February 27, 2001

NOTICE TO ALL OFFERORS

REFERENCE: AMENDMENT NO. 2

RFP-DCS-01-10

Additional information has been requested by prospective offerors and it has been determined by the Contracting Officer that this information be made available to all bidders. The closing date and time for the receipt of proposals has been extended to March 23, 2001, by 2:00 p.m. local time.

Keith A. Bond

KEITH A. BOND
Contracting Officer

Attachment(s)

14. RESPONSES TO TECHNICAL QUESTIONS

1a. To date, there has been no evaluation conducted of any of the H-1B grantees.

2a. There is no minimum requirement for the number of site visits to grantee sites during the course of the study. Among other factors, the contractor should base the overall number of site visits on both the Level of Effort and Period of Performance constraints as identified in Section F of the RFP.

3a. Attached is a set of one page summaries for the H-1B grants awarded in Calendar Year 2000 in all three rounds of competition conducted to date. (Attachment I)

4a. The purpose of the interviews would be to gather information and insights from these sources which would help fulfill the RFP study requirements. The parameters will be based on what amount of relevant information can be gathered within the Level of Effort and Time Constraints identified in Section F of the RFP.

5a. See answer 3a above.

6a. This figure should be based on the scheduling of site visits, using reasonable coach airfares, an average of $50 per day for car rental and gas, per diem figures from the January 1, 2001, "GSA Per Diem Notice," and mileage allowance of thirty-two cents ($.32) per mile where applicable (WWW.GSA.GOV). Per Clause H.4 - Travel and Per Diem, of the RFP, all travel must adhere to the applicable Federal Travel Regulations.

7a. Bidders should use their discretion regarding the frequency of mail surveys during the performance period of the project.

8a. There are no specific requirements regarding site selection. Offerors should use their best judgement regarding the sample site selection process. However, projects to be looked at for evaluation should include all 43 funded during the 3 rounds of competition under the 1998 statute and those that will be funded under the four rounds of panels for the "75 percent pot" and those that will be funded under the two rounds of competition for the "25 percent pot." This creates a total pool of 43 plus approximately 50.

9a. To date, there has been no management information system imposed on the H-1B grantees; however, ETA is in the final stages of developing a system of MIS/reporting for these grants, and we anticipate that there will be a flexible system of standardized reporting shortly.

10a. As stated in Section M.1, the Government will evaluate proposals using a two-step methodology. The first step, which will determine the competitive range, will involve the evaluation of the offeror's Technical Approach, Individual Staff Experience and Qualifications, Contractor's Past Performance, and Price, evaluation factors A, B, C, and E. Based on the first step of evaluations, a Competitive Range consisting of the most highly rated proposals will be established. These offerors will be invited to give an oral presentation.

11a. If a company senior manager is proposed as the Project Manager or in a key position, and designated in the budget for the requirement time commitment, then yes, that person will be allowed to present at the oral presentation.

12a. The Project Director and Project Manager are one and the same. The Project Director/Project Manager must commit 20% of their time to the project

13a. A Cost Plus Fixed Fee is a cost reimbursement type contract.

14a. No. The purpose of limiting the media available for the oral presentation to "black and white overhead transparencies (slides)" and a flip chart and marker pens is to reduce bid and proposal costs, keep focus on content, and to keep the playing field level.

15a. Please see answer 3a. We have attached one page summaries of all the grants as an attachment to this set of questions. Those one page summaries provide capsule program information and contact information.

16a. The bidders budget and scheduling for the mail survey task and all other tasks and deliverables should be consistent with their technical approach.

17a. The successful awardee of this RFP will be provided access to all grantees and to their regularly submitted quarterly reports, subject to whatever legitimate proprietary restrictions under the Freedom of Information Act and related statutes imposed by those grantees.

18a. As stated in Section L-7, there is no limit to the number of overhead transparencies that an offeror may use during its presentation. However, the offeror should use its discretion when determining how many to use.

19a. Please see Section L.7 for the procedures and instructions for the oral presentation.

20a. Yes, as stated in Section C.5 - Special Requirements.

21a. Yes, as stated in Section L.9 - Letters of Commitment - Key Personnel. All other staff are to submit Letters of Intent (Section M.2 (B)).

22a. As state in Section L.7, the oral presentation and the question and answer session will not constitute discussions, as defined by FAR Part 15, and will not obligate the Government to determine a competitive range, conduct discussions, or solicit to entertain revised or final offers. Statements made by the offeror during the oral presentation or the question and answer session will not become a part of any contract resulting from this RFP, unless the Government and the offeror agree to make it part of an offer during discussions. If the Government decides to conduct discussions the Government will not solicit or entertain revisions to the oral presentations or to the answers given during the question and answer session.

23a. A narrative technical approach is required in addition to the overhead transparencies. Please see Section L.8 - Submission of Proposal, which is deleted in its entirety and is replaced with Attachment II.

24a. The offerors need not limit their technical approach to grantees awarded before 2001, but need to be mindful of the RFP's Period of Performance in their projections.

25a. Please see answer 9a.

