;itTi~ClJis ···.· .... ··.· Measures ... · ·· ... · ·· ... . ... · •···. ': 1 Dat~SysteJilalld.i>roe!esses·/ . ··· Strategy 3.1 Build online and hybrid flexible, stackable short-term certificates and associate degree programs that lead to employment/advancement in Energ:v careers. IM: Number of Career Readiness Certification tests CDLE administered and completed IM: Role of Industry in creation of energy courses IM: Number of internship and work placement agreements created and students placed.

Qualitative data Qualitative data

PM: Job placement CDLE PM: Wages of students after placement CDLE PM: Number of students enrolled in Energy programs Banner System Priority 4.' Strengthtm online and technology-enabled learning ·.··. . ··. . .. · .. Measures · .·. • •···•······· . > : •. ·•··.•••.. ··•·••·· · .• · lData•System-ndPrQcesses.· • Strategy 4.1 Develop hybrid and online training courses and use OER resources where available; and mobile labs for hands-on training IM: Number of online and hybrid programs developed with Community colleges and without OER resources IM: Number of mobile lab programs PM: Number of students enrolled in online, hybrid, and mobile lab programs PM: Number and percentage of students who master technologv taught in mobile labs

Community colleges Banner System

Banner System, employer feedback

In addition to the quantitative measures mentioned in the chart, several research questions will be

posed in the qualitative research. Some examples include: Target Population: Who makes up the

TAA population in Colorado? What were the skill levels of these participants prior to and after

programming? Build Programs that 1'f;/eet Industry Needs: What role did industry play in

developing the credentials? How is progress along these paths secured? Are their career ladders

associated with these positions? User Friendliness oftlte Program: How did students learn

about the program? What are the experiences of students in this program? Where, how often and

at what times of day do students access the training? What are best practices that emerge from

this pilot program that can improve it and inform other programs? Policy and Process: How

33

does the program connect with the workforce system? How are community colleges working

together to direct students to training that would meet their needs? Technical Effectiveness:

How is the in-person portion of coursework constructed? Are clients able to easily access this

portion of the coursework? What computer skills do clients need to complete coursework?

Current data systems/ processes. The Banner System collects and tracks data at both the

individual student and course leveL on a term basis. Metrics currently captured include a variety

of success measures, market penetration, minority enrollment, CTE participation, concurrent

enrollment success, transfer to four-year institutions, remedial course completion rates, retention

and graduation rates. This data and data from the CDLE will be used to monitor short- and long­

term progress. The CDLE data sets will collect and track information at an individual level on

entered employment, retention, and average wage by the federal definitions.

ii. Outcome Measures. Colleges will be trained to input quantitative data consistently into the

Banner System so that the following outcome measures are tracked: Employment status prior to

and after treatment; earnings prior to treatment and after treatment; employment retention rate

six months out; credit attainment rate; attainment of industry recognized credential or degree;

basic skills attainment; and enrollment in further education. Wage record data will be collected

from COLE. Demographic data will also be collected on all participants, and compliance with

race/ethnicity and gender nondiscrimination compliance will be reviewed. Demographic data

will also be used to comprise a matching comparison cohort that will be followed throughout the

duration of the project. This comparison group will be made of students within the community

college system enrolled in developmental education and traditional training programs and will be

used to better understand how the changes made in this program have or have not changed the

experiences, time to completion, and completion rates of students.

34

! Compa · on Cohort-*Data a eraged from

ea ur ub et of the CO TC

-..... - .. ~·---

Target forT AA.CCCT Program colleges r----·

Same As Baseline forT AA workers. 40 years Demographics Wider population served through 75% male, 25% female Age, Gender, Ethnicity/ Race, grant will match general CCCS White 70%, Latino 19%, Disability Status, Veteran demographics, which is younger, American Indian/ Alaska Status, Degree-seeking Status more diverse, and more female than Native .16%, Asian 2.5%, (Full or Part Time) T AA population. African American .5%

2% with disability 5% veterans Data on degree-seeking status not available

Entered Employment Rate (numerator and denominator) 882/1176 (75%) within 6 months of (N&D) program completion. 60%

Employment Retention Rate (N&D) 749/882 (85%) 65%

Average Earnings $27.50/hr. Data not available Credit Attainment Rate 30,900/1030 -Certificate programs 14 to 30 credits avg. per (#credits/# students) 32,940/549- Degree programs student Attainment of Industry- 48% of students in industry Recognized Certificate training program ( < I year) N&D 1030/1374 (75%) at end ofYr 3. Attainment of Industry-Recognized Certificate (> I year) N&D No certificates > 1 year N/A Graduation Number and Rate for Degree Programs 549/732 (75%) at end of Yr 3 for 48% of students in CTE (N&D) AAS degree programs. degree programs Basic Skills Attainment for Yr 1 -65% of students will Program Participants demonstrate basic skill competency;

Yr 2 - 70%; Yr 3-75% (1800) 2,400 students will be served by new

61% Overall CCCS remedial dev. ed. curriculum 4,000 students will use the online

pass rate

career services. 2,000 students will be served by career coaches.

35

COLORADO COMMUNITY

COLLEGE SYSTEM April 15, 2011

Or. Nancy J. McCallin President Colorado Community College System 9101 E. Lowry Boulevard Denver, Colorado 80230

Dear Dr. McCallin, My college/organization is committed as a partner in the development of workforce training programs for the "Colorado Online Energy Training Consortium"-- the statewide TAA Community College Career Training Grant proposal. The goal of the project is to serve displaced TAA workers by creating easily accessible career pathways in the high-demand Energy sector. I have seen the proposal for our college's/organization's participation in the consortium, and I am in agreement with the commitments that are specified in the work plan related to my college/organization. These commitments include one or more of the following: developing and implementing an online or hybrid Energy program that will be available to students throughout Colorado; redesigning developmental education to accelerate student preparation and entry into the Energy programs; providing career exploration and support services to retain students and increase time to completion; and recruiting or referring prospective students into the college programs. We are prepared to support Community College of Denver as the lead applicant on behalf of our statewide consortium, and will provide data and reporting as outlined and as needed. As a partner in this consortium my college/organization is motivated to support the goal of helping TAA clients prepare for career pathways that lead to sustainable incomes for individuals, as well as supporting the growing Energy industry throughout Colorado.

Colorado Online Energy Training Consortium Partner Roles

COETC Partner Energy and Developmental Education Number of Partner Grant Programs Offered Students Amount

Served Community College of Redesigned Developmental Education, Career 470-Dev Ed $382,558-Denver (lead applicant) Services 780-Career Program

Svcs. $3,379,095-Central Project Support

Front Range Community AAS- Clean Energy Technology 582- Energy $2,210,858 College Certificates: 375-Dev Ed

Solar Technician, Wind Energy Technician, 625-Career Power /Smart Grid Svcs.

Redesigned Developmental Education, Career Services

Red Rocks Community AAS- Water Quality Management 104- Energy $997,986 College Certificates: 125- Dev Ed

lntro to Water Treatment, lntro to Wastewater 206-Career Treatment, Mathematics in Water Quality, Svcs. Laboratory Analysis, D-A Water Treatment Certification, D-A Wastewater Treatment Certification, Distribution & Collection Systems, Source Control & Water Audit

Redesigned Developmental Education, Career Services

9101 East Lowry Boulevard, Denver, CO 80230-6011 •Tel: 303.620.4000 • www.cccs.edu

Partner letter- Page 2 Northeastern Junior AAS- Wind Energy Technology 131- Energy $927,434 College 70-Dev Ed

Redesigned Developmental Education, Career 115-Career Services Svcs.

Trinidad State Junior AAS- Utility line Technology 205- Energy $863,924 College Certificate: Utility line Technician 70-DevEd

115 -career Redesigned Developmental Education, Career Svcs. Services

Pueblo Community Certificates: 850- Energy $2,317,434 College Mine Safety Health Administration Welding, 175-DevEd

Mechanical Systems, Electrical Systems, Mine 289-Career First Responder Svcs.

Redesigned Developmental Education, Career Services

Alms Community College AAS- Energy Systems Technology 150- Energy $2,019,278 Certificates: Introductory, Intermediate, and 125-Dev Ed Advanced Energy Technician 206-Career

Svcs. Redesigned Developmental Education, Career Services

Colorado Mountain AAS- Process Technology 84- Energy $1,167,572 College AAS- Instrumentation 125-DevEd

Certificate: Solar Energy 206 -Career Svcs.

Redesigned Developmental Education, Career Services

Community College of Redesigned Developmental Education, Career 125-DevEd $389,232 Aurora Services 206-Career

Svcs. Arapahoe Community Redesigned Developmental Education, Career 125-DevEd $311,359 College Services 206-Career

Svcs. Otero Junior College Redesigned Developmental Education, Career 70- Dev Ed $330,977

Services 115 -Career Svcs.

lamar Community College Redesigned Developmental Education, Career 70-Dev Ed $258,660 Services 115-Career

Svcs. Pikes Peak Community Redesigned Developmental Education, Career 350-Dev Ed $384,210 College Services 619-Career

Svcs. Colorado Northwestern Redesigned Developmental Education, Career 70-Dev Ed 258,660 Community College Services 115 -Career

Svcs. Morgan Community Redesigned Developmental Education, Career 50-Dev Ed $287,042 College Services 82-Career

Svcs. Colorado Department of Olents administered Career Readiness 2500clients $770,602 labor & Employment Certificate & advised via Business Services/Case

Managers

lance F. Bolton, Ph.D.

President

Northeastern Junior College

Andrew Dorsey

President

Front Range Community College

James T. Rizzuto

President

Otero Junior College

/G""Q--1

Kerry Hart, DME

President

Morgan Community College

Stanley E. Jensen, Ph.D.

President

Colorado Mountain College

Ellen Golombek

Executive Director

Colorado Department of labor and Employment

C. Michele Haney, Ph.D.

President

Red Rocks Community College

Dr. Marilynn Liddell

President

Alms Community College

Diana M. Doyle, Ph.D.

President

Arapahoe Community College

John T. Marrin

President

lamar Community College

Felix M. lopez

President

Trinadad State Junior College

Taryn Edwards

Chair

Colorado Workforce Development Cound!

Partner letter- Page 3

Cliff Richardson

Interim President

Community College of Denver

Edwin Ray, Ph.D.

Interim President

Pikes Peak Community College

~~--·-r-·~t----

Patty Erjavec, MNM

President

Pueblo Community College

Unda Bowman, Ph.D.

President

Community College of Aurora

RusseU George

President

Colorado Northwestern Community College

Partner Letter- Page 4

Abstract

1. Applicant name/type: Community College of Denver (CCD) (lead applicant) and 14 colleges

across Colorado are applying as a consortium applicant. The seven colleges offering energy

training and redesigned developmental education are: Aims Community College (Aims CC),

Colorado Mountain College (CMC), Front Range Community College (FRCC), Northeastern

Junior College (NJC), Red Rocks Community College (RRCC), Trinidad State Junior College

(TSJC), and Pueblo Community College (PCC). The eight colleges that will redesign

developmental education are: Arapahoe Community College (ACC), Community College of

Aurora (CCA), Community College of Denver (CCD), Lamar Community College (LCC), Otero

Junior College (OJC), Morgan Community College (MCC), Pikes Peak Community College

(PPCC), and Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC).

