NSF Alliance for Innovation Grant Opportunities

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to introduce the Alliance for Innovation—a program funded by the National Science Foundation designed to help California Community College STEM students engage in hands-on research that increases economic competitiveness and prepares students for the workforce.

Sub-grants of up to $30,000 are available to teams of community college faculty and students interested in partnering with NSF-funded small business. Projects will assist NSF-funded small business in the commercialization of innovative research. Visit our website, nsf.foundationcccc.org, to see a list of sample projects.

NSF supplemental funding is designed to foster deeper partnerships between community colleges and the small business community while increasing participation of underrepresented groups in both academic and small business research through encouraging careers in STEM fields. The grant is the result of a collaboration between the NSF's Division of Industrial Innovation, the Alliance’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBTT) programs, and the Division of Undergraduate Education.

Advancing STEM Research and Student Opportunities
The Alliance for Innovation program, which is administered by the Foundation for California Community Colleges (Foundation), is assisting faculty and student research teams in connecting with businesses in their community that are engaged in innovative research and want to support undergraduate STEM studies. California Community College research teams have the opportunity to engage in hands-on research with small businesses working on NSF-funded projects.

Get Involved
The Foundation for California Community College’s experienced team assists with the matchmaking process between colleges and businesses and can assist with the development of compelling and competitive grants.

Currently, eligible businesses are mostly concentrated in Los Angeles, San Diego, and the Bay Area. Contact a regional expert to learn more about the program, or complete a faculty interest form to connect with an eligible research project.

Warm regards,

Iris Aguilar
Foundation for California Community Colleges
Special Projects Manager
iaguilar@foundationccc.org
916.325.1858

Iraj B. Nejad, Ph.D.
Mt. San Antonio College
Professor, Chemistry Department
inejad@mtsac.edu
909.594.5611 x4535

Zhanjing (John) Yu, PhD, PE
Solano Community College
Dean, School of Math and Science
Zhanjing.Yu@solano.edu
707.864.7110

The Next i3 "Scale-Up" and "Validation" Competitions Start Now

Education Week's blogs 

Lauren Camera


Alyson Klein
Alyson Klein and Lauren Camera cover federal policy for Education Week, tracking and analyzing the moves of Congress, the White House, and the U.S. Department of Education.

By Alyson Klein on June 4, 2015 11:34 AM

The next Investing in Innovation competition for the biggest grants—the so-called "validation" and "scale up" grants—starts this week, according to applications slated to be published in the federal register Friday. (The department has already moved forward on the competition for the smaller grants, known as "development" grants.)

Scale-up applicants—who could receive up to $20 million each, and must have a lot of evidence to back up their work—will have to choose from:

•Teacher effectiveness. The department is especially interested in ideas that allow strong teachers to take on new leadership challenges.

•Implementation and transition to internationally-benchmarked standards that prepare students for college and the workforce. The application does not cite the Common Core State Standards specifically, so presumably ideas from states that aren't participating in the initiative would be eligible.

•Improving mathematics, science, engineering, and technology education.

•High school redesign. This is a new priority for the i3 program, added at the behest of Congress. Applicants must work with high schools eligible to do school wide Title I programs. (That means at least 40 percent of the kids have to be in poverty.) Applicants could pitch projects that allow students to earn college credit while in high school, implement early-warning systems to flag kids at risk of dropping out, bolster relationships with businesses that provide technical training, and other strategies.

Validation applicants—who could receive up to $12 million, and must have a moderate amount of research to behind their ideas—get to pick from three of those priorities. (STEM isn't on their list.)

Grantees also get a competitive edge if the plan addresses cost-effectiveness and could be applied more broadly. And applicants that have never won an i3 grant also get an advantage.

And, as in past competitions, applicants for both types of grants who serve rural schools will get an advantage. (They can apply under their own "absolute priority" in federal-grant-speak, but they still must include one of the other areas of focus.)

Applications are due in about two months and programs can let the department they plan to apply in about 20 days. And would-be i3 grantees are going after the smallest pot of money offered since the program started back in 2009—Congress slashed i3 from $140 million to $120 million, and there's no guarantee the program will survive this budget cycle, let alone the end of the Obama administration.

