FYI




>NEW SGA for At-Risk Youth Dollars from DOL!

>

>Closing date for this opportunity is February 4, 2006! This is just a 

>summary of the announcement.  Go to this website for the complete details!

>

><http://www.doleta.gov/sga/sga/00-101sga.cfm#content>http://www.doleta.gov/sga/sga/00-101sga.cfm#content 

>

>

>Notice inviting proposals for Selected Demonstration Project High-Risk 

>Youth and Adults (SGA/DFA 00-101)

>

>

>DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

>Employment and Training Administration

>AGENCIES: Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor

>ACTION: Notice inviting proposals for Selected Demonstration Project 

>High-Risk Youth and Adults.

>THIS NOTICE CONTAINS ALL OF THE NECESSARY INFORMATION AND FORMS NEEDED TO 

>APPLY FOR GRANT FUNDING.

>SUMMARY

>The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) redefines the nature of youth and adult 

>programming efforts within the nation's workforce development system by 

>focusing on a systematic approach that offers both youth and adults a 

>broad array of coordinated services. WIA provides for high quality 

>learning, developing leadership skills among youth, and preparing both 

>youth and adults for entry into employment, re-employment (for those who 

>have had prior employment), further education or training, and long-term 

>follow-up services to promote employment retention and career advancement.

>

>The primary focus under this solicitation will be to examine approaches 

>that assure that "high-risk" youth and adults are provided with quality 

>workforce investment services that address their unique needs through the 

>WIA system. High-risk individuals may be described as those who have 

>multiple environmental, social and/or educational barriers to becoming 

>employed. This population includes individuals who are homeless, 

>recovering addicts, those who generally reside in communities of high 

>poverty and unemployment, or who are involved in gangs or the criminal 

>justice system. In the Conference Agreement for the Fiscal Year 1999 

>Appropriation for Title IV of JTPA, "high-risk" individuals are those 

>described as: "including displaced homemakers and older workers, and those 

>adults or youth who are under the supervision of the criminal justice or 

>penal systems, or who are living in foster care, homeless facilities, and 

>public or assisted housing. Barriers to employment faced by these 

>individuals include homelessness, addiction recovery, transportation, 

>criminal records or reentry from prison or other justice-related or social 

>service-related institutions."

>

>High-risk individuals are not always aware of services provided through 

>the employment and training system. The work to be conducted under this 

>solicitation seeks to further improve the array of services authorized by 

>WIA to reach and serve individuals who may not otherwise have access to 

>information regarding WIA services. This solicitation also seeks the 

>provision of quality job training and related services including follow-up 

>services tailored to the interests and aptitudes of the client population 

>that facilitates at-risk youth and adults returning from various 

>institutions to their communities.

>

>Further, as WIA emphasizes the need to ensure that training services be 

>directly linked to job opportunities in their local area or may be linked 

>to jobs in another area to which the individual is willing to relocate, 

>these grants will need to demonstrate that services under WIA are in fact 

>linked to local employment opportunities. As a result, recipients of these 

>grants will be expected to build connections to local workforce investment 

>systems, such as linkages with Local Workforce Investment Boards (LWIBs) / 

>Private Industry Councils (PICs), while demonstrating approaches that 

>ensure that "high-risk" youth and adults are provided with quality 

>workforce development services.

>

>For the purpose of this solicitation, quality workforce investment 

>services are defined as those services (including training) that can 

>provide high risk individuals with improved long-term employability 

>prospects and increased earnings. According to Winning the Skills Race 

>(1998), a report compiled by the U.S. Council on Competitiveness, 

>competition for low-skilled occupations has escalated as jobs today 

>increasingly demand higher skill levels. Thus, any job training program to 

>prepare new labor market entrants or reentrants for employment--even 

>individuals with multiple barriers to employment--should emphasize the 

>concept of high (or advanced) skills training. As a result, this 

>solicitation will also seek to provide skills training for high risk youth 

>and adults in new and growing occupations in information technology and 

>related areas.

>

>If you have questions about this announcement please look on the 

>announcement and direct your questions to Denise Roach, Grants Management 

>Specialist, Division of Federal Assistance at (202) 219-8739.

>

>Please pass this on to interested parties!

>Sharon G. Lankford-Rice, CWDP