2. Applicant city/state: Denver, Colorado

3. Areas served by the grant: The project will serve TAA workers throughout Colorado.

4. Project name: The Colorado Online Energy Training Consortium (COETC)

5. Funding level requested: $17,256,881

6. Identification of the priorities and strategies addressed through the project: CO ETC

addresses all four program priorities and has created corresponding strategies to address each:

Priority COETC's strate:zy(ies) Accelerate progress for Redesign developmental education so it is accelerated, modularized low-skilled and other and contextualized, giving students quicker assess to enrollment in workers college-level training programs and reducing time to completion. Improve retention and Personalized guidance in negotiating college processes and selection achievement rates to of careers,( career coaches, intrusive advising); academic systems and reduce time-to- supports (early warning systems, student success courses, mentoring), completion and enhanced and coordinated labor market connections through

internships and partnerships with the local workforce centers.

Compressed training programs Build programs that Flexible, stackable short-term credentials and associate degree meet industry needs programs that address labor market shortages in the energy sector.

Strengthen online and technology-enabled learning

Hybrid and online training delivery

Hands-on training (mobile labs and compressed weekend site training)

Use of Open Educational Resources

7. Description of the proposed project: The CO ETC will otTer a wide selection of energy-

related degree and certificate programs tailored to industry specifications and job demands.

Fifteen community colleges will redesign developmental education to support the targeted

energy programs, and seven program colleges will provide online and hybrid energy programs to

connect workers with family sustaining wages and career advancement. No matter where

students live, they will have access to high-demand, high-wage training opportunities along with

the necessary support services that will enable them to complete the program and enter

employment in a reduced time frame. COETC will enhance training capacity for employment in

the energy sector, strengthen the relationship between community colleges and the workforce

system, and provide systemic reforms to the statewide delivery of developmental education.

8. Targeted industry and related credentials: The targeted industries include: clean energy,

wind energy, line technician, oil and gas, process technology and instrumentation, water quality

management, and mining/extractive technologies. Student credentials will include workforce

readiness credentials, certificates and degrees developed with industry input.

9. Population and trade-impacted community served: This project will serve T AA workers,

as well as other unemployed or underemployed individuals throughout Colorado. While many

communities across the state have been impacted by trade, those along the Front Range and

Western Slope have the highest numbers ofTAA certification determinations.

10. Required employer partners: The following employers have agreed to partner with the

COETC on this project (as attested by their letters of commitment): Chevron Alaska

MidContinent; DCP Midstream; Anadarko Petroleum; Colorado Springs Utilities; San Isabel

2

Electric; Platte River Power Authority; Next Era Energy; Abound Solar; Denison Mines; GCC

Energy: South Adams County Water & Sanitation; Littleton/Englewood Wastewater treatment

Plant; ACWW A Flow.

11. Other stakeholder organizations that will help implement the project: Fifteen colleges

are included in the CO ETC. The Colorado Department of Labor & Employment, representing all

ten regional workforce centers, will also support the implementation of this project throughout

the grant period. A complete list of these workforce centers is included in the appendices.

12. Projected numbers for each of the seven outcome measures: Entered Employment Rate:

88211176 (75%); Employment Retention Rate: 749/882 (85%); Average Earnings: $27.50/hr;

Credit Attainment Rate: 30,90011030 (certificates) & 32,940/549 (2-yr degrees); Attainment of

Industry-recognized Certificate ( <1-year): 1030/1374 (75%); (> 1-year): N/ A; Graduation

Number/ Rate for Degree Programs: 549/732 (75%); Basic Skills Attainment: 1800/2400 (75%).

13. Public contact information for the grant: CCD's website is http://www.ccd.edu/

14. Keywords/tags: The following keywords summarize the COETC's grant activities.

1. Accelerated Learning 2. Achievement Rates 3. Basic Skills 4. Blended Learning 5. Career Exploration and Guidance 6. Career Pathways 7. Certificate Attainment 8. Competency-based Training 9. Contextualized Learning I 0. Curriculum Redesign 11. Degree Attainment 12. Developmental Education 13. Early Warning Systems 14. Employer Partnership 15. Enhanced Student Services

16. Industry-Driven Competencies 17. Industry-Recognized Credentials 18. Intrusive Advising 19. Job Placement 20. Modular Curriculum 21. Online Teaching/Learning

Open Educational Resources 23. Retention 24. Real-time Online Interactions 25. Remedial Education 26. Retention Strategies 27. Skill Assessments 28. Stackable Credentials 29. Student Success Courses 30. Technology-based learning

3

COLORADO COMMUNITY

COLLEGE SYSTEM

April 1, 2011

Dr. Nancy J. McCallin President Colorado Community College System 9101 E. Lowry Boulevard Denver, Colorado 80230

Dear Dr. McCallin,

My company is committed to being actively engaged in the development of workforce training programs for the "Colorado Online Energy Training Consortium"-- the statewide TAA Community College Career Training Grant proposal. 1 have seen the proposal for my partner college's participation in the consortium, and I am in agreement with the commitments that are specified in the work plan related to my company. These commitments include one or more of the following: defining the program strategy and goals, identifying necessary skills and competencies, providing resources to support education/training (such as equipment, instructors, fund in~ internships, or other work-based learning activities), providing assistance with program design, and where appropriate, hiring qualified participants who complete grant-funded education and training programs.

Planning for this program has included extensive consultation with the Colorado workforce system, including the Colorado Department of labor and Employment as well as the local workforce center in my region. The proposed program will establish stronger ties between businesses, local community colleges, and local workforce centers, which will enable increased information sharing and the realization of shared goals. As a partner in this consortium my company is motivated to support the goal of helping TAA clients prepare for career pathways that lead to sustainable incomes for individuals, as well as supporting the growing Energy industry throughout Colorado.

As we expect to create new job opportunities in Colorado within the near future, this initiative will be crucial in the development of the local workforce for employment with my company.

Sincerely,

Barbara Townsley

Human Resources Manager

Arapahoe County Water and Wastewater Authority

David Remson

Manager of OD/Training

Denver Water

9101 East

John Dalley

Business Manager

Next Era Energy Resources

Terry MacKinnon

Director Environment, Health & Safety, U.S. Mines

Denison Mines (USA) Corq

• www.cccs.edu

Mason Parsaye

General Manager

Energy Construction, Operations & Maintenance

Department

Colorado Springs Util ities

Reg Rudolph

General Manager

San Isabel Electric Association, Inc.

Katie SCherer

Training Manager

Abound Solar

Billy (Bill) Phipps

Learning & Development Coordinator

Operations Recruiting Coordinator

Chevron N. America Exploration & Production Company

Kenneth M. Eaton

Operations Training Manager

DCP Mldsteam

Greg Mcintosh

Completions Engineering Manager

Anadarko Petrole~m Corp.

'trent· ,.etersan

Vice President

GCC Energy, LLC

Jim Jones

District Manager

Employer Partner letter- Page 2

South Adams County Water & Sanitation District

James E. Tallent Jr.

Treatment Services Manager

Uttleton/Englewood Wastewater Treatment Plant

Brain H. Moeck

General Manager

Platte River Power Authority

Evidence of Completion of the Community Outreach Process

The following is a list of organizations that the CO ETC reached out to during the application

development process:

Industry Employers and Industry Associations Contacted during the development of this proposal

Clean energy Colorado Cleantech Industry Association; Northern Colorado Clean Energy Cluster; Foothills Energy Partnership Group; Abound Solar; Ascent Solar; Solix Biofuels; Advanced Energy; Schlumberger; Platte River Power Authority; Woodward; Poudre Valley REA; Western Area Power Administration; Xcel Energy; United Power; Collins Control; Hexcel; Bach Composites; Aerotek; Adecco; Resource MFG; Volt; Energy Sentry; Anheuser Busch; New Belgium Brewery; Vergent Products; Wirsol; Hach; Loveland Products; Andarko; CDP Mistream; Rockies Energy Workforce; Sunsense Solar; SEI; Sol Energy; Positive Energy Sun Power; Western Slope Safety Council; San Isabel Electric; Colorado Springs Utilities; La Plata Energy Council; Colorado Cleantech Industry Association; Northern Colorado Clean Energy Cluster; Foothills Energy Partnership Group; Solix Biofuels; Advanced Energy; Platte River Power Authority; Woodward; Poudre Valley REA; Western Area Power Administration; United Power; Collins Control; Resource MFG; Volt; Energy Sentry; Vergent Products

Wind Vestas of America; Dragon Wind; Iberdola (wind farm); Competitive Power Venture (wind farm); Horizon (wind farm); RES America (wind farm); Next Era; GE Wind Energy: lnvenergy, LLC; Alliance Power, Inc.; Wazee Wind

Mining and oil/gas Encana; Colorado Oil and Gas Association, Weld County Chapter; extraction \Villiams; Shell; Chevron; Exxon; Colorado Natural Gas Coalition;

American Petroleum Institute; McClane Canyon Mine; Denison Mines I

\Vater All Front Range water and waste water utilities

Local/county government agencies: Denver Office of Economic Development; City of Fort

Collins; City of Loveland; City of Longmont; City of Westminster; City ofThornton; City of

Broomfield; City of Brighton; City of Commerce City; Jefferson County; City of Fort Lupton;

City of Rifle; Garfield County; EPA, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment-

\Vater Quality Control Division; and Trinidad Chamber of Commerce

Local Workforce Investment Boards: Arapahoe/Douglas Works! Workforce Center; Rural

Resort Region Workforce Center; City and County of Denver Office of Economic Development

and Workforce Development; Larimer Workforce Center; Workforce Boulder County; Southeast

Region Workforce Center; Eastern Workforce Region; Pikes Peak Workforce Center; Pueblo

Workforce Center; Jefferson County Workforce Center; Employment Services ofWeld County.

Labor organizations: Western Colorado Independent Electrical Contractors and International

Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; Colorado Education Association

Local educational agencies: GED Institute; Emily Griffith Opportunity School; Pickens

Technical School; Learning Source; Colorado Association of Career and Technical Educators;

Colorado Association of Career and Technical Administrators; Association of Career and

Technical Educators; Weld RE-8 School District; Mountain Bureau of Cooperative Education;

Rifle School District-RE 2); Grand Valley School District-Garfield 16; and RE-1 Valley School

District

Community-based organizations: Project WISE; Mi Casa Resource Center; Right to Read; Lift

Up; Salvation Army; Aspen Valley Medical Foundation; Catholic Charities; and Gateway

(WoMen in Transition)

Sponsors of registered apprenticeship programs: West Slope IEC; Ski area operations

(Ropeway Technicians Registered Apprenticeships)

Economic development agencies: Denver Office of Economic Development; Denver Metro

Chamber of Commerce; Hispanic Chamber of Metropolitan Denver; City of Brighton, Office of

Economic Development; Northern Colorado Economic Development Corporation; Upstate

Colorado Economic Development; Rifle Economic Development Corporation; Rifle Chamber of

Commerce; Roaring Fork Business Resource Center; Adams County Office of Economic

2

Development; Logan County Economic Development; and Jefferson County Economic Council

Small business development organizations: Denver Metro Small Business Development Center;

Small Business Development Centers in Westminster, Brighton, Fort Collins and Loveland;

Rocky Mountain Innovation Initiative; Longmont Entrepreneurial Network; Weld Adams

Sustainable Manufacturers Alliance; SBDC-CMC Breckenridge Campus; Colorado Northwest

Council of Government; SCORE-CMC Steamboat Campus; Small Business Development

Center; Longmont Entrepreneurial Network; and Rocky Mountain Innovation Initiative

Existing federally or state funded consortia's sectoral initiatives: Regional Workforce Initiative

Now (WIN) a workforce partnership led by Regional Transportation District (RTD), CCD,

Denver Transit Partners and Urban League of Metropolitan Denver; State Energy Sector

Partnership Grant; Weld/Adams County Manufacturing Sector Grant; Green Jobs for

Coloradans; Denver Green Jobs Initiatives; Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic

Development Grant; Green Jobs Innovation Funds; Weld County Alliance for Career Education

Pathways; TRIO; Carl D. Perkins; High County RSVP; Adult Education and Family Literacy

Act; and Foothills Energy Partnership Grant

3

Complete inventory of existing education and training offered for each proposed industry

in the community and suitable for TAA-eligible individuals

The Colorado State Energy Sector Partnership (SESP) developed an asset map of available

renewable energy and energy efficiency training programs in Colorado (the full list is available

online at ==~

colorado.om/~onRegUseritems.aspx?&itvpe=content&id=30287&Member=O). SESP identified

89 training providers, but of those, only 34 were approved as eligible providers based on the

quality of training provided and its ability to meet industry demand. Among the training

providers, 50% were private business or nonprofit organizations, 30% were colleges, and 20%

were unions or industry association providers. Of the colleges that provide training (n= 18), all

but six are members of the CO ETC. The majority of training topics covered by the other

providers are in fields not targeted by the COETC, such as green construction and solar

installation. In the fields targeted by the COETC, the following providers offer similar trainings:

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Adams State College offers a B.S. degree in chemistry for energy industries .