San Francisco Gets Almost $6m California Career Pathways Trust Grant for ICT and Biotech

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contacts

City College of San Francisco

Larry Kamer

415-290-7240

lkamer@kamergroup.com

San Francisco Unified School District

Gentle Blythe

415-241-6565

blytheg@sfusd.edu

Collaboration Scores $6 Million Grant for Comprehensive Career Technical Education Program

CCSF, SFUSD, OEWD and BayBio Institute Coordinate

(SAN FRANCISCO, Thursday, May 28, 2015) - A collaborative consortium of City College of San Francisco (CCSF), San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) and BayBio Institute scored a nearly 6 million dollar California Career Pathways Trust (CCPT) grant yesterday.

The Consortium will receive $5,999,342 to strengthen education pathways in Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) and Biotechnology by partnering with local companies to address specific needs of critical communities on San Francisco while feeding the growing need for skilled workers.

The program focuses on enrolling and educating underrepresented and low-income populations with unprecedented access to hands-on classes, enabling high school students to enroll in work-based credit courses that build real technical skills.

Grant money will focus on providing cutting edge curriculum and opportunities through partnering companies. With industry-based internships and mentors for students in their trades, expert speakers from industry, some externships for teachers, and dedicated staff to work on a career pathways, the program is as comprehensive in approach as it is innovative.

“San Francisco is the Innovation Capital of the World and we are making sure our residents are ready for the jobs of the 21st Century economy and can share in the prosperity of our great City. I am thrilled that we are collaborating with our School District and City College to ensure our students and residents obtain the knowledge, training, and skills they will need to be successful,” said Mayor Ed Lee.

The almost six million dollar grant comes on the heels of dual three million dollar awards from the Department of Finance for CCSF and SFUSD’s Bridge to Success program, as well as SF State and CCSF’s Metro College Success program. The combined grant and award money, almost $12 million collectively, represent a notable level of recognition from State agencies for San Francisco’s collaborative approach.

“We are preparing our students to thrive in careers in the growing high tech industry. In the near future, businesses working in Information and Communication Technologies and Biotechnologies will not have to look further than local residents to find a qualified workforce,” said SFUSD Superintendent Richard A. Carranza.  

Companies that have partnered with the Consortium include: CBS Interactive, First Person, Jawbone, KQED, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Safeway, Salesforce, and Zynga. Biotech companies include: Amgen, AvidBiotics, Bayer, Bell Biosystems, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cel Analytical, CymaBay, Gladstone Institutes, Omniox, Oncomed, Prosetta, SutroBiopharma, and Target Discovery.

“Once again City College of San Francisco and San Francisco Unified School District are proving that they lead the way in empowering San Francisco’s communities through affordable and accessible education,” said CCSF Chancellor Art Tyler.

CCC Linked Learning Work-Based Learning Program Development Grant Opportunity

Dear Doing What Matters Network,

The Foundation for California Community Colleges has a great funding opportunity to improve work readiness for students across your region.

Title: CCC Linked Learning Work-Based Learning Program Development
Release date: April 3
Letter of Interest deadline: April 17
Proposal deadline: May 27

Please visit www.foundationccc.org/wbl to learn everything you need to know about this RFP.

CCC Communications, Professional Development and Logistics Hub Grant Opportunity

The Division of Workforce and Economic Development is pleased to announce the following grant opportunity:

Communications, Professional Development and Logistics Hub
Release Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Due Date: Monday, April 6, 2015
Funding Stream(s):
Economic and Workforce Development Program Senate Bill 1402 (Lieu) Perkins Leadership 1B
Senate Bill 858 (formally Senate Bill 1070) Career Technical Education Pathways)
Number of Awards: 1
Total Funds Available: Up to $550,000

This email with the link to the New Grant Opportunities memo is sent on behalf of Van Ton-Quinlivan, Vice Chancellor, Workforce and Economic Development Division. This information is also posted to the division website.

Jeannine Clemons
jclemons@cccco.edu

Money for Computing Summer Camps in Bay Area

We only received two applications for the "seed' funds for equipment for starting or expanding computing summer camps. We have $20,000 from Oracle that is targeted to camps in the Bay Area of California. We also have $15,000 from the Expanding Computing Education Pathways Alliance (ECEP). We would like to have more applications. I will extend the deadline to Feb 6th for additional proposals. We will notify people by Feb 13th. Organizations that received "seed' funding last year can apply for more funds this year.

