TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

Eligibility Criteria

Am I eligible to apply for a Community-Based Job Training Grant?

The criteria for who is an eligible applicant under this Solicitation are clearly stated in 71 Fed. Reg. 37948 (July 3, 2006):

In order to be eligible for consideration under this solicitation, the applicant must be an individual community or technical college; a community college district, a state community college system, or a One-Stop Career Center. Other entities are eligible under the exception in Section III(C)(5) of the Solicitation.

As part of the application process, you must determine your institution’s eligibility; however, ETA will validate the eligibility of applicants during the review process. Applicants must demonstrate that they comply with the definitions of eligible entities provided in the Solicitation.

1) Community and Technical colleges must demonstrate that they comply with the definition in 20 U.S.C. 2371 (the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Amendments of 1998):

The terms “community college” or “technical college”– (A) mean an institution of higher education [as defined in 20 U.S.C. 1001*] that provides not less than a 2-year program that is acceptable for full credit towards a bachelor’s degree; and (B) includes tribally controlled colleges and universities.

Under this eligible applicant category, ETA intends to award Community-Based Job Training Grants to publicly-funded community and technical colleges that award associates degrees that comply with the above definition.

The Perkins definition (20 U.S.C. 2371) in the SGA is very broad. As part of the application process, you must determine your institution’s eligibility; however, ETA will validate the eligibility of applicants during the review process.

Should you at any point determine that your institution is not a qualified applicant, we recommend that you revisit the program and partnership requirements and determine if another role might be appropriate for your organization.

* For reference, 20 U.S.C. 1001 defines “institution of higher education” as an educational institution in any State that—

• admits as regular students only persons having a certificate of graduation from a school providing secondary education, or the recognized equivalent of such a certificate;
• is legally authorized within such State to provide a program of education beyond secondary education;
• provides an educational program for which the institution awards a bachelor’s degree or provides not less than a 2-year program that is acceptable for full credit toward such a degree;
• is a public or other nonprofit institution; and
• is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association, or if not so accredited, is an institution that has been granted preaccreditation status by such an agency or association that has been recognized by the Secretary [of Education] for the granting of preaccreditation status, and the Secretary [of Education] has determined that there is satisfactory assurance that the institution will meet the accreditation standards of such an agency or association within a reasonable time.

2) Community College District applicants must demonstrate that they are an education district organized by the state to define the community in which the college operates.

3) State community college system applicants must demonstrate that their office represents the management and supervision of a unified statewide system of community and technical colleges.

4) One-Stop Career Centers, as established under Section 121 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-220). The eligible applicant for One-Stop Career Centers is the One-Stop Operator, as defined under Section 121 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-220), on behalf of the One-Stop Career Center. The applicant must: (1) have a letter of concurrence from all signatories to the One-Stop Career Center Memorandum of Understanding, including the Local Workforce Investment Board (WIB) and all mandatory partners, as specified in Section 121 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998; (2) demonstrate that the proposed activities are consistent with the state strategic Workforce Investment Act plan; and (3) demonstrate that the Local Workforce Investment Board, or its designated fiscal agent, will serve as the fiscal agent for the grant. The Workforce Investment Board’s support and involvement in the project should be detailed in the letter of concurrence, which should also address the above requirements (2) and (3). The WIB may also address above requirements (2) and (3) in a separate letter of concurrence. Applications from One-Stop Career Centers without a letter of concurrence from the One-Stop Career Center partners will be considered non-responsive. One-Stop Career Center applications must specify one or more community college(s) where all capacity building and training activities will occur under the grant.

Can local Workforce Investment Boards be applicants? Our One-Stop Career Center would like to apply for a CBJTG. Who is the actual applicant?

The eligible applicant for One-Stop Career Centers is the One-Stop Operator, as defined under Section 121 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, on behalf of the One-Stop Career Center. Please see the above question for more details on the eligibility requirements for One-Stop Career Centers.

What happens if the One-Stop Operator changes during the life of the grant?

If at any time, the applicant or grantee One-Stop Operator changes, then the One-Stop partners may amend their application, on behalf of the One-Stop Career Center, for the purpose of designating a new One-Stop Operator.

Exceptions for Educationally Underserved Areas

There is no community or technical college in my area to provide training. Is anyone else eligible to apply?

ETA recognizes that some communities, particularly those in rural areas, may lack access to community and technical college training where physical college facilities are not reasonably close and technology-based and distance learning options are limited or not available.

In these educationally underserved communities that lack access to community and technical colleges, there are two other eligible applicants:

• Public Institutions of Higher Education, as defined in 20 U.S.C. 1001 that award certificates and both two-year and four-year degrees (NOTE: the emphasis for capacity building and training activities under the grant must be at the certificate or two-year Associates Degree level); and
• Alternate Educational Entities that are governmental or not-for-profit organizations that directly deliver, or broker for delivery, post secondary education opportunities in educationally underserved communities that lack access to community colleges.

How do I demonstrate that my community is educationally underserved?

The applicant must fully demonstrate as part of its statement of need that community college training is not reasonably available within commuting distance of the community in which grant activities will take place and that there are no viable technology-based or distance learning options available. Applicants may use mileage, population, and access to classrooms, Internet and other technology, public transportation and other services, as factors to support their demonstration of the lack of access to and availability of community college training.

Eligibility of High-Growth Applicants

I submitted a proposal under a High-Growth Job Training Initiative Solicitation for Grant Applications. Can I also submit one under the Community-Based Job Training Grants (CBJTG)?

Yes, submitting a proposal under a High-Growth Initiative Solicitation for Grant Applications does not preclude a community or technical college or other eligible applicants from submitting an application under CBJTG.

Multiple Industries

Can I submit a proposal that trains in more than one industry?

Applicants may submit proposals for cross-cutting capacity building and training strategies that support training in more than one high-growth/high-demand industry if the applicant can demonstrate that skill needs in the identified industries are shared. Please note that training must result in college credit or other credentials that are industry-recognized and indicate a level of mastery and competence in a given field or function. Applicants that wish to propose training programs in two or more high-growth industries that do not share skill needs should do so through separate applications.