The American Wind Energy Association offers a safety training for wind industries .

The Ecotech Institute offers a program in electrical engineering technology .

iCast (The International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology) offers a

program in energy efficiency.

Independent Electrical Contractors offers an electrician training program .

Northwestern Community College offers a program in oil and gas process technology .

Pipefitters Local 208 offers training in welding .

Redstone College otTers a wind energy technician program .

Western State Community College offers programs in electric line worker, energy

4

management, manufacturing technology, process technology and watershed science.

The Colorado School of Mines is one of the few 4-year universities in the world to offer

programs from baccalaureate through doctorate levels in all key fields related to energy. The

University of Colorado at Boulder and Colorado State University offer science and engineering

doctorate programs.

The COETC also interviewed employers during the community outreach process to ascertain

their opinions of existing education and training offerings in their industry. According to

employers in the wind industry (Next Era, GE Wind Energy, lnvenergy, LLC, Alliance Power,

Inc., and Wazee Wind), Northeastern Junior College is the only education/training provider in

Northeast Colorado. The only mechanical systems training program for water quality

management is a two-semester (minimum) program in New Mexico.

5

PART II

BUDGET INFORMATION

Grant Program Catalog of Federal Function Domestic Assistance

or Activity Number (a) (b)

1.TAACCCT 17.282

2.

3.

4.

5. Totals

6. Object Class Categories

a. Personnel

b. Fringe Benefits

c. Travel

d. Equipment

e. Supplies

f. Contractual

g. Construction

h. Other

i. Total Direct Charges (sum of 6a-6h)

j. Indirect Charges

k. TOTALS (sum of 6i and 6j)

7. Program Income · -

Previous Edition Usable

BUDGET INFORMATION- Non-Construction Programs OMB Approval No. 0348-0044

SECTION .A~ BUDGET SUMMARY

Estimated Unobligated Funds

Federal Non-Federal Federal (c) (d) (e)

$ $ $ 17,256,881.00

$ 0.00 $ 0.00 $

17,256,881.00

SECTION B- BUDGET CATEGORIES GRANT PROGRAM, FUNCTION OR ACTIVITY

(1) (2) (3)

$ 7,351,782.00

$ $

1 ,923,855.00

357,200.00

3,604,224.00

622,593.00

2,030,965.00

87,975.00

15,978,594.00 0.00 0.00

1,278,287.00

$ 17,256,881.00

$ 0.00

$ 0.00

$ $ $

Authorized for Local Reproduction

...

New or Revised Budget

$

$

$

$

1$

Non-Federal Total (f) (g)

$ 17,256,881 .00

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00 $ 17,256,881 .00

Total

(5) I !

$ 7,351 ,782.00

1 ,923,855.00

357,200.00

3,604,224.00

622,593.00

2,030,965.00

0.00

87,975.00

0.00 15,978,594.00

1,278,287.00

0.00 $

17,256,881 .00

$ 0.00

Standard Form 424A (Rev. 7-97)

Prescribed by OMB Circular A-1 02

•.. - . SECTION C - NON;.FEDERAL RESOURCES

(a) Grant Program (b) Applicant (c) State (d) Other Sources (e) TOTALS

8. $ $ $ $ 0.00

9. 0.00

10. 0.00

11. 0.00

12. TOTAL (sum of lines 8-11) $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ o.oo I

SECTION D - FORECASTED CASH NEEDS •

Total for 1st Year 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter

13. Federal $ 8,978,808.00 $ 4,489,404.00 $ 1 ,496,468.00 $ 1 ,496,468.00 $ 1 ,496,468.00

14. Non-Federal 0.00

15. TOTAL (sum of lines 13 and 14) $ 8,978,808.00 $ 4,489,404.00 $ 1 ,496,468.00 $ 1 ,496,468.00 $ 1,496,468.00

SECTION E - BUDGET ESTIMATES OF FEDERAL FUNDS NEEDED FOR BALANCE OF THE PROJECT

(a) Grant Program FUTURE FUNDING PERIODS (Years) _ib) First (c) Second (d) Third (e) Fourth

16. $ $ $ $

17.

18.

19.

20. TOTAL (sum oflines 16-19) $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00

SECTION F- OTHER BUDGET INFORMATION

21. Direct Charges: 122. Indirect Charges:

23. Remarks:

- -

Authorized for Local Reproduction Standard Form 424A (Rev. 7·97) Page 2

i

Colorado Online Energy Training Consortium Budget Narrative

TOTAL BUDGET REQUEST= $17,256,881 I I. Pe onnel = $7,351 782 I

Central Project P ODD I = Sl 044,057

.. ·· ""' . ·- .. ·-~-"-Program Director- will oversee project implementation and provide oversight and guidance to project manager; will help ensure strategic partnerships among colleges, employers, and the workforce system are carried out as proposed. 20% FTE at $100,011 x 3 yrs = $60,007 Project Manager- will manage project implementation, coordinate with consortia colleges and workforce partners; maintain communications as indicated in workplan; oversee project personnel; and submit performance reports. )100% FTE at $60,000 x 3 yrs = $180,000 Statewide Developmental Education Coordinator- will oversee statewide Dev Ed redesign; development of diagnostics and contextualized curriculum; provide guidance to colleges via technical assistance and professional development. 100% FTE at $68,000 x 3yrs = $204,000 Data Analyst/Institutional Research- will facilitate statewide data extraction from Banner and assist colleges with data monitoring and reporting. 50% FTE at $58,700 x 3yrs = $88,050 Developmental Education Acceleration Specialist- will provide technical and strategic expertise in project implementation of college acceleration strategies. 20% FTE at $80,000 x 3yrs = 48,000 Statewide Developmental Education STEM Faculty - Development of Diagnostics and targeted remediation for STEM training programs (statewide team of six faculty in Reading, Writing, Math) 12 people x two course releases @$2000 = $48,000 Grant Administrator- will provide senior level fiscal oversight for CO ETC, including lead college and partner fiscal compliance and reporting. 75% FTE yr 1; 50% yrs 2&3 at $80,000 =

$140,000 Accounting Technician- will manage day-to-day processing of travel arrangements and expense reimbursement, contractual agreements and payments to partners and vendors. 1 00% FTE at $50,000 x 3yrs = $150,000 Administrative Assistant- will provide administrative support to COETC Project Manager and Grant Administrator. 100% FTE x 42,000 x 3 yrs = $126,000

Colorado Department of Labor & Employment Personnel = $477,000 Workforce Centers Business Services Liaison - 25% FTE at $60,000 x 10 WF Centers x 3yrs = $450,000 CDLE Coordinator -15% FTE at _$60,000 x 3l:rs = $27,000 ,_

Colleg 'Partner Personnel = $5,830,725

1

100% FTE x $45K yr one, $36K yr two, $27K yr three = $117,000 x 6 colleges = $702,000 Instructional Coordination/Curriculum Development \Vill oversee Dev Ed course redesign at college, including logistics and academic oversight; implement professional development; submit reports, serve on statewide redesign team, develop new curriculum. 4 course releases per year in yrs one and two, two course releases in year three @$2000 =$20,000 x 6 colleges = $120,000 Instructional Support (tutors, supplemental instruction)- will provide academic support in learning labs and through supplemental instruction @$20 per hour for 350 hours; $4000 yr one, $2000 yr two, $1000 yr three= $7000 x 6 colleges= $42,000 Internal Professional Development - 25 faculty @ $20 x 20 trainings, faculty inquiry groups and continuous program improvement meetings; $4000 per year in yrs one and two, $2000 yr 3 = $10,000 x 6 colleges = $60,000 Data Coordinator - will track intervention and comparison groups for state project, provide formative data to faculty inquiry groups. 20% FTE@ $40,000 x 3 yrs=$24,000 x 6 colleges= $144,000 Level2: 200-900 Dev Ed FTE (ACC, CCA, PCC, RRCC, Aims, CMC) = $213,000 x 6 colleges= $1,278,000 Career Coach - Same description as above. 100% FTE x $45K yr one, $36K yr two, $27K yr three= $117,000 x 6 colleges= $702,000 Instructional Coordination/Curriculum Development- Same description as above. 8 course releases per year in yrs one and two; 4 per year in yr three@ $2000 = $40,000 x 6 colleges = $240,000 Instructional Support (tutors, supplemental instruction) -Same description as above. @$20 per hour for 600 hours= $12,000 x 6 colleges= $72,000 Internal Professional Development - 50 faculty @ $20 x 20 trainings, faculty inquiry groups and continuous program improvement meetings; $8000 yrs one and two, $4000 yr 3 = $20,000 x 6 colleges = $120,000 Data Coordinator- Same description as above. 20% FTE @ $40,000 x 3 yrs=$24,000 x 6 colleges= $144,000 Level3: over 900 Dev Ed FTE (CCD, FRCC, PPCC) = $247,000 x 3 colleges= $741,000 Career Coach- Same description as above. 100% FTE x $45K yr one, $36K yr two, $27K yr three= $117,000 x 3 colleges= $351,000 Instructional Coordination/Curriculum Development- Same description as above.12 course releases per year in yrs one and two; 6 per year in yr three@ $2000 = $60,000 x 3 colleges = $180,000 Instructional Support (tutors, supplemental instruction) -Same description as above. @$20 per