We need the application along with a budget and flyer advertising the camps. Materials from the workshop, including the application, are at https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4btcf819gh74egs/AACFe6pL_FPRjc-2cKGTMIC5a?dl=0 (copy the url and paste it in a browser window).

If you have any questions, please contact Barbara Ericson at ericson@cc.gatech.edu.

Thank You,

Barb Ericson
ECEP / Georgia Tech

CCC New Funding Opportunities

The IDRC - Acute Needs in Coding/Programming Bootcamp and Embedded Soft Skills Grants will be offered for industry driven regional collaboratives and also for multi-college proposals that can meet a number of acute labor needs. Funds available are estimated at $2.725 million.

The RFA for Technical Assistance Providers for Career Pathways Design Grant will provide funds for a two person key talent team of technical assistance providers (TAPs) for Career Pathways Design. This team will serve as the statewide liaison for Career Pathways Design and will be responsible for recommending legislative and regulatory policies, identifying and disseminating best practices statewide; and providing leadership to expand and improve Career Pathways. A Bidders Conference is scheduled for Friday, January 23, 2015, 1:00 p.m. All applications must be received by Friday, March 6, 2015. Total funds available are $950,000.

US DOL: $100M in grants to transform apprenticeship for the 21st century by expanding training into new high-skilled, high-growth industries

News Release

OPA News Release: [12/11/2014]
Contact Name: Jason Kuruvilla or David Roberts
Phone Number: (202) 693-6587 or x5945
Email: Kuruvilla.Jason@dol.gov or Roberts.David@dol.gov
Release Number: 14-2233-NAT

$100M in grants to transform apprenticeship for the 21st century
by expanding training into new high-skilled, high-growth industries

Applications must be submitted by April 30, 2015

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that $100 million in grants are available to expand registered apprenticeship programs in high-skilled, high-growth industries like healthcare, biotechnology, information technology and advanced manufacturing. Registered Apprenticeships have long been known as one of the best training models for skilled trades ("earn while you learn"), yet the model remains underutilized in the United States. This unprecedented investment will help to transform apprenticeships for the 21st century and serves as a catalyst to increase the use of apprenticeship to meet employer needs in these sectors.

"An apprenticeship is the 'other 4-year degree'. It is a tried and true job training strategy that offers a reliable path to the middle class, with no debt," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez who announced the grant opportunity during a visit to the Urban Technology Project's Information Technology registered apprenticeship program in Philadelphia. "I encourage everyone to apply for this federal grant so that we can significantly scale apprenticeships opportunities for many more Americans in new industries and occupations."

Approximately 25 grants from $2.5 million to $5 million each will be awarded using funds collected from employers who use H-1B visas to hire foreign workers. Programs funded by this initiative will provide U.S. workers with training to fill jobs that 1) are projected to hire a substantial number of new workers; 2) are being transformed by technology and innovations that require 21st century skills for workers; 3) are new and emerging industries and/or businesses that are projected to grow; or 4) have a significant impact on the economy overall.

Apprenticeship grants will be awarded to public and private partnerships consisting of employers, business associations, joint labor-management organizations, labor organizations, community colleges, local and state governments, and other non-profit organizations. Successful applicants will use the federal funds to develop registered apprenticeship programs that align with other post-secondary education and create career pathways to long-term careers. The grants will also encourage greater access to apprenticeship opportunities for historically underrepresented populations including women, young men and women of color, people with disabilities, and veterans and transitioning service members.

Funding applications must be submitted by April 30, 2015. The Funding Opportunity Announcement, which includes information on eligibility and how to apply, is available at http://www.grants.gov.

Prospective applicants are encouraged to view additional online resources at http://www.dol.gov/apprenticeship/.

CCC Info on IDRC Coding/Programming Bootcamp and Soft Skills Grant Opportunity

This memo supersedes the previous e-mailed memo. The Bidders Workshop date has been corrected to read Tuesday, December 16, 2014 and not December 16, 2015. This memo and all affected documents have been corrected and reposted to our website.

CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES
CHANCELLOR’S OFFICE
1102 Q Street, Suite 4554
Sacramento, Ca 95811-6549
(916) 445-8752
http://www.cccco.edu

$2.725m CCC Grant Opportunity for Coding and Soft Skills!