26a. Section L.7.4 is corrected as follows

Offeror's presentation team: A maximum of five contractor personnel (prime and subcontractors) may participate. These individuals/ presenters will attend the oral presentation and the question and answer session and shall answer questions directed to them. The presentation shall be made by one or more of the personnel whom the offeror will employ to manage or supervise contract performance on a full time basis or as designated in Section C.5. The Project Manager who will have a 20% time operational responsibility for contract performance shall be present and shall, at a minimum, answer questions directed to him/her during the question and answer session.

Offerors may not use company senior or general managers (unless they are designated as key personnel) or consultants to make any part of the oral presentation. In addition to the maximum of five individuals who will participate, the offeror may send two non-participating representatives to observe. Hence a total of seven contractor personnel will be permitted to attend (only five may participate) the presentation. No other officers, employees, consultants, agents, or other representatives of the offeror may attend.

27a. Offerors can propose a staffing allocation that is believed to be most efficient and effective in meeting the requirement of the project, without necessarily assigning any one person "full-time" to the project?

28a. Please see answer no. 11a.

29a. Letters of Intent are required for "all professional personnel." They are submitted with the offeror's initial proposal. After the competitive range is established of the most highly rated offerors, offeror's within the competitive range will be invited to give an oral presentation. The same day the offeror gives their oral presentation, the government will enter into cost discussions with them, and at that time, Letters of Commitment - Section L.9, Confirmation of Proposed Key Personnel - Section L.10, and binding signed employment contracts for key personnel will be requested to be submitted with the offeror's final revised cost proposal.

30a. DOL's intention in requiring such a commitment is to guard against offerors engaging in "bait and switch". The proposing of key personnel, but actually intending to replace them early in performance, without identifying in the proposal who the replacement key personnel would be. The employment contract supplements the protection to the Government provided under Clause H.8 Key Personnel. The Government will not reconsider the requirement of an employment contract but will reduce the length of the employment contract from one year to six months from the date of contract award. The pursuit of legal remedy is not required.

31a. Yes. Offerors' technical proposals exclusive of the oral presentation transparencies, resumes, and past performance information shall be limited to 25 single-spaced, single-sided pages with 1-inch margins. Text type shall be at least 10 pitch or larger. Offerors be advised that proposals that do not meet these requirements will be determined non-responsive and not considered for award.

32a. Please see answer 11a.

33a. At this time, the MIS reporting system is still in the late stages of development. We anticipate that when it is in place it will require certain kinds of data collection. However, since the system is not yet operational, it is premature to provide details on it.

34a. This data would be available in the Office of Workforce Systems, Division of Alien Labor Certification.

35a. Of course. However, that would only be the case for grants awarded in the future; all of the grants awarded to date have been provided under the 1998 statute through competitive procurements.

36a. Please see answer 11a.

37a. That was a typographical error. M.C. should be M.2. Key personnel referred to in Section L.9 include only those stated in Section H.9 (the Project Director and the Co-Principal Investigator).

38a. Please see answer 29a.

39a. Offerors can propose a staffing allocation that is believed to be most efficient and effective in meeting the requirement of the project, without necessarily assigning any one person "full-time" to the project?

40a. See 39a.

41a. The Consultation Paper on the DOL ETA website discusses the tentative schedule for awarding grants during Calendar Year 2001. It is anticipated that there will be about four panels to evaluate the proposals submitted under the 75 percent pot as enumerated in the 2000 statute. It is anticipated that there will probably be two competitions under the 25 percent pot.

42a. See answer 9a. To date, while the reporting system has gone through some of the final stages of development, USDOL has imposed only very general reporting requirements on the grantees (narrative summaries together with pertinent statistics.

43a. Although the Department of Labor data collection system has not been finalized, data collected from the H1-B grantees by DOL, necessary for evaluation purposes will be available to the evaluator both electronically and through hard copy.

44a. The weights of the evaluation subfactors under Technical Approach are in descending order of importance. The Government will not provide specific points for each subfactor.

45a. A cost reimbursement type contract is where the government reimburses the contractor for the allowable costs it incurred in performing the contract. These contracts establish an estimate of total cost for the purpose of obligating funds and establishing a ceiling that the contractor may not exceed (except at its own risk) without the approval of the contracting officer.

46a. Offerors are not required to submit a proposal/bid intent form.

• Name and Address of Organization
• Telephone Number
• Point of Contact

This information is to be submitted electronically to Chari Magruder at cmagruder@doleta.gov, by 2:00 p.m., March 2, 2001.

ATTACHMENT I

H-1B DEMONSTRATION GRANTEE ONE-PAGER

Grantee: Private Industry Council of San Francisco, Inc.

Grant Amount: $3 million

Contact: Pamela S. Calloway

Telephone: (415) 431-8700

Fax: none

Duration of Grant: The period of performance shall be August 1, 2000 to July 30, 2002.

Population Served: Underserved, low-income, minority communities and designated Enterprise Zones as well as HIV-positive and disabled individuals as well as incumbent and dislocated workers.