1 hour for 900 hours = $18,000 x 3 colleges $54,000 I Internal Professional Development - 70 faculty @ $20 x 20 trainings, faculty inquiry groups

and continuous program improvement meetings; $12,000 yrs one and two, $4000 yr 3 = $28,000x3 colleges = $84,000 Data Coordinator- Same description as above. 20% FTE @ $40,000 x 3 yrs=$24,000 x 3 colleges= $72,000

~~~.-gi~J"~gra~Jl~f:son~ei,Qr~czczt~~€C,. N~C, ~$J~,P(::2,·~~ C'<:7 .. ~~p) ' ·.· .~ TotaiEnergyPersonnel=$2,743,725 ··. • ........ . ·~ , ·· .. ·.·. . .... · ... ·. ·•·•···· •••·

Front Range Communitv College = $564,234 T AA Energy Program Coordinator- will serve as college liaison to employer partners, to the

2

statewide project manager, and to other participating Energy colleges. Responsibility for program approval, and instructor training. 100% FTE at $60,000x3yrs = $180,000 Workforce Liaison- will coordinate with workforce center for student recruitment, tuition assistance, employer relations, internship agreements, and job placement. Note: In all other program colleges this role is combined with Energy Program Coordinator, but because of size of FRCC and the need to coordinate with three WF centers (Larimer, Adams County, and Boulder County), there is a need for this to be a separate role. 100% FTE at $55,104x3yrs = $165,312 Instructional Designer- will work with faculty and industry experts to review the field for Open Educational Resources, build new interactive content where necessary, and ensure online courses meet IMS standards. 100% FTE at $50,000x yTs 1&2 = $100,000 Multi-media Coordinator- will work with instructional designer to create learner-centered, engaging, and adaptive content to maximize student learning and interactivity in the online and hybrid certificate and degree programs. 50% FTE at $43,200x1yr = $21,600 Adjunct Energy Faculty- Experts will facilitate short-term training courses in Wind Energy, Solar Technology, and Power Technology for certificate programs. $46/hr x 92 hrs = $4232/session x 3 sessions x yrs 2&3 = $25,392 Clean Energy Faculty -will serve as subject matter experts for the online and hybrid adaptatio-;-of 32 courses (85 credits) at $658/credit hr. Yr 1 =40 credits, Yr 2=45 credits, Total=$55,930 Contextualized Developmental Education Modules -Energy faculty will work with Dev Ed faculty to create contextualized DevEd learning modules. 4 course releases at $2000 x yrs 1&2 = $16,000

Red Rocks Community College= $358,700 T AA Energy Program Coordinator- will serve as college liaison to employer partners, to the statewide project manager, and to other participating Energy colleges. Responsibility for program approval, and instructor training. Will coordinate with workforce center for student recruitment, tuition assistance, employer relations, internship agreements, and job placement. 100% FTE at $60,000x3yrs = $180,000 Water Quality Mgt Lead Faculty -will lead the adaptation of WQM curriculum, ensuring alignment with industry-identified skills and standards, coordinate completion of mobile training lab, and establish regional training partners. 75% FTE at $44,000 = $33,000 x yrs 1&2; 35% FTE in yr 3 =$15,400; total= $81,400 Online Learning Director- will oversee the adaptation of WQM courses for online delivery and professional development for online instructors. 20% FTE at $71,000 = $14,200 yr 1; 10% FTE in vr 2 $7,1 00; total $21,300 Instructional Designer - will work with faculty and industry experts to review the field for Open Educational Resources, build new interactive content where necessary, and ensure online courses meet IMS standards. 50% FTE at $60,000x yrs 1&2 = $60,000 Contextualized Developmental Education Modules- Energy faculty will work with Dev Ed faculty to create contextualized DevEd learning modules. 4 course releases at $2000 x yrs 1&2 = $16,000

Northeastern Junior College= $291,000 TAA Energy Program Coordinator- will serve as college liaison to employer partners, to the statewide project manager, and to other participating Energy colleges. Responsibility for program approval, and instructor training. Will coordinate with workforce center for student recruitment, tuition assistance, employer relations, internship agreements, and job placement. Will also?erve as faculty in Wind pro1.1:ram. 100% FTE at $75,000x3yrs = $225,000

3

Instructional Designer- will work with faculty and industry experts to review the field for Open Educational Resources, build new interactive content where necessary, and ensure online courses meet IMS standards. 50% FTE at $50,000x yrs 1&2 = $50,000 Contextualized Developmental Education Modules- Energy faculty will work with Dev Ed faculty to create contextualized DevEd learning modules. 4 course releases at $2000 x yrs 1&2

$16,000 Trinidad State Junior College= $281,000

T AA Energy Program Coordinator- will serve as college liaison to employer partners, to the statewide project manager, and to other participating Energy colleges. Responsibility for program approval, and instructor training. Will coordinate with workforce center for student recruitment, tuition assistance, employer relations, internship agreements, and job placement. 100% FTE at $45,000x3yrs = $135,000 Adjunct Energy Faculty - will serve as subject matter experts for the online and hybrid adaptation ofthe Line Technician program. Yr.1&2 = $30,000x2; Yr.3=$20,000; total=$80,000 Instructional Designer- will work with faculty and industry experts to review the field for Open Educational Resources, build new interactive content where necessary, and ensure online courses meet IMS standards. 50% FTE at $50,000x yrs 1&2 = $50,000 Contextualized Developmental Education Modules -Energy faculty will work with Dev Ed faculty to create contextualized DevEd learning modules. 4 course releases at $2000 x yrs 1&2 = $16,000

Pueblo Community College= $516,000 T AA Energy Program Coordinator- will serve as college liaison to employer partners, to the statewide project manager, and to other participating Energy colleges. Responsibility for program approval, and instructor training. Will coordinate with workforce center for student recruitment, tuition assistance, employer relations, internship agreements, and job placement. 100% FTE at $42,000x3vrs = $126,000

~ . Energy Training Instructors- Three full-time instructors will be hired to develop curriculum in collaboration with employer partners and deliver training to workers. 100% FTE at $45,000 x 3 instructors= $135,000 yr 1; 80%FTE at $45,000x3 = $108,000 yr.2; 60%FTE at $45,000x3=$81 ,000 yr.3; total= $324,000 Instructional Designer- will work with faculty and industry experts to review the field for Open Educational Resources, build new interactive content where necessary, and ensure online courses meet IMS standards. 50% FTE at $50,000x yrs 1&2 = $50,000 Contextualized Developmental Education Modules Energy faculty will work with Dev Ed faculty to create contextualized DevEd learning modules. 4 course releases at $2000 x yrs 1 &2

$16,000 Aims Community College= $310,291

T AA Energy Program Coordinator- will serve as college liaison to employer partners, to the statewide project manager, and to other participating Energy colleges. Responsibility for program approval, and instructor training. Will coordinate with workforce center for student recruitment, tuition assistance, employer relations, internship agreements, and job placement. 100% FTE at $60,000x3yrs = $180,000 Adjunct Energy Faculty- 2 faculty for 25 hrs/week@ $13/hr x 16 weeks x 2 semesters= $20,800 vr 1; $21,454 vr 2; $22,067 vr 3; total = $64,291 Instructional Designer will work with faculty and industry experts to review the field for Open Educational Resources, build new interactive content where necessarv, and ensure online

4

courses meet IMS standards. 50% FTE at $50,000x yrs 1&2 = $50,000 Contextualized Developmental Education Modules -Energy faculty will work with Dev Ed faculty to create contextualized DevEd learning modules. 4 course releases at $2000 x yrs 1&2

$16,000 Colorado Mountain College = $422,500

T AA Energy Program Coordinator -will serve as college liaison to employer partners, to the statewide project manager, and to other participating Energy colleges. Responsibility for program approval, and instructor training. Will coordinate with workforce center for student recruitment, tuition assistance, employer relations, internship agreements, and job placement. 1 00% FTE at $50,000x3yrs = $150,000 Instrumentation & Solar Faculty- 100% FTE at $65,000 yr 1 = $65,000; 80% FTE at $65,000 yr 2 = $52,000; 60% FTE at $65,000 yr 3=$39,000; total= $156,000 Adjunct Energy Faculty- 3 at $3,300/course x 3 yrs = $29,700 Instructional Designer- will work with faculty and industry experts to review the field for Open Educational Resources, build new interactive content where necessary, and ensure online courses meet IMS standards. 50% FTE at $50,000x yrs 1&2 = $50,000 Director of Alternative Delivery - will oversee the adaptation of Energy courses for online delivery and professional development for online instructors. 20% FTE @52,000 x yrs 1&2 = $20,800 Contextualized Developmental Education Modules- Energy faculty will work with Dev Ed faculty to create contextualized DevEd learning modules. 4 course releases at $2000 x yrs 1&2 = $16,000 II~ Fringe Benefits= $1,923,855 ~, ~·/ ... '

·.·•.·•

.. · . •·., ..... ·

Central Project (CCD)@ 26% of$1,044,057 = $271,455 CCD@ 26% of$247,000 = $64,220 FRCC@ 22% of$811,324 = $178,471 RRCC@ 26% of$571,700 = $148,642 NJC@ 28% of$469,000 = $131,320 TSJC ({.iJ 27% of$459,000 $123,930 PCC@ 26% of$729,000 = $189,540 Aims@ 30% of$523,291 = $156,987 CMC @ 27% of $635,500 $171,585 CCA@ 30% of$213,000 $63,900 ACC@ 22% of$213,000 $45,795 OJC @ 32% of $178,000 = $56,960 LCC @ 25% of $178,000 = $44,500 PPCC (a) 25% of$247,000 = $61,750 CNCC @ 25% of $178,000 = $44,500 MCC @ 26% of $178,000 = $46,280

CiJIE@ 26% of$477,000 $124,020 III. Travel= $357,200

.. . .· '• ;,.,· ............. .. ....... ··~· .·•~•.~• .. ~ ·i

Central Project (CCD)- Total Travel= $45,000 --Travel for 2 project leaders to attend national conference @1500 each= $3000/yr x 3yrs =

5

$9,000 --Travel for state DevEd coordinator to four regions, twice a year= $12,000 x 3yrs = $36,000 CCD, FRCC, CCA, ACC, PPCC Total Travel = $11,000 x 5 colleges = $55,000 --mileage, lodging, and per diem to attend consortium meetings, and 1 national conference focusing on Dev Ed/yr = $4,000 yr I; $4,000 yr 2; $3,000 yr 3 = $11,000 RRCC- Total Travel= $25,000. Mileage, lodging, and per diem to attend consortium meetings, establish regional industry/training partnerships and conduct regional training. $6,000 yr 1; $11,000 yr 2; $8,000 _yr 3 NJC, OJC, LCC, CNCC, MCC- Total Travel= $17,000 x 5 colleges= $85,000 --Mileage, lodging, and per diem to attend consortium meetings, and 1 national conference/yr; rural region requires higher mileage and lodging costs. $6,000 yr 1; $6,000 yr 2; $5,000 yr 3 = $11,000 TSJC- Total Travel= $22,000 --Mileage, lodging, and per diem to attend consortium meetings, travel between Trinidad and Colorado Spring training sites; and 1 national conference/yr; rural region requires higher mileage and lodging costs. $8,400 yr 1; $8,400 yr 2; $5,200 yr 3 = $22,000 PCC- Total Travel= $91,200 --staff (Energy coord & Career Coach) travel between Pueblo and Durango/Cortez to meet w/participants and train staff- $875/wk x 4wks/yr x 3 yrs x 2 staff= $21,000 --instructor travel by car for training using mobile labs - $500/wk x 20wks/yr x 3 instructors x yrs 2&3 = $60,000 --employer visits throughout region. 5 trips/mo x $40/trip x 36 mo = $7,200 --travel to statewide consortium training, professional development @J$1 ,000/yr x 3 = $3,000 Aims- Total Travel= $13,000 --mileage, lodging, and per diem to attend consortium meetings, establish regional industry-training partnerships and conduct regional training. $5,000 yr 1; $5,000 yr 2; $3,000 yr 3 CMC- Total Travel= $21,000 --mileage, lodging, and per diem to attend consortium meetings, establish regional industry/training partnerships and conduct regional training. Solary/Instrumentation faculty attend professional dev conference. $8,000 _yr 1; $8,000 y_r 2; $5,000 yr 3

I . Equipment = 3 604,224

; ~entral Project Equipment Laptop computers to support central project staff. 5 at $3,000 = $15_1_000

Coll~e Partner Equipment Front Range Community Coll~e- Total Equi_p = $921,067 Clean Energy Technology mobile lab and course equipment- $668,087(details below)

6

Dimensionair Air Gage- $3798 NI ELVIS II + 780381-02 at $3329 x 26 = $86,554 Quanser Qnet Mechatronics Sensors 1 Brd for NI ELVIS at $2499 x 26 = $64,974 EMS Training System - L VDAM = $22,180 x 3 = $66,540 Basic Industrial Controls- $9722 x 3 = $29,166 Option w/2nd team add on- $7307 x 3 = $21,921 Wind Energy/Solar Training System- $12,400 x 3 = $37,200 Cables, consoles, CD-ROM facilitator guides - $24,951 Power Plant Laboratory- includes Boiler, feed water treatment, superheater, turbine, generator, condenser, cooling tower, PLC controller - $332,985