In support of the White House Information Technology (IT) Initiative aimed at giving more American workers the skills they need to successfully compete for high-paying IT jobs and diversify the pipeline for IT talent, the Division of Workforce and Economic Development Division of the California Community Colleges is pleased to announce $2.725M in available grant opportunities as part of its InnovationMaker grant series. This competitive grant opportunity will build community college capacity to respond to the acute industry need for software coding and programming skills as well as workplace “soft” skills.

“Employers across California have voiced significant frustration that there are inadequate or undependable talent pools in these fields,” said Van Ton-Quinlivan, Vice Chancellor of Workforce and Economic Development at the Chancellor’s Office. “Given the vital role community colleges play in our regional economies, InnovationMaker grants aim to improve training efforts that can reliably deliver on the skill sets needed by employers to hire and create more jobs.” All colleges and districts are eligible to apply.

2014-15 Request for Applications
Industry-Driven Regional Collaboratives --
Acute Need for Coding/Programming Bootcamp and Embedded Soft Skills (14-326) Grant

It is the intent of the Legislature that industry-driven regional collaboratives (IDRC) perform services as participants of regional networks. IDRC provide a stable and flexible response mechanism for the identification of training priorities and to focus resources on intensive projects for competitive and new and emerging industry sector technologies.

In addition to standard individual IDRC applications, this IDRC RFA seeks multi-college proposals for meeting the following acute labor needs:

• A bundled sequence of short certificates approach to developing software coding/programming skills that would enable the students/participants to enter into and compete for jobs in the broad occupational ladder of data science, user interface (UI) visualization, and/or the multitude of programming languages much in demand by employers. 
• An approach to embedding employer-advised soft skills into existing CTE curriculum/programs, including work-based learning coursework, in order to answer the pervasive call by employers to improve these competencies amongst graduates. The proposal must have a mechanism for the employer to evaluate/badge demonstrated soft skill competencies. 

Funding shall not be limited per project, but shall be based on the merit and reasonable cost for the anticipated outcomes and performance of the project. Employer match is required.

Letters of Interest must be completed and submitted electronically by Monday, December 22, 2014.

Application materials and more information can be found here..

More on the Chancellor’s Office work to improve California’s workforce skills can be found at DoingWhatMATTERs.cccco.edu.

Regards,
Van Ton-Quinlivan, Vice Chancellor
Workforce & Economic Development Division
Chancellor’s Office, California Community Colleges



Follow me on Twitter @WorkforceVan.

Find Jobs & Economy tips at http://doingwhatmatters.cccco.edu/.

Schools Chief Torlakson Announces $250 Million Available in Pathway Grants

REL#14-109
November 3, 2014

CONTACT: Tina Jung
PHONE: 916-319-0818
E-MAIL: communications@cde.ca.gov

Schools Chief Torlakson Announces $250 Million Available in Pathway Grants

SACRAMENTO--State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today invited school districts and community colleges to apply for $250 million in California Career Pathways Trust grants for programs that provide skills and practical experience to help students prepare for success in college and careers.

"This program is a great example of teamwork among educators and employers," said Torlakson. "By giving students a taste of the working world before they graduate, these programs motivate and excite students, reduce the drop-out rate, and increase the college attendance rate."

A career pathway program helps students chart the classes they need in high school and community college to prepare for work in a particular industry. These programs lead students to two-year degrees, certificates, or four-year degrees that prepare them for highly skilled jobs in growing industries.

In the first round of funding last May, grant requests exceeded the $250 million available for funding. In this second round, an additional $250 million is available. The grants pay for collaboration efforts among school districts, community colleges, business, and community leaders, and the development of courses.

For application information, visit the California Department of Education's (CDE) California Career Pathways Trust Implementation Grant and California Career Pathways Consortium Development GrantWeb pages. The CDE also will hold several Grant Workshops in November for prospective applicants.

The CDE is working with the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office and the California Workforce Investment Board to offer this grant. This effort furthers Torlakson's Career Readiness initiative to curb dropouts and support career technical education.

###

The California Department of Education is a state agency led by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson. For more information, please visit the California Department of Education Web site or by mobile device. You may also follow Superintendent Torlakson on Twitter, Facebook, andYouTube.