Geographic Area Served: San Francisco County which comprises the central metropolitan area in the Bay area.

Unemployment Rate: Seasonally Adjusted

Not Seasonally Adjusted

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Digital media/computers including positions in design, e-commerce, web programming, HTML, animation, web design and development, content production, quality assurance, systems administration, and technical support.

Uniqueness of Proposal: The partners in the proposal have strong industry ties; local employer support; training that is matched to the labor market needs; and outreach to bring training to low-income, minority and underserved communities.

Partnerships: Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) and Goodwill Industries as well as more than 80 private sector partners including: Adobe Systems, Inc., Compaq Computer Corporation, C/NET, Macromedia, ZDTV, Wired Digital, Xceed, Reef, Starmedia Broadband, Warner, eMotion and Industrial Light & Magic.

THE NEED:

One of the key issues facing the area is resolving the critical disparity between the supply and the demand for technically-trained workers to fill Internet-related occupations in industries across the spectrum. Some industry analysts, according to the proposal, have predicted that the workforce gap in the area will grow to 200,000 positions by 2010. The new media industry accounts for 40 percent of new jobs in the geographic area. High-tech salaries averaged $66,000 in 1999.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

The partnership will provide comprehensive digital media training and professional job placement for individuals over a two year period. Goodwill Industries will train up to 100 students who will complete eight week course modules to attain basic computer skills and specialized course work to prepare them for BAVC's intensive digital media training. BVAC will provide advanced training for those from the Goodwill program as well as an additional 150 individuals over a two year period through its JobLink curriculum. Overall the program will work with private sector partners by establishing an Industry Advisory Board which will ensure that the partnership develops training curricula exactly matched to industry needs.

H-1B DEMONSTRATION GRANTEE ONE-PAGER

Grantee: Baltimore County/Baltimore County Office of Employment and Training

Grant Amount: $2,517,888

Contact: Lisa C. Scott

Telephone: (410) 887-3649

Fax: None

Duration of Grant: The period of performance shall be August 1, 2000 to July 30, 2002.

Population Served: Incumbent information technology (IT) workers, and non-IT workers and unemployed individuals.

Geographic Area Served: Baltimore City and the counties of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Cecil, Harford, and Howard.

Unemployment Rate: Seasonally Adjusted

Not Seasonally Adjusted

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Information technology industries, with a focus on database development and administration, digital media, enterprise systems analysis and integration, network design and administration, programming/ software engineering, technical support, technical writing, and web development and administration.

Uniqueness of Proposal: Includes distance learning with over 20 complete degree programs; training will be provided through individual training accounts.

Partnerships: Baltimore County Office of Employment and Training (BCOET); Baltimore County Workforce Development Council; the Baltimore Metropolitan Region Coordinating Council, comprising workforce development professionals from each of the seven geographical jurisdictions to be served; regional businesses; technology consortia such as the Baltimore County Technology Council and the Greater Baltimore Technology Council; local workforce investment boards; state and local government agencies; educational institutions such as the University of Maryland and local community colleges; private training vendors, and community-based organizations

THE NEED:

The available pool of skilled American information-technology workers is not commensurate with the high demand for such workers in the greater Baltimore area and throughout the United States, compromising the ability of businesses to compete in global markets and sustain economic growth. In greater Baltimore, at least 8,000 IT jobs go unfilled annually.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

BCOET will coordinate a consortium of partners to help alleviate technology skills shortages in the region through the Greater Baltimore Technology Training Connection demonstration project. Approximately 300 employed and unemployed individuals will receive primarily employer-based training in skills required for eight IT career clusters (identified above). Trained workers will be hired by participating employers, minimizing the need for H-1B visa workers.

H-1B DEMONSTRATION GRANTEE ONE-PAGER

Grantee: Berkshire County Regional Employment Board

Grant Amount: $2,003,164

Contact: Peg Ryan

Telephone: (617) 727-8158

Fax: none

Duration of Grant: The period of performance shall be August 1, 2000 to July 30, 2002.

Population Served: Employees of General Dynamics Defense Systems (GDDS) and GDDS individuals will be provided technical training. In addition, GDDS and non-GDS individuals will receive soft skills training.

Geographic Area Served: Berkshire County

Unemployment Rate: Seasonally Adjusted

Not Seasonally Adjusted

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Systems analysis and programming, mechanical engineering, electrical/electronic engineering, engineering occupations, and other computer related occupations, as well as soft skills training.

Uniqueness of Proposal: The company would conduct the training in their facilities. The proposal indicates that the training can be sustained after the grant by transferring training to colleges and universities. The proposal describes the migration of workers from this area and the need for workers in engineering and computer related occupations.

Partnerships: Berkshire County Regional Employment Board will partner with the Corporation of Business Work and Learning (CBWL), GDDS, Publications Research Group (PRG), regional colleges, Berkshire Works (the One-Stop career center for Berkshire County) and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts's Office of Lifelong Learning (OL3).