Multi-media production station- $5,000 Webcams (30 @$71.40) and Headsets (30@$20) = $2,742 Artificial intelligence-based system for individualized math instruction - $10,000 Laptop computers (25) +cart for self-paced Dev Ed classes- $87,936 IT Infrastructure -equipment, software, network expansion to offer online resources such as career services, student success portal, online tutoring. $14 7,300 Red Rocks Communitv Colle~e- Total Equip = $33,400 Mobile lab housing- trailer w/generator = $6,400 (mobile lab supplies listed under supplies) Interior/exterior modifications to transport equipment during lab experience - $27,000 Northeastern Junior Colle~e- Total Equip= $241,000 Wind Technology lab expansion: 2 Nacelle Trainers, 3 Hydraulic Hubs, 1 E-hub trainer+ delivery = $241 ,000 Trinidad State Junior Colle~e- Total Equip= $165,000 Line Technician laboratory expansion to provide training for online/hybrid cohorts, both Trinidad and Colorado Springs sites. Lab equipment - $105,000 IT Infrastructure- equipment, software, network expansion to offer online resources -$60,000 Pueblo Community Colle~e- Total Equip = $886,957 Mobile lab trainer workstations - $60,000 Generator- power for labs & equipment. $12,500 x 3 = $3 7,500 Gas compression trainer- part of mechanical systems lab. $20,000 Welding simulator- $50,000 x 2 = $100,000 Truck/tractor -used commercial truck, automatic transmission to transport mobile labs to the training sites. $60,000 Circuit breaker- $350 x 3 trailers $1,050 T caching technology- instructor station, projector, smart board, speakers, cable. $14,696 x 3 trailers $44,907 Vibration isolation -decreases decibel level inside trailer due to generator. $600 x 3 trailers = $1,800 Electrical, heating, A/C- $16,500 x 3 trailers= $49,500 Trailer wrap- $7,000 x 3 trailers= $21,000 Trailer components- mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic. $67,000 Trailer components electrical, PLC, instrumentation, motor. $14 7,000 Welding equipment- manual welders, welding booths, torch, grinders. $130,000 Miscellaneous components- desktops, safetv equipment. $25,000 Generator fuel- needed to power the mobile learning labs. $7,200 x yrs 2&3 = $14,400

7

Training materials for mobile labs- workbooks, handouts, consumable lab supplies. $95,300 IT Infrastructure -laptops, monitors, docking stations for new positions. 5 at $2500 = $12,500 Aims Community College- Total Equip = $948,000 Mobile lab trainers- 1 lab in yr 1 and 1 in yr 2 at $326,000 each= $652,000 (details below)

Mechanical Drives 1 Learning System $13,300.00

Mechanical Drive 2 Learning System $7,110.00

AC/DC Electrical Learning System $5,785.00

Power and control elecronics Learning System $34,456.00

electric motor control learning system $26,325.00

level/flow process control learning system $18,565.00

temperature process control learning system $23,879.00

analytical Process control Learning system $21,745.00

piping Learning sytem $12,710.00

Pipe hose machine package $19,685.00

Centrifugal Pump Learning System $7,092.00

Basic Fluid Power Learning system $15,775.00

Intermediate Hydraulics Learning system $5,085.00

Welding Technology Learning System $ 18,058.00

Air conditioning/Heat Pump Learning System $ 14,155.00 Programmable controller Troubleshooting Workstation $9,835.00

PLC Troubleshooting Learning System $16,870.00

PLC analog application Learning system $7,210.00

PLC control Lea ring System $7,865.00

Panel View Plus Learning System $13,320.00

Pic DeviceNet Learning System $8,565.00

PLC EtherNet Learning System $10,630.00

Shipping /installation and orientation (approx) $7,981.00

Hampden Engineering Mobile Classroom trailer, 44' Gooseneck, fully equipped classroom, w/HV AC - $118,000 in each yr 1 & 2 = $236,000 Truck to tr l trailers - yr 1 only (can transport both labs) $60,000 Colorado Mountain College- Total Equip= $228,000 lKW Solar system, battery storage, 2-axis tracking viability- $25,000 Mobile trainer for training lab - $15,000 4-wheel drive natural gas vehicle to transport mobile lab- $47,000 IT Infrastructure laptops (1 0 at $1450) + laptop cart at $1500 = $16,000 Simtronics software= $125,000 Community College of Aurora- Total Equip = $49,300 Laptop computers (20) +cart for Dev Ed classes= $49,300 Arapahoe Community College- Total Equip = $14,000 Online Writing Center Worldwide Whiteboard- $9,000 FLEX computer skills software- $5,000 Otero Junior College- Total Equip = $24,500

8

Developmental learning lab- 10 computer stations @$1,550 = $15,500 Laptops for personnel in learning lab- 3@ $3000 = $9,000 Pikes Peak Community College- Total Equip= $36,000 Tech prep course & Cyber advising at PPCC and PPWorkforce Center- 60 iPads @$600=$36,000 Morgan Community College- Total Equip= $17,000 Laptops for Dev Ed tutorial center - 1 0 @$1, 700 $17,000 Community College of Denver- Total Equip== $25,000 Desktop computers for Dev Ed lab- 25 @$1000 = $25,000

"V. Supplies = $622,593 .·:.' ·''· . ····'·~ ···.· .. ~··.·.·.·· ···.···· ... ··.·····. >>/.;i·:··.· \:·:·~·(·~·1/;/~~nf < .• ;'; • } · .. • ••

Central Project (CCD)- Total Supplies= $9,000 Paper, copies, postage, office supplies @$3,000 x 3yrs; CCD- paper, copies, postage, flash drives, headsets- Total Supplies= $7,000 FRCC- $0 RRCC- Total supplies= $91,554 Materials, paper, copies, postage, office supplies= $15,000 Mobile lab supplies (details below)= $76,554

Item Description Quantity Cost Each Total Cost Chlorine Pocket Colorimeter 4 $352.00 $1_408.00 Fluoride Pocket Colorimeter 4 $370.00 $1_480.00 Nitrate Pocket Colorimeter 4 $370.00 $1_480.00 Dissolved Oxygen Pocket Colorimeter 4 $370.00 $1,480.00 Turbidimeter Calibration Kit 4 $94.35 $377.40 Sample Cells 4/6ea $21.65 $86.60 Total Coliform Lab 4 $3,111.00 $12_444.00 Complete Water Quality Lab 4 $5,652.00 $22,608.00 Water Ecology Set 4 $399.00 $1,S96.00 Stormwater Kit 2 $360.00 $720.00 Just Add Water Science Kits 12 $59.95 $719.40 SPADN5 Reagent for Fluoride 3 $359.00 $1,077.00 Scale 3 $119.00 $357.00 Hot Plate/Stirrer 4 $418.00 $1,672.00 Jar Test Lab 4 $2,719.00 $10,876.00 Temperature Pocket Pal Tester 6 $54.19 $325.14 TDS Pocket Pal Tester 6 $61.45 $368.70 Conductivity Pocket Pat Tester 6 $63.39 $380.34 TDS Calibration Standard 3 $12.05 $36.15 Stir Sticks 4 $4.05 $16.20 Stir Stick Retriever 3 $10.75 $32.25 Sampler 1 $38.19 $38.19 Microscope 4 $2,499.00 $9,996.00 Safety Glasses UV 12 $18.25 $219.00 Disposable Gloves 4 $15.79 $63.16

s 6 $24.25 I $145.50 Dl Bottle 6 $31.35 1 $188.10 Sterile Cotton Swabs 3 $16.95 $50.85

Rack 2 $69.25 $138.50 Bottle Rack 2 $31.25 $62.50

Hot Gloves 3 $33.99 $101.97 Petri Dishes 4 $116.00 $464.00 Vinyf Apron 3 $18.25 $54.75 Measuring Scoop 12 $3.09 $37.08 Kim Wipes 4 $10.55 $42.20 MPA Apparatus 1 $1,000.00 $1,000.00 Beakers 4 $37.75 $151.00

..

Sample Bottles 3 $35.85 $107.55 MF Apparatus (GI, •) 4 $355.00 $1,420.00 Erlenmeyer Flask 4 $44.95 $179.80 Volumetric Flask 4 $136.50 $S46.00 Pipet Bulbs 4 $20.09 $80.36 G: Cylinder 6 $70.3S $422.10 Vacuum Apparatus 4 $215.00 $860.00 Vacuum Hose 12/1ft I $9.33 $111.96

NJC- Outreach materials (brochures, posters, print materials) Total supplies= $415

9

TSJC- Total Supplies= $15,000 Office su lies, headsets, deskto s, hones: $5,000 x 3 yTs.

Aims -Total Supplies = $228,424 Yr 1=$140,050: Yr. 2 = $80,374; Yr. 3 = $8,000 The supplies request is based on a quote from Amatrol on supplies needed to fully equip approximately 12 trainers for instruction and includes peripheral equipment, curriculum and learning systems, hand tools, workstation frames, pumps, etc. Most of these supplies are a 1 time purchases under $5000.00 each to fully equip the mobile labs not consumables. Therefore the second year the budget is reduced because some supplies for trailerl can be shared with trailer2, such as curriculum and learning systems licenses. CMC- Mobile unit ex enses (fuel) -Total Su lies= $25,000 CCA -Total Supplies = $23,200 Office supplies, headsets, desktops, hones: yrl =$12,000; yr2=$5,600; yr3=$5,600 ACC - paper, copies, postage, office supplies @ $1,500 x 3 yrs = Total Supplies =$4,500 OJC, LCC, PPCC, CNCC - $0 MCC- Materials for facult and staff training; Total Su plies= $2,500 CDLE- Total Supplies= $112,500 2,500 administrations of Career Readiness Certificate by Workforce Centers @ $15 each= $3 7,500 x 3 yrs.

Central Project (CCD)- Total Contractual= $1,744,280 --Project external evaluation- yr.1 =$305,3 79; yr.2=$324, 792; yr.3=$3 34,1 09; total eval=$964,280 --Central "Energy" career hub website - includes career-related news, discussion forums, calendar of events, videos, web conferencing, member profiles, links to job postings with live RSS feeds; links to Energy programs within CO ETC= $720,000 --Subject matter experts in contextual/modular/accelerated DevEd = $35,000 --Meeting costs for CO ETC and DevEd faculty professional development- yr.l =$1 0,000;

r.2=$5,000; T.3=$1 0,000; total meetin costs= $25,000

FRCC- Total Contractual= $109,320 --Expert consultant to enhance web-based student services= $16,000 --Videographer and media production consultant to assist with build-out of online/hybrid Clean Energy programs= $80.000 (400 hrs @$200/hr.) --Industr consultants to assist with curriculum develo ment = $13,320 RRCC- Total Contractual= $51,765 --Industry subject matter experts for online adaptation of 32 courses (85 credits) at $609/credit. Yr. I -45 credits 405; vr. 2-40 credits= $24,360 NJC- $0 TSJC- Total Contractual= $15,000 --Industry subject matter experts for online adaptation of theory-based line technician curriculum.

10

PCC- Total Contractual= $105,600 --Industry consultant to design and build mobile Jabs: $40/hr x 160 hrs/mo.x 9 months= $57,600 --Mine Safety Health Administration curriculum consultant= $9,600 x 3yrs = $28,800 --First responder curriculum consultant = $6,400 x 3 yrs = $19,200 Aims, CMC, CCA, ACC, OJC, LCC, PPCC, CNCC - $0 MCC- Total Contractual= $5,000 --One day professional development with nationally recognized DevEd consultant. CDLE- $0 VII. Coo tructioo = SO

VIII. Oth r = S87 975 .. . · ...

··- · Central Project (CCD)- $0 CCD -$0 FRCC- Total "Other"= $16,000 Learning Communities Academy- college-wide professional development: professional training compensation= $5,000 x 2yrs=$10,000; attendee stipends @$100 each x 30 attendees x2yrs=$6, 000 RRCC- WQM faculty stipends to attend training in LMS platform (Desire2Learn)- Total "Other" = $2,000 NJC- $0 TSJC- $0 PCC- Total "Other" = $39,975 --Generator maintenance 4/yr x $300 x 3 labs= $3 ,600 yrs 2&3 = $7,200 --Dept of Transportation inspections; annual per trailer $165/3 Jabs x 3yrs = $1,485 --Truck maintenance @$500/yr x 3 yrs = $1,500 --Telephone service: $60/mo x 4 lines x 36 months= $8,640; $50 cell svc/mo x 4 x 36 months= $7,200; total phone service= $15,840 --Marketing materials: $13,950 Aims, CMC, CCA, ACC - $0 OJC- purchase of developmental learning software: $10,000/yr x 3; Total "Other"= $30,000 LCC, PPCC, CNCC, MCC, CDLE - $0

11

PART Ill

ASSURANCES/CERTIFICATIONS

OMB Approval No. 4040-0007 Expiration Date 04/30/2008

ASSURANCES - NON-CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMS

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 15 minutes per response. including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources. gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden. to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0348-0400), Washington. DC 20503.

PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR COMPLETED FORM TO THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET. SEND IT TO THE ADDRESS PROVIDED BY THE SPONSORIING AGENCY.

NOTE: Certain of these assurances may not be applicable to your project or program. If you have questions, please contact the awarding agency. Further, certain Federal awarding agencies may require applicants to certify to additional assurances. If such is the case, you will be notified.

As the duly authorized representative of the applicant, I certify that the applicant:

(1) Has the legal authority to apply for Federal Assistance, and the Institutional, managerial and financial capability (including funds sufficient to pay the non-Federal share of project cost) to ensure proper planning, management and completion of the project described in this application.

(2) Will give the awarding agency, the Comptroller General of the United States, and if appropriate, the State, through any authorized representative. access to and the right to examine all records, books, papers, or documents related to the award; and will establish a proper accounting system in accordance with generally accepted accounting standards or agency directives.

(3) Will establish safeguards to prohibit employees from using their positions for a purpose that constitutes or presents the appearance of personal or organizational conflict of interest, or personal gain.

(4) Will initiate and complete the work within the applicable time frame after receipt of approval of the awarding agency.

(5) Will comply with the Intergovernmental Personnel Act of 1970 (42 U.S.C.4728-4763) relating to prescribed standards for merit systems for programs funded under one of the 19 statutes or regulations specified in Appendix A of OPM's Standards for a Merit System of Personnel Administration (5 C.F.R 900, Subpart F).