Regards,
Van Ton-Quinlivan, Vice Chancellor
Workforce & Economic Development Division
Chancellor’s Office, California Community Colleges

University of Hawaii Partners on $5.3-Million Cyberinfrastructure Award

University of Hawaiʻi

Contact:
Gwen Jacobs, (808) 956-5767
Director of Cyberinfrastructure, Information Technology Services
Kelli Abe Trifonovitch, (808) 228-8108
Director of Communications and Outreach, Hawaii Innovation Initiative

Posted: Mar 6, 2014

The University of Hawai‘i (UH) is one of the founding partners of a new initiative led by Clemson University to enable a national network of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Research and Education Facilitators (ACI-REFs) that will broaden the research and education impacts of advanced computing resources at campuses across the country. Advanced cyberinfrastructure refers to high-performance computing systems, massive data storage systems, and visualization environments, all linked together by software and high-performance networks to enable human collaborations that improve education and research productivity and enable breakthroughs not otherwise possible.

The National Science Foundation awarded the group $5.3 million over two years to broaden cyberinfrastructure education and outreach through this network. Besides Clemson and UH, the other collaborating institutions are the University of Southern California, the University of Utah, the University of Wisconsin, and Harvard University.

The project, called the Advanced Cyberinfrastructure – Research and Educational Facilitation: Campus-Based Computational Research Support, is a consortium that brings together education and research institutions that are committed to the vision of advancing scientific discovery by creating a national network of advanced cyberinfrastructure facilitators. UH will be able to hire two advanced cyberinfrastructure facilitators for two years under the initial project grant.

“The University of Hawai‘i is delighted to be working with Clemson and our other partners to develop this innovative consortium,” said David Lassner, the Interim President at the University of Hawai‘i. “Data-intensive science and engineering is a major thrust for the Hawai‘i Innovation Initiative (HI2), and the advanced cyberinfrastructure facilitator capability that will be supported is exactly what we need to help many of our gifted faculty and students take their scholarship to the next level by leveraging local and national cyberinfrastructure and collaborations.”

Working together in a coordinated effort, the consortium is dedicated to the adoption of models and strategies that will leverage the expertise and experiences of its members to maximize the impact of investment in research computing and related cyberinfrastructure technologies. The project staff will be located on the six collaborating campuses. They will be fully embedded in their local technology support environments so they can both extend the reach and impact of the campus as well as make national research computing infrastructure available for local students and faculty.

Gwen Jacobs, UH Director of Cyberinfrastructure in Information Technology Services, will lead UH participation in the project. She will be working with faculty throughout the UH System to identify opportunities where local and national cyberinfrastructure assets can advance UH research and innovation. Jacobs said, “UH is an international research leader in astronomy, earth, atmospheric and ocean sciences, and biomedical research – all disciplines that generate massive amounts of data. With access to a wealth of computational resources and professional expertise, UH researchers will be able to apply new methods in big data analytics to their research programs, speeding scientific discovery and innovation and creating new educational opportunities for UH students.”

The consortium is forging a nationwide alliance of educators to empower local campus researchers to be more effective users of advanced cyberinfrastructure. In particular, the project seeks to work with scholars and faculty members who traditionally have not benefitted from the power of high-performance computing but who recognize that their research requires access to more computational power than can be provided by their desktop machines.

“This project complements and magnifies the work we have underway to establish our first university-wide high-performance computing cluster,” said Vassilis Syrmos, UH Vice President for Research and Innovation.

That high-performance computing cluster will be located in UH’s new $41-million Information Technology Center. Interim Vice President for Information Technology Steve Smith said “The new high-performance computing cluster is the first initiative that will leverage the capabilities of our state-of-the-art Information Technology Center to advance research and innovation at UH. This project couldn’t have moved forward without the new building.”

The national project team will be led by Jim Bottum, the Chief Information Officer at Clemson with a leadership team that includes co-principal investigator Gwen Jacobs of UH, and lead scientists from each institution. The steering committee includes Glenn Ricart, Chief Technology Officer of the US Ignite Project; Greg Monaco, Director for Research and Cyberinfrastructure Initiatives at the Great Plains Network; and John Towns, the principal investigator of the NSF-funded national scale XSEDE high-performance computing program. Miron Livny, Professor of Computer Sciences at the University of Wisconsin and principal investigator of the NSF-funded Open Science Grid will also serve on the project’s steering committee and serve as the Chief Scientist for the project.

###

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I

The University of Hawai‘i (UH) was established in 1907 and its campuses are all fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The UH System now comprises all public higher education in the State and provides a rich array of associate, baccalaureate, graduate, and professional degrees and certificates to about 60,000 students through seven community colleges, two baccalaureate campuses and a major research university that holds land-, space- and sea-grant designations. For more information, visit www.hawaii.edu.