THE NEED:

As Berkshire County companies are changing and new companies are forming, there is a critical need to train, employ, and retain a workforce that can master a variety of tasks, recognize opportunities, and adapt to shifting market conditions.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

GDDS will provide technical training in three fields which are in critical need of qualified workers: software design engineers, systems integration engineers, and hardware design engineers. Due to the complexity of the work, soft skills training will also be offered in areas such as facilitation, communication, innovation, problem solving, and decision making. GDDS will draw upon in-house technical experts, selected external training providers, and teaming/partnership arrangements with colleges and universities to provide the training.

H-1B DEMONSTRATION GRANTEE ONE-PAGER

Grantee: County of Contra Costa, Employment and Human Services Department

Grant Amount: $2,220,018

Contact: Ronald W. Wetter

Telephone: (925) 646-5239

Fax:

Duration of Grant: The period of performance shall be August 1, 2000 to July 30, 2002.

Population Served: Licensed vocational nurses, and Kaiser Permanente employees.

Geographic Area Served: Contra Costa County and 10 counties in northern California.

Unemployment Rate: Seasonally Adjusted

Not Seasonally Adjusted

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Registered nurses, acute care nurse assistant, unit assistant, and medical assistant.

Uniqueness of Proposal: The project would raise entry-level, lower skilled workers to higher positions and address a serious health care need facing the geographic are being served.

Partnerships: Key partners are the workforce investment board of Contra Costa County, Kaiser Permanente, Health Care Workers-SEIU Local 250, The Shirley Ware Education Center, and Contra Costa Community College.

THE NEED: There is a critical shortage of nurses in California. The proportion of registered nurses per 100,000 people is among the lowest in the nation.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

Kaiser Permanente and Health Care Workers Union Local 250 have formed a partnership that will provide licensed vocational nurses with training to advance their nursing careers and become registered nurses. In addition, entry-level, lower skilled workers in health care jobs will be trained into jobs as acute care nurse assistants, medical assistants, and unit assistants. Occupational training for these 280 workers will take place over a 20 month period at various Kaiser Permanente sites throughout northern California. Training for the 30 licensed vocational workers will be provided through a concentrated one year degree program provided in conjunction with local community colleges.

H-1B DEMONSTRATION GRANTEE ONE-PAGER

Grantee: Dallas County Local Workforce Development Board

Grant Amount: $909,270

Contact: Laurie Bouillion Larrea

Telephone: (214) 290-1025

Fax: none

Duration of Grant: The period of performance shall be August 1, 2000 to July 30, 2002.

Population Served: Dislocated, unemployed or underemployed workers who need advance technical skills to obtain H-1B-level jobs.

Geographic Area Served: City of Dallas, Dallas County.

Unemployment Rate: Seasonally Adjusted

Not Seasonally Adjusted

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Targeted skills training are information technology, telecommunications, and high technology manufacturing.

Uniqueness of Proposal: "Just In Time/Any Time Training which removes barriers to success

Partnerships: Key partners in this project are WorkSource for Dallas County, Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development (BJP), Richland College (RLC), Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce, Richardson Chamber of Commerce, and College/Business Advisory Committees.

THE NEED:

There is currently a large concentration of high technology companies, primarily involved with information technology, concentrated in the Dallas area. However, there is a growing shortage of domestic skilled workers available to occupy the available jobs.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

This two year project will recruit and place unemployed or under-employed individuals who already have solid computer related skills into jobs in Dallas area companies. The "Just in Time/Any Time" program will remove virtually all barriers to success such as time/location convenience, transportation, child care, training afford ability, and job placement. The high technology training will be provided by two entities of the Dallas County Community College District-the Bill Priest Institute and Richland College, and will focus on developing the skills necessary for the "demand occupations" determined by WorkSource for Dallas County.

H-1B DEMONSTRATION GRANTEE ONE-PAGER

Grantee: City of Glendale

Grant Amount: $3 million

Contact: K.C. Nash

Telephone: (818) 548-3719

Fax: none

Duration of Grant: The period of performance shall be August 1, 2000 to July 30, 2002.

Population Served: This project will serve union members, 85% of which will be employed or incumbent and contingent workers, 15% of which will be unemployed.

Geographic Area Served: Los Angeles County.

Unemployment Rate: Seasonally Adjusted

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Entertainment industry and the specific skills related to this industry, such as compositing for digital effects, digital imaging, digital film-making photography, and non-linear editing.

Uniqueness of Proposal: The union that would administer the grant has extensive training experiences and facilities. The proposal describes the key partnership with the WIB, City of Glendale, and a one-stop office. The proposal describes the history of employment trends.

Partnerships: Partnerships are with Verdugo Workforce Investment Board, 20 local entertainment unions, and 27 training providers.

THE NEED:

There is a skills shortage among incumbent and contingent workers who are members of local entertainment industry unions. If these workers are to remain competitive in their industry, they will need the necessary skills training.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

An ad hoc council comprised of members of the partnering organizations and unions will serve as an advisory organization to assure cooperation, identify solutions, and review training providers. Training will be customized specifically for the entertainment industry, and will be provided by trainers identified in advance as project partners. Because of the nature of the industry and its workers, curricula will use methods such as interactive video, self-instructional materials and equipment, learning labs, distance learning, and Internet based approaches, thereby providing a flexible schedule to meet the demands of the trainees.

