H-1B Technical Skills Training Grants
Look for the 2013 solicitation announcement to be released this Spring. Approximately $130 million is expected to be available.
Grant: H-1B Technical Skills Training Grants
Agency: United States Department of Labor
Division: Employment and Training Administration (ETA)
Deadline: November 17, 2011
Description: This grant program is designed to provide education, training and job placement assistance in the occupations and industries for which employers are using H-1B visas to hire foreign workers and the related activities to support such training. In response to industry skill shortages in high-growth industries and occupations, Congress established the H-1B visa category for non-immigrants seeking work in high-skill or specialty occupations, imposed a user fee on employers for H-1B applications and set annual limits on the number of H-1B visas granted.
The H-1B Technical Skills Training Grant Program is intended to raise the technical skill levels of American workers so they can obtain or upgrade employment in high-growth industries and occupations. Over time, these education and training programs will help businesses reduce their use of skilled foreign professionals permitted to work in the U.S. on a temporary basis under the H-1B visa program.
Technical Skills Training Grants will focus on high-growth industries and occupations defined as those that are:
- Projected to add substantial numbers of new jobs to the economy.
- Being transformed by technology and innovation requiring new skill sets for workers.
- New and emerging businesses that are projected to grow.
- Significantly impacting the economy overall or the growth of other industries and occupations.
For more information about H-1B occupations, applicants should review the Program Notice's list of industries and occupations that are using H-1B visas to hire foreign workers and should refer to the Foreign Labor Certification Data Center website.
ETA intends to fund at least $45 million to applicants proposing to provide training in the health care industry. The Department is particularly focused on reaching those individuals who have been unemployed the longest.
Applicants must propose projects that provide job training and related activities that are designed to assist workers in gaining the skills and competencies needed to obtain or upgrade employment in high-growth industries and occupations, or along the career pathways for such industries and occupations. The Department will fund two types of training programs: those that provide on-the-job training to all participants and those that use other promising training strategies. Other types of training strategies include but are not limited to: classroom occupational training, contextualized learning, distance learning and customized training for particular employers or groups of employers.
Fit for Public Broadcasting: Eligible applicants to this program are partnerships of private and public sector entities. Public media stations can be part of these partnerships and can provide education and training in collaboration with business-related nonprofits, economic development agencies, or other education and training organizations. Public media stations that have expertise in workforce development and distance learning would make great partners for this program. On-the-job training is not a required component; the U.S. Department of Labor is planning to award some grants to applicants that propose to use other types of training strategies, including distance learning. When grants were awarded from this program in 2002 and 2003, most of the recipients were workforce investment boards, so interested stations should contact local workforce investment boards to discuss partnership opportunities.
Eligibility: Grants may be awarded to a partnership of private and public sector entities. This partnership must include at least two entities from among the following groups:
- Business-related nonprofit organizations, such as trade associations.
- Education and training providers, including community colleges and other community-based organizations.
- Entities involved in administering the workforce investment system and economic development agencies.
Definitions of each group can be found in the Program Notice.
In addition to the entities included in the partnership, applicants must also work with at least one employer or consortium of employers that is engaged in the project.
Anticipated funding: ETA expects that $240 million will be available to fund 75 to 100 grants, with individual grant amounts ranging from $1 million to $5 million. At least $150 million will be awarded to grantees that provide on-the-job training to all participants, at least $45 million will be awarded to applicants proposing to provide training in the health care industry and at least $60 million will go to applicants proposing to focus on the long-term unemployed. The period of grant performance will be up to 48 months from the date of execution of the grant documents.
How to apply: Applications may be submitted electronically via Grants.gov or in paper format by mail or hand delivery. Online submission requires registration, a process that usually takes three to five business days but can take as long as four weeks. Be sure to visit Grants.gov and begin registering well in advance of the deadline. All applicants must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and maintain an active registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) at all times during which it has an active federal award or an application under consideration.
Resources:
Program Notice
Q&A about the program
Competitive Grants Awarded from the U.S. Department of Labor since 2002, including past H-1B Technical Skills Training grants
View webinar.