ABOUT THE HAWAI‘I INNOVATION INITIATIVE (HI2)

The University of Hawai‘i is working in partnership with the private sector and government to build a thriving $1-billion research enterprise in Hawai‘i that will develop a third major economic sector for the State, create thousands of high-quality living-wage jobs, and address the challenges and opportunities that face our communities and the world to improve our quality of life. More information about the Hawai‘i Innovation Initiative is available online at http://hawaii.edu/innovation.

Google RISE Award Opportunity for CS Programs

Have you heard of the Google RISE Award?  It's worth taking a look to see if your program is eligible for funding to expand participation in computing!   Or, create a new one program and help increase opportunities for girls and underrepresented students in computer science.  See http://www.google.com/edu/programs/google-rise-awards/ for more information.  Proposals are due September 30th. 

RISE Award recipients receive:

·         Funding: Grants range from $15,000 to $50,000 USD.

·         Access to a global network of CS partners: This includes an invitation to the annual RISE Global Summit and participation in the Google+ online community.

·         Consultancy with Google experts and volunteers: Learn about technical tools & organizational development over the course of 12 months.

·          

In turn, RISE Award recipients are expected to:

·         Report on progress: Demonstrate scale of CS program over one year and keep Google updated on progress by submitting midyear and end of year reports.

·         Share resources across the community: Communicate ideas and expertise on CS outreach programs within the global RISE community.

Organizations are eligible to apply if they have a(n):

·         Emphasis on CS programs: We fund CS organizations that currently run extracurricular computer science programs or STEM organizations looking to start a computer science outreach program.

·         Focus on girls, minorities, low-income students: Programs must target girls and/or underrepresented minority students up to the age of 18. Awards are not open to programs targeting students already enrolled in university or above.

·         Regional reach with potential to scale: Programs should have regional reach (city, county or state) with the potential to scale nationally and collaborate internationally with similarly focused organizations.

·         New program: Previous RISE awardees may apply if adding a new dimension to former programs or launching a new CS program.

_____________________________

Julie Flapan
Executive Director, ACCESS and ECEP-CA

Alliance for California Computing Education for Students and Schools (ACCESS)

Expanding Computing Education Pathways - California (ECEP-CA)

jflapan@uci.edu

www.access-ca.org

California Regional Briefings on One-Time $50M CTE Enhancement Funds

Governor Brown signed the 2014-15 budget which “provided on a one-time basis to create greater incentive for California Community Colleges to develop, enhance, retool, and expand quality career technical education offerings that build upon existing community college regional capacity to respond to regional labor market needs.” For ease of reference, this money is being called the “$50M CTE Enhancement Fund.” (Click here for full language of the bill.) “Funds may be used for equipment, curriculum development, professional development, and other related costs necessary to develop, enhance, retool, and expand quality career technical education offerings.”

Why Regional?

• California is driven by regional economies -- with workforce needs that require a regional response from community colleges. With the vast majority of community college students staying in California to work and attending more than one community college, students are better served when more CTE programs are aligned with the economy and coordinated regionally.
• These funds are intended to further economic development with CTE programming that meet all the following criteria:
• Be for occupations and sectors that are demonstrated to be in-demand in the regional labor market;
• Be for occupations for which regional production of employees is insufficient to meet labor market demand; and
• Demonstrate regional alignment of program and curricula.
• There are industry match requirements in the use of these state funds.

How to Access the Funds?

• The seven CTE Regional Consortia have been tasked by budget language to certify applications eligible for cost reimbursement and that close a regional workforce gap.
• Interested colleges can submit joint or single college application(s) for cost-reimbursement. This online application must be developed and will be made available in September at earliest.

Give Us Feedback:

• To answer your questions and also get your feedback in designing the administration of these funds, we have scheduled webinars for each of your regions, hosted by the region's CTE Regional Consortia. Find your regional webinar here. Not sure which region you belong to? Visit our Doing What MATTERS for Jobs and the Economy Interactive Map.
• In addition, the Chancellor's Office is organizing briefings with standing leadership bodies in the system to solicit feedback.