H-1B DEMONSTRATION GRANTEE ONE-PAGER

Grantee: Houston-Galveston Area Council, for Gulf Coast Workforce Development Board

Grant Amount: $2,808,484

Contact: Rodney Bradshaw

Telephone: (713) 993-4530

Fax: none

Duration of Grant: The period of performance shall be August 1, 2000 to July 30, 2002.

Population Served: 300 students who are; participants in WIA/EC related programs; incumbent workers from the consortium; or Texas Southern University (TSU)/Houston Community College Systems (HCCS) referrals who work part time or have subsistence income.

Geographic Area Served: Houston Texas, Harris County

Unemployment Rate: Seasonally Adjusted

Not Seasonally Adjusted

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Skills training will include: computer architecture and hardware organization; systems software and design; operating systems function; communications system and computer network; structured systems analysis and design; program architecture and design; program implementation using structured programming language; technical writing and documentation.

Uniqueness of Proposal: Training facilities are located in an enterprise zone. The grantee plans to develop techniques that shorten the training time. Specific outcomes are included.

Partnerships: Cooperating partners will include Houston Galveston Area Council, HCCS, TSU, Call Center Solutions, HuTec International, Inc., Embedded Power Systems, Lucent Technologies, Unisys, and Houston Independent School District

THE NEED:

There is currently an overwhelming disparity between openings in the information technology industry and available domestic workers qualified to fill these positions.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

Quality Software Developers Institute (QSDI) will train 300 qualifying dislocated workers, unemployed individuals, and incumbent workers in information technology fields. The trainees will receive 9 months of instruction, 6 months of intense classroom work, and three months of software development work. Training will focus on both technical and professional development, including job retention skills, team building, and performance attitude. The program will also provide training to 10 software development professionals who will then provide the skills training to the 300 participants.

H-1B DEMONSTRATION GRANTEE ONE-PAGER

Grantee: Mercer County Workforce Investment Board

Grant Amount: $2,997,072

Contact: Catherine Tramontana

Telephone: (609) 989-6827

Fax: none

Duration of Grant: The period of performance shall be August 1, 2000 to July 30, 2002.

Population Served: This project will serve individuals who are either unemployed and access county workforce investment boards seeking a computer-related job; employed individuals seeking higher level jobs; or area employers who want to upgrade their workforce by retraining employees.

Geographic Area Served: Mercer-Middlesex corridor in New Jersey.

Unemployment Rate: Seasonally Adjusted

Not Seasonally Adjusted

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Software development, systems design and development, database management, software project management, and network development and support for the IT industry.

Uniqueness of Proposal: The grantee has a wide array of community partners to address the shortage of highly skilled workers. The project is sustainable beyond the grant period through secured on-going funds.

Partnerships: Middlesex County WIB, Mercer County Community College, Middlesex County college, Bell Atlantic - New Jersey, Inc., Merrill Lynch, Mercer County Chambers of Commerce, Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

THE NEED:

According to the New Jersey Technology Council, "four of New Jersey's five growth industries are either driven or heavily supported by information technology. In order to keep growing in New Jersey, companies in these industries need increasing numbers of well educated IT professionals."

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

The Central New Jersey Workforce in Excellence in Information Technology, based at Mercer County Community College and Middlesex County Community College, will provide a comprehensive array of services in order to provide industry-credentialed IT skills training for 500 employed and unemployed individuals. The project will begin with a skills assessment component, after which training will be offered in one of fives skills areas based on input from an advisory group with expertise for that particular area. Training will be provided on a flexible schedule to ensure individual needs, jobs, and family responsibilities are respected.

H-1B DEMONSTRATION GRANTEE ONE-PAGER

Grantee: Kentucky - Louisville and Jefferson County Workforce Investment Board

Grant Amount: $2,538,040

Contact: Pamela O. Anderson

Telephone: (502) 574-2500

Fax: none

Duration of Grant: The period of performance shall be August 1, 2000 to July 30, 2002.

Population Served: Incumbent IT workers and individuals without IT background, targeting women, older persons, people with disabilities, and dislocated workers.

Geographic Area Served: 23-county region surrounding Louisville.

Unemployment Rate: Seasonally Adjusted

Not Seasonally Adjusted

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, network administration, web development.

Uniqueness of Proposal: Broad partnership, including national partners, to address area skills shortages through training accessed through individual training accounts.

Partnerships: Workforce Investment Boards of Louisville/Jefferson County and North Central Kentucky; Career Resources, Inc. (local One-Stop Center); Jefferson Community College; Greater Louisville Inc. (local chamber of commerce); Greater Louisville Small Business Development Center; CompTIA; Manpower, Inc.; and Cisco Systems.