(6) Will comply with all Federal statutes relating to nondiscrimination. These include but are not limited to: (a) Tille VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (P.L 88-352) which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin; (b) Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1681-1683, and 1685-1686), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex; (c) Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U S C. 794), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of handicaps: (d) the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended (42 U.S.C. 6101-6107). which prohibits discrimination on the basis of age; (e) the Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Ad of 1972 (P.L. 92.255) as amended, relating to nondiscrimination on the basis of drug abuse; (f) the Comprehen­sive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Act of 1970 (PL. 91-616), as amended, relating to nondiscrimination on the basis of alcohol abuse or alcoholism; (g) 523 and 527 of the Public Health Service Act of 1912 (42 U.S. C. 290 dd-3 and 290 ee-3). as amended. relating to confidentiality of alcohol and drug abuse patient records: (h) Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 {42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.). as amended, relating to nondiscrimination in the sale, rental or financing of housing; (i) any other nondiscrimination provisions in the specific statute(s) under which application for Federal assistance is being made; and (j) the requirements of any other nondiscrimination statue(s) which may apply to the application.

(7) Will comply, or has already complied, with the requirements of Titles II and Ill of the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real

Property Acquisition Policies Ad of 1970 (P.L. 91-646) which provides for fair and equitable treatment of persons displaced or whose property is acquired as a result of Federal or federally assisted programs. These requirements apply to all interests in real property acquired for project purposes regardless of Federal participation in purchases.

(8) Will comply, as applicable, with the provisions of the Hatch Act (5 U.S. C. 1501-1508 and 7324-7328) which limit the political activities of employees whose principal employment activities are funded in whole or in part with Federal funds.

(9) Will comply, as applicable, with the provisions of the Davis-Bacon Ad (40 U.S.C. 276a to 276a-7), the Copeland Act (40 U.S.C. 276c and 18 U.S. C. 874), and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (40 U.S.C. 327 -333), regarding labor standards for federally assisted construction subagreements.

(10) Will comply, if applicable, with Flood Insurance Purchase Requirements of Section 1 02(a) of the Flood Disaster Protection Ad of 1973 (P.L. 93-234) which requires recipients in a special flood hazard area to participate in the program and to purchase flood insurance if the total cost of insurable construction and acquisition is $10,000 or more.

(11) Will comply with environmental standards which may be prescribed pursuant to the following: (a) institution of environmental quality control measures under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (P.L. 91-190) and Executive Order (EO) 11514; (b) notification of violating facilities pursuant to EO 11738; (c) protection of wetlands pursuant to EO 11990; (d) evaluation of flood hazards in flood plains in accordance with EO 11988; (e) assurance of project consistency with the approved State management program developed under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1451 et seq.); {f) conformity of Federal actions to State (Clear Air) Implementation Plans under Section 176(c) of the Clear Air Ad of 1955, as amended (42 U.S. C. 7401 et seq.); {g) protection of underground sources of drinking water under the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, as amended, (PL. 93-523); and (h) protection of endangered species under the Endangered Species Ad of 1973, as amended, (P L. 93-205).

(12) Will comply with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (16 U.S.C. 1271 et seq.) related to protecting components or potential components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

( 13) Will assist the awarding agency in assuring compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. as amended (16 U.S.C. 470), EO 11593 (identification and protection of historic properties), and the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974 {16 U.S.C. 469a.1 et seq.).

(14) Will comply with P.L. 93-348 regarding the protection of human

subjects involved in research, development, and related activities supported by this award of assistance. (15) Will comply with the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act of 1966 (PL) 89-544, as amended, 7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.) pertaining to the care, handling, and treatment of warm blooded animals held for research, teaching, or other activities supported by this award of assistance.

(16) Will comply with the Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act (42 U.S.C. 4801 et seq.) which prohibits the use of lead based paint in construction or rehabilitation of residence structures.

*SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED CERTIFYING OFFICIAL (Use of grant funds certifies acceptance of these assurances)

*APPLICANT ORGANIZATION

(17) Will cause to be perfonmed the required financial and compli­ance audits in accordance with the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 and OMB Circular No. A-133, "Audits of States. Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organization."

(18) Will comply with all applicable requirements of all other Federal laws, executive orders, regulations and policies governing this program.

*TITLE

*DATE SUBMITTED (Use of grant funds certifies acceptance of these assurances)

Standard Form 4248 (Rev. 7-97) Back

Lobbying Certification (29 CFR Part 93)

Instructions (or Completion o(SF-LLL, Disclosure o(Lobbving Activities

This disclosure form shall be completed by the reporting entity, whether subawardee or prime Federal recipient, at the initiation or receipt of a covered Federal Action, or a material change to a previous filing, pursuant to title 31 US<C section 1352" The filing of a form is required for each payment or agreement to make payment to any lobbying entity for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an otiicer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with a covered Federal action< Use the SF-LLL-A Continuation Sheet for additional information if the space on the form is inadequate. Complete all items that appl} for both the initial filing and material change report" Refer to the implementing guidance published by the Otlice of Management and Budget lor additional inlormation<

Identify the type of covered Federal action tor which lobbying activity is and/or has been secured to influence the outcome of a covered Federal action<

2< Identify the status of the covered Federal action.

3. Identify the appropriate classification of this report. If this is a followup report caused by a material change to the information previously reported, enter the year and quarter in which the change occurred< Enter the date of the last previously submitted report by this reporting entity tor this covered Federal action.

4< Enter the full name, address, city, state and zip code of the reporting entity" Include Congressional District, if known< Check the appropriate classification of the reporting entity that designates if it is, or expects to be, a prime or subaward recipient Identify the tier of the subawardee, e g<, the first subawardee of the prime is the 1st tieL Subawards include but are not limited to subcontracts, subgrants and contract awards under grants.

5 If the organization filing the report in item4 checks "Subawardee"" then enter the full name, address, city, state and zip code of the prime Federal recipient. Include Congressional District, if known"

6< Enter the name of the Federal agency making the award or loan commitment. Include at least one organizational level below agency name, if known< For example, Department of Transportation, United States Coast Guard"

7" Enter the Federal program name or description for the covered Federal action (item I)< If known, enter the full Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number for grants, cooperative agreements, loans, and loan commitments<

8. Enter the most appropriate Federal identifying number available for the Federal action identified in item I ( e"g", Request for Proposal (RFP) number; Invitation for Bid (IFB) number, grant announcement number, the contract, grant, or loan award number, the application/proposal control number assigned by the Federal agency)< Include prefixes, e"g", "RFP-DE-90-00L"

9" For a covered Federal action where there has been an award or loan commitment by the Federal agency, enter the Federal amount of the award/loan commitment tor the prime entity identified in item 4 or 5<

10 (a) Enter the full name, address, city, state and zip code of the lobbying entity engaged by the reporting entity identified in item 4 to influence the covered Federal action"

(b) Enter the full names of the individual(s) performing services, and include full address if different from 10 (a)" Enter Last Name. First Name, and Middle Initial (MI)"

11 < Enter the amount of compensation paid or reasonably expected to be paid by the reporting entity (item 4) to the lobbying entity (item 10)" Indicate whether the payment has been made (actual) or will be made (planned)" Check all boxes that apply. If this is a material change report, enter the cumulative amount of payment made or planned to be made.

12" Check the appropriate box(es)" Check all boxes that apply. If payment is made through an in-kind contribution, specify the nature and value of the in-kind payment

13. Check the appropriate box(es)" Check all boxes that apply" If other, specify nature.

14. Provide a specific and detailed description of the services that the lobbyist has performed, or will be expected to perform. and the date(s) of any services rendered" Include all preparatory and related activity, not just time spent in actual contact with Federal officials. Identify the Federal official(s) or employee(s) contacted or the officer(s), employee(s), or Member(s) of Congress that were contacted"

15< Check whether or not a SF-LLL-A Continuation Sheet(s) is attached"

16. The certifying official shall sign and date the form, print his/her name, title, and telephone number.

Public ~evv""'\,1 burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information" Send comments '"'l:l"''u"'l:! the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Office of Management and Budget Paperwork Reduction Project (0348-0046), Washington, D C 20503

DISCLOSURE OF LOBBYING ACTIVITIES

Complete this form to disclose lobbying activities pursuant to 31 U.S.C.1352

1. * Type of Federal Action: 2. * Status of Federal Action: 3. * Report Type: 0 a contract

~b. grant

a bidlofferlapplicatron C8:J a. rmtial filing

0 b. material changa

B c cooperative agreement

d loan

0 e loan guarantee

0 t !oan tnsurance

4. Name and Address of Reporting Entity:

rs:JPrime 0 SubAwardee

6. * Federal Department/Agency:

8. Federal Action Number, if known:

b !nltlai award

c post-award

10. a. Name and Address of Lobbying Registrant:

b. Individual Performing Services (includ.ng address if different from No

7. *Federal Program Name/Description:

CFDA Number, if applicable·

9. Award Amount, if known:

$'----------'

Approved by OMB

0348-0046

of !obbymg actJvJtles !S a matenal of fact upon which Thrs d:sclosure rs pursuant U S.C This rnforma!ton wrll be reponed to

the dJsc!osure shaH be subject to a C!V!I penalty of not less than

7-97)

PART IV

SPECIAL CLAUSES AND CONDITIONS

Should there be any inconsistency between these Clauses/Conditions and the Awardee's proposal, these Clauses/Conditions shall govern.

PART IV - SPECIAL CLAUSES Clause #1 :- BUDGET LINE ITEM FLEXIBILITY

Flexibility is allowed within the grant budget (except wages, salaries and fringe benefits, and indirect cost rates), provided no single line item is increased or decreased by more than 20%. Changes in excess of 20% and any changes in wages, salaries and fringe benefits, and indirect cost rates MUST receive prior written approval from the Grant Officer.

Any changes in mix or match within the wages and salaries line do not require a grant modification. However, your assigned DOL Federal Project Officer (FPO) must review these changes prior to implementing these changes. Failure to obtain such prior written approval may result in cost disallowance.

Clause #2: • INDIRECT COST RATE AND COST ALLOCATION PLAN

This clause is applicable to all awardees receiving funds from multiple sources. Organizations receiving funds from only one source do not need an approved indirect cost rate (ICR) or cost allocation plan (CAP).

Mark the appropriate clause for your organization and fill in the blanks, as appropriate:

_l:liL A A current approved CAP or ICR agreement dated ______ has been provided and approved by ______________________________ __

(Federal Cognizant agency - Copy Attached).

Regarding only the ICR agreement,

a) Indirect Rate approved % b) Type of Indirect Cost Rate (Provisional/Predetermined/Fixed) See attached ICR

agreement c) Allocation Base See attached /CR agreement d) Current period applicable to rate See attached ICR agreement

_2L B. No CAP or ICR agreement has been approved by a Federal Agency.

Note:

Regarding "B", a pro rata share of the indirect costs specified on the 424A, Section B, Object Class Category, "j", has been approved for the first 90 days of the grant period. This is based on the fact that your organization has not established an ICR agreement or approved CAP.

Within this 90-day period, you must submit an acceptable indirect cost proposal or CAP to your Federal cognizant agency1 to obtain a provisional indirect rate or a CAP approval. Failure on your part to submit an indirect cost proposal within this 90 day period means that you shall not receive further reimbursement for your indirect costs.

If DOL is your Federal cognizant agency, proposals shall be sent to the appropriate office in the DOL's Division of Cost Determination (see detailed list attached).

of Federal funds to the

Ceiling Indirect Amounts (applicable to A or B above):

An Indirect Cost ceiling in the amount of$ 1 278 287 , as specified on the 424A, Section 8, Object Class Category, "j", has been applied under this agreement based on the grantee's budget or written documentation received.

The total amount of DOL's financial obligation under this award will not be increased to reimburse awardee organizations for higher negotiated indirect cost rates than those rates or amounts identified in this clause.

Note:

A ceiling amount does not exclude your organization from the responsibility of submitting an indirect cost rate for approval.

Division of Cost Determination List of Addresses and Telephone Numbers

As of March 2010

National Office address and contact information: 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., S-1510 Washington, D.C. 20210

*

Chief: E-mail address:

Cost Negotiators E-mail Address

Damon tomchick.damon(a)dol.gov Tomchick

2 Casey carros.casimer(a)dol.gov Carros

3 Margie merced.margie(a)dol.gov Merced

(P) 202-693-4100 (F) 202-693-4099

Victor M. Lopez

(P) 202-693-41 06

Location/ Region Address

D.C. Same as National Office

D.C. Same as National Office

D.C. Same as National Office

Phone/FAX

(P) 202-693-4105 (F) 202-693-4099

(P) 202-693-4107 (F) 202-693-4099

(P) 202-693-41 04 (F) 202-693-4099

4 Stephen cosminski.stephen(a)dol.gov Philadelphia 125 Oak Drive Sellersville, PA 18960

(P) 215-257-8712 (F) 215-257-8994 Cosminski

5 Ronald goolsbv.ronald(a)dol.gov Goolsby

6 Carol mckone.carol@dol.gov McKone

7 Arthur Campbell

Chicago

Dallas

Seattle

230 South Dearborn St. Room 1016 Chicago, IL 60604-1505

P.O. Box 821067 Ft. Worth, TX 76182

P.O. Box 3433 Renton, W A 98056

(P) 312-886-5247 (F) 312-353-0704

(P) 817-281-1503 (F) 817-281-1530

(P) 425-271-3848 (F) 425-271-5295

Cost Negotiators are generally responsible for organizations located in their regions, as follows:

Washington D.C. metro area and Atlanta region (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Afississippi, North Carolina. South Carolina, and Tennessee). Philadelphia region: Connecticut, lvfaine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, New York, Nf!l.v Jersey, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Delaware, A1aryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Virgin Islands. ~==-''-"""'-"-'-'' Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, .Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota,

and Wisconsin. Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming, and Nf!l.v

Afexico. California, & Hawaii.

2 CFR Part 170

Appendix A to Part 170--Award Term

1. Reporting Subawards and Executive Compensation. a. Reporting of first-tier subawards.

THIS GRANT IS SUBJECT TO:

1. Applicability. Unless you are exempt as provided in paragraph d. of this award term, you must report each action that obligates $25,000 or more in Federal funds that does not include Recovery funds (as defined in section 1512(a)(2) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Pub. L 111-5) for a subaward to an entity (see definitions in paragraph e. of this award term).

2. Where and when to report. i. You must report each obligating action described in paragraph a.1 of this award term to http://www.fsrs.gov. ii. For subaward information, report no later than the end of the month following the month in which the obligation was made. (For example, if the obligation was made on

November 7, 2010, the obligation must be reported by no later than December 31, 2010.) 3. What to report. You must report the information about each obligating action that the submission instructions posted at http://www.fsrs.gov specify. b. Reporting Total Compensation of Recipient Executives. 1. Applicability and what to report. You must report total compensation for each of your five most highly compensated executives for the preceding completed fiscal year, if-­i. the total Federal funding authorized to date under this award

is $25,000 or more: ii. in the preceding fiscal year, you received--(A) 80 percent or more of your annual gross revenues from Federal procurement contracts (and subcontracts) and Federal financial assistance subject to the Transparency

Act, as defined at 2 CFR 170 320 (and subawards): and (B) $25.000,000 or more in annual gross revenues from Federal procurement contracts (and subcontracts) and Federal financial assistance subject to the Transparency

as defined at 2 CFR 170.320 (and subawards); and iii. The public does not have access to information about the compensation of the executives through periodic reports filed under section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities

Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C 78m(a), 78o(d)) or section 6104 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. (To determine if the public has access to the compensation information, see the U.S Security and Exchange Commission total compensation filings at http://www.sec.gov/answers/execcmp.htm.)

2. Where and when to report. You must report executive total compensation described in paragraph b.1. of this award term: i. As part of your registration profile at http://www.ccr.gov. ii. By the end of the month following the month in which this award is made, and annually thereafter. c. Reporting of Total Compensation of Subrecipient Executives. 1. Applicability and what to report. Unless you are exempt as provided in paragraph d. of this award term, for each first-tier subrecipient under this award, you shall report names and total compensation of each of the subrecipient's five most highly compensated executives for the subrecipient's preceding completed fiscal year, if--

i. in the subrecipient's preceding fiscal year, the subrecipient received--80 percent or more of its annual gross revenues from Federal procurement contracts (and subcontracts) and Federal financial assistance subject to the Transparency

as defined at 2 CFR 170.320 (and subawards); and $25,000,000 or more in annual gross revenues from Federal procurement contracts (and subccntracts), and Federal financial assistance subject to the Transparency

subawards); and public does not have access to information about the compensation of the executives through periodic reports filed under section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities

r-xr:r"""oe Act of 1934 (15 U S.C 78m(a), 78o(d)) or section 6104 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. (To determine if the public has access to the compensation '"''""'"t<nn see the U S. Security and Exchange Commission total compensation filings at http//www.sec.gov/answers/execomp.htm.)

Where and when to report. You must report subrecipient executive total compensation described in paragraph c.1. of this award term: i. To the recipient ii. By the end of the month following the month during which you make the subaward. For example, if a subaward is obligated on any date during the month of October of a

year (i.e., between October 1 and 31 ), you must report any required compensation information of the subrecipient by November 30 of that year. d. Exemptions If, in the previous tax year, you had gross income, from all sources, under $300,000, you are exempt from the requirements to report: i. Subawards, and ii. The total ccmpensation of the five most highly compensated executives of any subrecipient. e. Definitions. For purposes of this award term: 1 Entity means all of the following, as defined in 2 CFR part 25: i. A Governmental organization, which is a State, local government, or Indian tribe; ii. A foreign public entity; iii. A domestic or foreign nonprofit organization: iv. A domestic or foreign for-profit organization; v. A Federal agency, but only as a subrecipient under an award or subaward to a non-Federal entity. 2. Executive means officers. managing partners, or any other employees in management positions. 3. Subaward i This term means a legal instrument to support for the performance of any portion of the substantive project program for which you received this award and that

you as the recipient award to an eligible <hnor+ni<>nt

ii. The term does not Include your of property and services needed to carry out the project or program (for further explanation, see Sec. 210ofthe attachment to OMB Circular A-133 "Audits of States. Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations").

A subaward may be provided through any legal agreement, including an agreement that you or a subrecipienl considers a contract. 4. Subrecipient means an entity that i. Receives a subaward from you (the recipient) under this award; and

Is accountable to you for the use of the Federal funds provided by the subaward. 5. Total compensation means the cash and noncash dollar value earned by the executive during the recipient's or subrecipient's preceding fiscal year and includes the

following (for more information see 17 CFR 229.402(c)(2)): Salary and bonus. Awards of stock. stock options, and stock appreciation rights. Use the dollar amount recogr1ize;d for financial statement reporting purposes with respect to the fiscal year

in accordance with the Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123 123R), Shared Based Payments. iii. Earnings for services under non-equity incentive plans. This does not hospitalization or medical reimbursement plans that do not discriminate in

favor of executives, and are available to all salaried <>rrmllwe•'"' iv Change in value. This is change in present value defined benefit and actuarial pension plans v. on deferred which is not tax-qualified. vi. the of all such other compensation (e.g. severance. termination payments, value of life insurance paid on behalf of the

THIS GRANT IS SUBJECT TO:

2 CFR Subtitle A, Chapter I and Part 25

Appendix A to Part 25--Award Term

1. Central Contractor Registration and Universal identifier Requirements

A Requirement for Central Contractor Registration (CCR)

Unless you are exempted from this requirement under 2 CFR 25.110. you as the recipient must maintain the currency of your information in the CCR until you submit the . final financial report required under this award or receive the final payment. whichever is later This requires that you review and update the information at least annually after Jthe mitial registrallon. and more frequently if required by changes tn your information or another award term

B. Requirement for Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Numbers If you are authorized to make subawards under this award, you: 1. Must notify potential subrecipients that no entity (see definition in paragraph C of this award term) may receive a subaward from you unless the entity has provided its •

DUNS number to you. 2. May not make a subaward to an entity unless the entity has provided its DUNS number to you.

C. Definitions

For purposes of this award term: 1. Central Contractor Registration {CCR) means the Federal repository into which an entity must provide information required for the conduct of business as a recipient.

Additional information about registration procedures may be found at the CCR Internet site (currently at !:l!JQ;Liwww.ccr.gov). 2. Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number means the nine-digit number established and assigned by Dun and Bradstreet, Inc.

(D&B) to uniquely identify business entities. A DUNS number may be obtained from D&B by telephone (currently 866-705-5711) or the Internet (currently at http://fedgov.dnb.oom/webform).

3. Entity, as it is used in this award term, means all of the following, as defined at 2 CFR part 25, subpart C: a. A Governmental organization, which is a State. local government. or Indian Tribe; b. A foreign public entity; c. A domestic or foreign nonprofit organization; d A domestic or foreign for-profit organization; and e. A Federal agency, but only as a subrecipient under an award or subaward to a non-Federal entity. 4. Subaward a. This term means a legal instrument to provide support for the performance of any portion of the substantive project or program for which you received this award and that