Regards,
Van Ton-Quinlivan, Vice Chancellor
Workforce & Economic Development Division
Chancellor’s Office, California Community Colleges
1102 Q Street, 4th floor executive offices, Sacramento, CA 95811
916-327-5492 or vtquinlivan@cccco.edu
For appointments, please contact Faye James:  916-323-4990 or fjames@cccco.edu.

$450 Million Available for Community College and Career Training

Technical Education Magazine

The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) recently announced the availability of some $450 million in grant funds for the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) Grants Program. DOL intends to make grant awards to eligible single institution applicants in all states, as well as to consortia of eligible institutions. The closing date for applications is July 7, 2014, no later than 4 p.m. EST.

Through this fourth and final round of TAACCCT funding, DOL is focused on “advancing innovative, sector-based system change in regional and statewide economies …. These grant projects will create industry-driven strategies that are responsive to regional labor markets and state economies.” The grant program seeks to “increase the number of workers who attain certificates, degrees, and other industry-recognized credentials …” It also aims to “introduce or replicate innovative and effective methods for designing and delivering instruction that address specific industry needs and lead to improved learning, completion, and other outcomes …; and demonstrate improved employment outcomes” to help meet the administration’s “college graduation goal of increasing the percentage of adults with a post-secondary credential by 2020.”

DOL is implementing TAACCCT in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education in the jointly held belief that the program can provide impetus, through higher education, for the creation of career pathways for adults to skilled jobs in growth industries, thereby enhancing both individuals’ lives and the U.S. economy.

Stakeholders are encouraged to review the full grant announcement for eligibility, application, and award information. http://www.doleta.gov/grants/pdf/SGA-DFA-PY-13-10.pdf 

In an increasingly competitive global economy, America’s economic strength depends on the education and skills of its workers. The nation needs workers with the education and skills to succeed in fast- growing, high-wage occupations. The TAACCCT program provides capacity-building grants to spur innovation and the development of model training programs at America’s community colleges and universities. TAACCCT-funded programs will prepare participants for employment in high-wage, high-skill occupations by using innovative and sophisticated strategies that address the unique needs of unemployed or under-employed adults. Throughout the first three rounds of TAACCCT, grantees have transformed the ways they design and deliver courses to adults through accelerated learning strategies, redesigned curricula, and technology-enhanced learning activities. These have included the incorporation of prior learning and knowledge, integrated occupational and academic learning, new educational technology, work-based learning opportunities, and online and distance learning opportunities.

The TAACCCT program seeks to increase the number of workers who attain certificates, degrees, and other industry-recognized credentials, helping to meet President Obama’s college graduation goal of increasing the percentage of adults with a post-secondary credential by 2020.

Author: 

Scott Brown

US DOL TAACCT Grant and Other Grant Funding Opportunities

US DOL Grant Opportunities

Below are two grant opportunities newly released by the US Department of Labor this week. Many of you are coming off having submitted applications to the $250M California Career Pathway Trust and undoubtedly could use a rest. The good news is that, for those who have the energy, you are likely to find yourself better positioned to undertake complex federal applications like these from the US DOL. Good luck.

Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants Program-SGA-DFA-PY-13-10

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, or the Department), announces the availability of approximately $450 million in grant funds authorized for the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) Grant Program.

The TAACCCT program seeks to increase the number of workers who attain certificates, degrees, and other industry-recognized credentials, helping to meet President Obama's college graduation goal of increasing the percentage of adults with a post-secondary credential by 2020. The overarching goals of the program are to: (1) increase attainment of degrees, certifications, certificates, diplomas, and other industry-recognized credentials that match the skills needed by employers to better prepare workers eligible for training under the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Workers Program ("TAA-eligible workers") of chapter 2 of title II of the Trade Act of 1974, 19 U.S.C. 2271-2323, and other adults for high-wage, high-skill employment or re-employment in growth industry sectors; (2) introduce or replicate innovative and effective methods for designing and delivering instruction that address specific industry needs and lead to improved learning, completion, and other outcomes for TAA-eligible workers and other adults; and (3) demonstrate improved employment outcomes.

The Department intends to make grant awards to eligible single institution applicants in all states ranging from approximately $2,260,000 to $2,500,000, up to a total of approximately $150 million. Under this SGA, DOL intends to make approximately 15 to 25 grant awards to consortia of eligible institutions, up to a total of approximately $300 million in grant awards to consortium applicants. The Department will provide two tiers of funding for consortium grant awards, based on the number of institutions in the consortium.