THE NEED:

The available pool of skilled Louisville area information technology workers is not sufficient to meet the high demand for such workers in the region, while unemployment at the outer edges of the labor market is higher than it is closer to Louisville, and average educational attainment is lower than the national average. In Jefferson County, there is a demand for 3,200 IT workers, which is expected to increase.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

The IT Advantage Project will provide training to upgrade the skills of IT workers identified by their employers and basic IT training for individuals recruited through the One-Stop Center. Participants will be assessed and connected with existing IT training providers through individual training accounts, and trainees will be placed in specific employer-identified jobs.

H-1B DEMONSTRATION GRANTEE ONE-PAGER

Grantee: Municipality of Anchorage

Grant Amount: $2,425,035

Contact: Ruth DeCamp

Telephone: (907) 343-6534

Fax: None

Duration of Grant: The period of performance shall be August 1, 2000 to July 30, 2002.

Population Served: Incumbent workers and unemployed individuals with limited or no computer skills.

Geographic Area Served: Municipality of Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna Boroughs.

Unemployment Rate: Seasonally Adjusted

Not Seasonally Adjusted

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Telecommunications industry, with a focus on computer systems analysts, computer software engineers, electrical/electronic engineers, and sales and marketing.

Uniqueness of Proposal: Addresses the labor market needs of a cohesive region including Anchorage and the adjacent Matanuska-Susitna Borough.

Partnerships: Anchorage/Mat-Su Borough Local Workforce Investment Board; High Tech Business Council/Information Technology Consortium, representing 24 IT businesses and 4 local and state government entities; University of Alaska; Matanuska-Susitna School District; Alaska Job Corps; Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training; Alaska Business/Education Compact; and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Apprenticeship and Training program.

THE NEED:

The available pool of skilled American information technology workers is not commensurate with the high demand for such workers in the greater Anchorage area and throughout the United States, compromising the ability of businesses to compete in global markets and sustain economic growth. In Alaska, skill shortages exist in the telecommunications and computer technology industries, while unemployment is high in Matanuska-Susitna Borough.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

This business-led project will provide participants with assessment and career counseling, a certificate course in information technology piloted at the University of Alaska, Southeast, applied training, and apprenticeships and job placement. The two-year project, based on identified skills and knowledge gaps, will focus on telecommunications industry jobs as systems analysts, computer software engineers, electrical/electronic engineers, and telecommunications sales and marketing, alleviating the need for H-1B visa workers.

H-1B DEMONSTRATION GRANTEE ONE-PAGER

Grantee: The Private Industry Council of the City of New York, Inc.

Grant Amount: $2,940,162

Contact: William C. Gresham

Telephone: (212) 742 - 1000

Fax: none

Duration of Grant: The period of performance shall be August 1, 2000 to July 30, 2002

Population Served: Both incumbent workers and unemployed individuals.

Geographic Area Served: New York City

Unemployment Rate: Seasonally Adjusted

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Information technology, web development, Unix system administration, Java programming, and database systems administration.

Uniqueness of Proposal: Distance learning, a "fast track" curriculum and hands-on internships.

Partnerships: The City University of New York Institute for Software Design and Development (CISDD), New York Software Industry Association (NYSIA), Borough of Manhattan Community College, Institute for Business trends and Analysis, and NYC JOBS Consortium.

THE NEED:

There has been an explosive demand for information technology (IT) workers. For the past few years, IT has replaced healthcare as the number one area of skill shortage in New York City. There are some 1,350 new media companies employing approximately 27,300 individuals. Since 1992 the number of jobs in the city's software industry has jumped by more than 50 percent.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

The New York City Information Technology Education Project (ITEP) will will train participants via a "fast-track" IT education that will lead to employment and begin to alleviate the current IT skills shortage. The four key occupations targeted are web development, Unix system administration, Java programming and database systems administration. The ITEP model is a unique combination of classroom instruction, distance learning and internship that was created with direct employer input. Both employed and unemployed participants are expected to increase their income as IT salaries range from $60,000 to $120,000 and minority participants will be given the opportunity to enter an industry where they are under represented.

H-1B DEMONSTRATION GRANTEE ONE-PAGER

Grantee: Southeastern Connecticut Workforce Development Board

Grant Amount: $1,807,624

Contact: John A. Beauregard

Telephone: (860) 440-3534

Fax: None

Duration of Grant: The period of performance shall be August 1, 2000 to July 30, 2002.

Population Served: Incumbent workers in bio-science industries, unemployed defense industry workers, and students.

Geographic Area Served: 20-town area in New London County.

Unemployment Rate: Seasonally Adjusted

Not Seasonally Adjusted

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Clinical data managers in bio-science industries, with an emphasis on database development and administration, and program development.

Uniqueness of Proposal: Targets skills shortages in biological sciences occupations, particularly the specific needs of Pfizer for clinical data managers; brings together a major employer, university, and One-Stop Center.

Partnerships: Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments; Eastern Connecticut State University, area community colleges, and New London Public Schools; Pfizer, Inc., and other businesses; local One-Stop operator (ETI), and Connecticut United for Research Excellence, Inc. (CURE).