you as the recipient award to an eligible subrecipient. b. The term does not include your procurement of property and services needed to carry out the project or program {for further explanation, see Sec. ----.210 of the

attachment to OMB Circular A-133, "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations").

c. A subaward may be provided through any legal agreement, including an agreement that you consider a contract. 5. Subrecipient means an entity that: a. Receives a subaward from you under this award; and b. Is accountable to you for the use of the Federal funds provided by the subaward.

PART IV - SPECIAL CONDITIONS

1. Federal Project Officer: The DOUET A Federal Project Officer (FPO) for this grant/agreement is:

Name: Brie Burleson Address: 525 Griffin Street, Room 317, Dallas, TX 75202 Telephone: 972-850-4652 E-mail: burleson.brie@dol.gov

The FPO is not authorized to change any of the terms or conditions of the grant/agreement. Such changes, if any, will be accomplished by the Grant Officer by the use of a properly executed grant/agreement modification.

2. Equipment: Awardees must receive prior approvalfrom the DOUET A Grant Officer for the purchase and/or lease of any equipment with a per unit acquisition cost of $5,000 or more, and a useful life of more than one year. This includes the purchases of ADP equipment. The grant award does not give approval for equipment even if it is specified in a grantee's statement of work unless specifically approved in the grant award execution letter by the Grant Officer. If not, the awardee must submit a detailed description list to the FPO for review within 30 days of the grant/agreement award date. Failure to do so will necessitate the need for approval of equipment purchase on an individual basis.

3. Program Income: The awardee is authorized to utilize the addition method if any Program Income is generated throughout the duration of this grant/ agreement. The awardee is allowed to deduct costs incidental to generating Program Income to arrive at a net Program Income [29 CFR Part 95.24(c)]; or [29 CFR Part 97.25(c)(g)(2)].

4. Pre-Award: The awardee hereby agrees that all costs incurred by the awardee prior to the start date specified in the grant agreement issued by the Department are incurred at the awardee's own expense.

5. Reports: All ETA grantees are required to submit quarterly financial and narrative progress reports for each grant award.

A. Quarterly Financial Reports. Pursuant to Training and Employment Notice (TEN) 12-07, all ETA grantees are required to report quarterly financial data on the ETA 9130, no later than 45 days after the end of each reporting quarter. Reporting quarter end dates are June 30, September 30, December 31, and March 31.

1. The previously used Standard Form 269 is no longer accepted by ETA. The ETA on-line reporting system has been modified to accommodate the ETA 9130 required data elements which includes a new Federal cash section. Expenditures are required to be reported on an accrual basis, cumulative from the beginning of the life of a grant, through the end of each reporting period.

2. The instructions for accessing both the on-line financial reporting system and the HHS Payment Management System can be found in the transmittal memo accompanying this grant award document. Copies of the ETA 9130 and detailed reporting instructions are available at www.doleta.gov/grants.

B. Quarterly Narrative Progress Reports. Grantees are required to submit a brief narrative quarterly and final report to the designated Federal Project Officer (FPO) on grant activities funded under this agreement. All reports become due no later than 45 days after the end of each reporting quarter. Reporting quarter end dates are June 30, September 30, December 31, and March 31.

1. The last quarterly progress report that grantees submit will serve as the grant's Final Performance Report. This report should provide both quarterly and cumulative information on the grant's activities. It must summarize project activities, employment outcomes and other deliverables, and related results of the project.

2. The awardee shall use any standard forms and instructions to report on training and employment outcomes and other data relating to the progress reports as provided by ETA.

3. The awardee shall utilize standard reporting processes and electronic reporting systems to submit their quarterly progress reports as provided by ETA.

6. Consults: Consultant fees paid under this grant/agreement shall be limited to $585 per day without additional DOL Grant Officer approval.

7. Rebates: The awardee agrees to advise the Grant Officer, in writing, of any forthcoming income resulting from lease/rental rebates or other rebates, interest, credits or any other monies or financial benefits to be received directly or indirectly as a result of or generated by these award dollars. Appropriate action must be taken to ensure that the Government is reimbursed proportionally from such income.

8. Publicity: No funds provided under this grant shall be used for publicity or propaganda purposes, for the preparation, distribution or use of any kit, pamphlet, booklet, publication, radio, television or film presentation designed to support or defeat legislation pending before the Congress, except in presentation to the Congress itself. Nor shall grant funds be used to pay the salary or expenses of any grant or agreement awardee or agent acting for such awardee, related to any activity designed to influence legislation or appropriations pending before the Congress.

9. Public Announcements: When issuing statements, press releases, requests for proposals, bid solicitation, and other documents describing project or programs funded in whole or in part with Federal money, all awardees receiving Federal funds, shall clearly state (1) the percentage of the total cost of the program or project which will be financed with Federal money, and (2) the dollar amount of Federal funds for the project or program.

10. Executive Order 12928: In compliance with Executive Order 12928, the Grantee is strongly encouraged to provide subcontracting/ subgranting opportunities to Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other Minority Institutions such as Hispanic Serving Institutions and Tribal Colleges and Universities; and to Small Businesses Owned and Controlled by Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Individuals.

11. Procurement: Except as specifically provided, DOL/ETA acceptance of a proposal and an award of federal funds to sponsor any program(s) does not provide a waiver of any grant requirements and/or procedures. For example, the OMB circulars require an entity's procurement procedures must require that all procurement transactions shall be conducted, as practical, to provide open and free competition. If a proposal identifies a specific entity to provide the services, the DOL/ETA's award does not provide the justification or basis to sole-source the procurement, i.e., avoid competition.

12. Veteran's Priority Provisions: The Jobs for Veterans Act (Public Law 107 -288) 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 can be found 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 http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr doc.cfm?DOCN=2816.

13. Audits: The awardee agrees to comply with the required financial and compliance audits in accordance with the Single Audit Act of 1984.

14. Salary and Bonus Limitations: Under Public Law 109-234 and Public Law 111-8, Section 111, none of the funds appropriated in Public Law 111-5 or prior Acts under the heading "Employment and Training" that are available for expenditure on or after June 15, 2006, shall be used by a recipient or sub-recipient of such funds to pay the salary and bonuses of an individual, either as direct costs or indirect costs, at a rate in excess of Executive Levell I. These limitations also apply to grants funded under this SGA. The salary and bonus limitation does not apply to vendors providing goods and services as defined in OMB Circular A-133. See Training and Employment Guidance Letter number 5-06 for further clarification: http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr doc.cfm?DOCN=2262.

15. Intellectual Property Rights. The Federal Government reserves a paid-up, nonexclusive and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish or otherwise use, and to authorize others to use for federal purposes: i) the copyright in all products developed under the grant, including a subgrant or contract under the grant or subgrant; and ii) any rights of copyright to which the grantee, subgrantee or a contractor purchases ownership under an award (including but not limited to curricula, training models, technical assistance products, and any related materials). Such uses include, but are not limited to, the right to modify and distribute such products worldwide by any means, electronically or otherwise. Federal funds may not be used to pay any royalty or licensing fee associated with such copyrighted

material, although they may be used to pay costs for obtaining a copy which are limited to the developer/seller costs of copying and shipping. If revenues are generated through selling products developed with grant funds, including intellectual property, these revenues are program income. Program income is added to the grant and must be expended for allowable grant activities.

If applicable, the following needs to be on all products developed in whole or in part with grant funds:

"This workforce solution was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. The solution was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This solution is copyrighted by the institution that created it. Internal use, by an organization and/or personal use by an individual for non-commercial purposes, is permissible. All other uses require the prior authorization of the copyright owner."

In order to further the goal of career training and education and encourage innovation in the development of new learning materials, as a condition of the receipt of a Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant ("Grant"}, the Grantee will be required to license to the public (not including the Federal Government) all work created with the support of the grant ("Work") under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License ("License"). This License allows subsequent users to copy, distribute, transmit and adapt the copyrighted work and requires such users to attribute the work in the manner specified by the Grantee. Notice of the License shall be affixed to the Work.

16. Evaluation, Data, and Implementation: The grantee agrees to cooperate with the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) in the conduct of a third-party evaluation, including providing to USDOL or its authorized contractor appropriate data and access to program operating personnel and participants in a timely manner.

17. ACORN Prohibition: Section 511 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (P.L. 111-117, Division E) ("CAA"), requires that no direct or indirect funding from the Consolidated Appropriations Act may be provided to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now ("ACORN") or any of its subsidiaries through Federal grantees or contractors. DOL is required to take steps so that no Federal funds from the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010, are awarded or obligated by DOL grantees or contractors to ACORN or its subsidiaries as subgrantees, subcontractors, or other subrecipients. This prohibition applies not only to a direct recipient of Federal funds, but also to a subrecipient (e.g., a subcontractor, subgrantee, or contractor of a grantee).

In the near future, ETA will issue Training and Employment Guidance Letter ("TEGL") number 8-09 change 1, to provide detailed guidance concerning this prohibition. The TEGL will be on ETA's website at http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives. If you have any additional questions, please contact your Grant Officer.

18. Additional Provisions: In performing its responsibilities under this grant agreement, the awardee hereby certifies and assures that it will fully comply with the following Provisions of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) codified at: • 20 CFR 667.200, Administrative Rules, Costs and Limitations • 20 CFR 667.260, Prohibition on Real Property • 20 CFR 667.300, Reporting Requirements • 20 CFR 667.410, Oversight Roles and Responsibilities • 20 CFR 667.500 & 667.510, Resolution • 20 CFR 667.700, Procedure to Impose Sanctions • 29 CFR Part 37, Implementation of the Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity

Provisions of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA)

Signing this award agreement, or the expenditure of grant funds, certifies that your organization has read and will comply with all parts of this grant agreement.