Issue Date: April 16, 2014
Closing Date: July 7, 2014
Full Announcement (pdf format)

$100M American Apprenticeship Grants
The On April 16, 2014, the President and Vice President announced new federal investments using existing funds to support job-driven training, like apprenticeships, that will expand partnerships with industry, businesses, unions, community colleges, and training organizations to train workers in the skills they need. Employers, unions, and foundations are joining these efforts with new commitments to support job-driven training.

Expanding Apprenticeships for Good Middle Class Jobs. The Department of Labor is making $100 million in existing H-1B funds available for American Apprenticeship Grants to reward partnerships that help more workers participate in apprenticeships. This competition will help more Americans access this proven path to employment and the middle class: 87 percent of apprentices are employed after completing their programs and the average starting wage for apprenticeship graduates is over $50,000. The new American Apprenticeship Grants competition - which will be launched in the fall - will focus on partnerships between employers, labor organizations, training providers, community colleges, local and state governments, the workforce system, non-profits and faith-based organizations that:
Launch apprenticeship models in new, high-growth fields: Many fast-growing occupations and industries with open positions, such as in information technology, high-tech services, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing, have an opportunity to adopt and adapt apprenticeship programs, to meet their skilled workforce needs.
Align apprenticeships to pathways for further learning and career advancement: Apprenticeships that embed industry-recognized skills certifications or reward workplace learning with college credit provide an affordable educational pathway for those who need to earn while they learn, and apprenticeships linked to pre-apprenticeship programs can help more Americans access this training and get on an early pathway to a good career.
Scale apprenticeship models that work: Across the country, there are pockets of excellence in apprenticeship, but all too often these successful models are unknown in other regions or to other employers. These grants will build from strength and invest in innovations and strategies to scale apprenticeships – including to market the value of apprenticeships, make them more attractive to women and other Americans who have been underrepresented, increase the return on investment for workers and, or build national and regional partnerships to expand apprenticeships.

See the Fact Sheet, FAQ and www.whitehouse.gov for more details.


Federal Grant Opportunities for Community Colleges
"One of the most common requests received in the Community College section of the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education is for information about Department grant programs for which community colleges are eligible. Below is a new version of the list of those programs*. While every effort has been made to provide up-to-date program details, grant programs can change quickly and regular monitoring of the Federal Register for official notices is the best way to stay apprised of the most current information. I want to thank my assistant, Charles Browne, for compiling this list."

--Mark Mitsui, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Colleges

Community College Related Programs

* This is not an exhaustive list of applicable grants and is subject to change. Please regularly check the Federal Register for updates. Thank you.

Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE)

Adult Education-Basic Grants to States

Adult Education-National Leadership Activities

Vocational Education-Basic Grants to States

Career and Technical Education-Grants to Native Americans and Alaska Natives

Vocational Education National Programs

Tech Prep Education-mentioned in the Perkins Act but hasn't been appropriated since 2010

Tribally Controlled Postsecondary Career and Technical Education Program

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)

Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training Program

Federal Student Aid (FSA)

Federal Work-Study Program

Federal Pell Grant Program

Federal Perkins Loan Program

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program

Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program

Iraq-Afghanistan Service Grant Program

Direct Loan Programs (subsidized, unsubsidized, PLUS, and consolidation loans)

Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE)

Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions-Title III, Part A Programs

American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities-Title III, Part A Programs

Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions Program

Demonstration Projects to Ensure Students With Disabilities Receive a Quality Higher Education

Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program-Title V

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP)

Fulbright-Hayes Group Projects Abroad Program

Hispanic-Serving Institutions-Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics and Articulation Programs

Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program

Native American-Serving Non-tribal Institutions Program

Predominantly Black Institutions Program-Competitive Grants

Fulbright-Hayes Seminars Abroad-Bilateral Projects

Title III, Part B-Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program

Title III, Part A Programs-Strengthening Institutions

Student Support Services Program

Talent Search Program

Training Program for Federal TRIO Programs

Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program

Upward Bound Program

Upward Bound Math-Science

Regards,
Van Ton-Quinlivan, Vice Chancellor
Workforce & Economic Development Division
Chancellor’s Office, California Community Colleges
1102 Q Street, 4th floor executive offices, Sacramento, CA 95811
916-327-5492 or vtquinlivan@cccco.edu
For appointments, please contact Faye James: 916-323-4990 or fjames@cccco.edu.