THE NEED:

The available pool of American workers with bio-science and computer skills is not commensurate with the high demand for such workers in southeastern Connecticut, particularly in light of Pfizer's $600 million expansion in the New London area, including a new clinical studies facility. At the same time, thousands of Electric Boat and other defense industry workers in the region have been laid off in recent years.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

The Bio-Science Training Project is intended to upgrade the skills of both employed and unemployed workers at all education levels for high-skill jobs in pharmaceutical and clinical research companies, health maintenance organizations, and insurance companies. Participants will be receive basic training through Eastern Connecticut State University as clinical data managers and in related occupations, with skills identified by Pfizer, and also receive internships and job placements.

H-1B SKILLS TRAINING GRANTS OF $12.4 MILLION WILL TRAIN U.S. WORKERS FOR HIGH SKILL JOBS OFTEN FILLED BY FOREIGN WORKERS

On February 10, the U.S. Department of Labor announced nine grants totaling $12.4 million to train American workers in high-skill occupations, principally in information technology and health care, to fill jobs in places where companies are facing labor shortages. The grants are funded by a portion of the $500 fee employers pay for each visa under the H-1B category to import temporary workers from other countries. This $500 user fee was established under the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998.

H-1B Technical Skills Training Grants

First Round

Awardee: Regional Employment Board of Hampden County, Inc.

1441 Main Street, First Floor

Springfield, Massachusetts 01103

Contact: J. William Ward, Executive Director

Phone: (413) 755-1357

Proposed Award Amount: $1,500,000

Project Emphasis: H-1B Technical Skills Training

Summary Paragraph: The Hampden County Regional Employment Board (REB) in collaboration with its partners proposes establish the Information and Telecommunication Technologies workforce development project entitled IT Squared. There are two primary purposes to IT²: (1) train and upgrade the technical skills of 210 employed and unemployed (130 employed and 80 unemployed) workers for highly skilled jobs in the information and telecommunications technology industry; and (2) create a sustainable multi-region network of IT Squared training providers, businesses and workforce investment boards to focus on the long-term workforce needs of the information and telecommunications industry.

Community Served: Primarily Hampden, Franklin and Hampshire Counties in Western Massachusetts; Secondarily Worcester County (Mass.), Hartford County (Ct.), and parts of Southern Vermont and New Hampshire

Barriers/Target Group: The primary target group includes 80 unemployed individuals with computer-related background and skills for entry level positions who need further training to attain credentials for high-level jobs and 130 currently employed workers who are in lower level positions in companies but have been identified as possessing the capacity for growth into positions requiring higher proficiencies and skills.

Partnerships: One Workforce Investment Board (Franklin/Hampshire Counties, Mass.), two One stop Career Centers in Hampden County, Springfield Technical Community College, Greenfield Community College, Telitcom Development Corporation, Inc., Northeast Center for Telecommunications Technology, Systems Software Support Inc., JDS Uniphase, RCN Javanet, Valley Communications, Coghlin Electrical Contractors.

Innovations/Service Strategy: Creative approaches to the delivery of training will include distance learning via creation of a "virtual" campus for asynchronously delivered, on-demand technical training models. This method will be combined with campus classroom training and work site internships.

H-1B Technical Skills Training Grants

First Round

Awardee: NOVA Private Industry Council

505 W. Olive Ave., Suite 550

Sunnyvale, California 94086

Contact: Michael J. Curran

Phone: (408) 730-7248

Proposed Award Amount: $1,320,938

Project Emphasis: H-1B Technical Skills Training

Summary Paragraph: The goal is to equip participants with training to bridge the "Digital Divide" (a growing phenomenon in Silicon Valley that separates individuals of different socio-economic groups into information technology "haves" and "have nots"). Several partners in the project will employ recruitment efforts. Intake and a combination of tools and assessment will be administered to determine whether the individual seems to have the appropriate interests, aptitudes and/or the experience necessary for H-1B occupational skills training. Participants chosen for H-1B training will be provided with one-on-one assistance from counselors/training coaches in selecting the most appropriate training for his/her occupational goal. Support service will also be provided, as will job development and placement services for job seekers who have been trained through the grant.

Community Served: Santa Clara County

Barriers/Target Group: The grant will target several diverse populations: low-income, multi-ethnic adults and older youth (18-24), dislocated workers, and incumbent workers. This project will also involve recruitment of individuals from the poorest neighborhoods in Silicon Valley with predominantly Hispanic, African-American, and Pacific Islander populations.

Partnerships: The consortium brings together business, training, and service organizations which include the NOVA Private Industry Council, Mission Community College, Evergreen Valley Community College, Opportunities Industrialization Center West, University of California Santa Cruz Extension, Joint Venture:Silicon Valley Network, California Employment Development Department, Sun Microsystems, and Cisco Systems.

Innovations/Service Strategy: Industry giants Sun Microsystems and Cisco Systems have contributed equipment and expertise in curriculum development to this project. A new program called STEP (Systems administration Training and Employment Program) was designed by a team including representatives from Sun Microsystems, Cisco Systems, NOVA, and local community colleges to enable an individual to become a certified systems administrator in less than one year. The NOVA PIC and the Silicon Valley PIC will provide high-level technical skills training to an estimated 200 individuals over the next two years.

H-1B Technical Skills Training Grants

First Round

Awardee: Pima County Community Services Department

32 N. Stone, 16^th Floor

Tucson, Arizona 85701

Contact: Henry G. Atha,

Phone: (520) 740-5205 Fax: (520) 798-3206

Proposed Award Amount: $1,500,000

Project Emphasis: H-1B Technical Skills Training

Summary Paragraph: Grantee will build on High Tech/High Wage project that has been piloted since 1998 and expand opportunities under it. Training will be provided in five H-1B technical skill areas that are in short supply in Pima County: Health, Information Technology, Educational, Electrical and Electronics, and Accounting and Management. Employers from the targeted occupations will join with Pima County Community Service Department, the University of Arizona, and Pima Community College to become a WIB Technology Skills subcommittee. As a WIB entity, this permanent partnership provides all members input into the overall strategic direction of the workforce investment effort. The employer subcommittee members articulate skill requirements, participate in curriculum design, teach courses, hire workers, and provide mentors to project participants. Training provider representatives furnish the training vehicles, including new initiatives such as web-based components and evening/weekend delivery schedules.

Community Served: Pima County, Arizona (including the city of Tucson)

Barriers/Target Group: Wide range of participants including high- and low-skilled workers, minorities, women and people with disabilities. People with sufficient skill level backgrounds will enter H-1B training. Those who do not will be trained using linked resources (under JTPA or WIA) to backfill vacant positions. Grantee is committed to training single parents and women, with a focus on non-traditional fields for women.

Partnerships: Pima Community College, University of Arizona, employers from targeted occupations.

Innovations/Service Strategy: Modular training and education products that are offered evenings and weekends, plus a fast track program that follows employer and participant timelines rather than school semesters; a web-based Individual Training Account system that includes certification of distance training providers, especially important to Pima County's rural workforce; Internet published Employer Skill Standards and Career Ladders for workers to use in career selection; a 360 degree performance feedback system that includes employer focus groups, participant satisfaction surveys, and training provider input; and Development of a 2+2+2 technical skills education continuum, linking high school, community college, university coursework, with entry at any of the three ports.

H-1B Technical Skills Training Grants

First Round

Awardee: The City of Chicago

510 North Peshtigo Ct., Suite 2a

Chicago, Illinois 60611

Contact: Linda J. Kaiser

Phone: (312) 744-7700, (312) 744-7456

Proposed Award Amount: $1,500,000

Project Emphasis: H-1B Technical Skills Training

Summary Paragraph: The long-term goal of the pilot project is to develop an information technology worker training model that meets the needs of business and includes both entry into the IT industry and paths to career advancement. The purpose of the project will be to prepare incumbent workers for more skilled, highly paid positions within their companies, placing City College Silicon Seed graduates and other qualified workers into the positions vacated by promoted workers, and helping IT companies fill entry-level positions. This will be accomplished by many components that include: project partners identifying specific training needs and selecting trainees; DePaul Institute of Professional Development developing the H1-B training program based on university resources; project partners identifying and meeting business needs for entry-level positions and second-tier positions (which typically require post-secondary training or bachelor's degrees); One Stop Career Centers providing support services; and the Illinois Coalition, Mayor's Office Technology Initiative, and Chicago Workforce Board participating in efforts to establish regional coalition to permanently establish a comprehensive career track to meet the needs of the high-tech industry.

Community Served: The City of Chicago

Barriers/Target Group: Employees of participating companies will be selected, based upon pre-requisite training and job performance, to train for H1-B designated positions.

Partnerships: This pilot project brings together business, training, and service organizations which include The Chicago Workforce (Investment) Board, The City of Chicago Mayor's Office Technology Initiative, The Illinois Coalition, DePaul University, City Colleges of Chicago, System Development•Integration, uBID, Inc., Xpedior, Catalyst Consulting Group, Inc., Big Edge, The Mayor's Office of Workforce Development and the One-Stop Career Centers.

Innovations/Service Strategy: DePaul University has begun research on distance learning and will explore the feasibility of using this medium as this initiative continues. An estimated 425 incumbent workers will be enrolled in training, with 200 new openings created through promotion and training.

H-1B Technical Skills Training Grants

First Round

Awardee: Seattle-King County Private Industry Council

Market Place One, Suite 250

Seattle, Washington 98121-2162

Contact: Alfred Starr

Phone: (206)-448-0470 ext. 3013

Proposed Award Amount: $1,500,000

Project Emphasis: H-1B Technical Skills Training

Summary Paragraph: The Seattle- King County Private Industry Council, in partnership with the University of Washington, and three community colleges and numerous other partners will provide an innovative solution to one of the country's most pressing educational problems: the lack of skilled technology professionals needed to design, implement and manage the computer-based enterprises that will drive commerce and education into the twenty-first century. Through a collaborative effort, the partners will build a system of articulated and integrated technology modules and provide training for up to 500 students in a demonstration of the new programs. The educational partners will also work together to ensure that articulation among institutions provides a clear progression in which students are equipped to enter the workforce or proceed on to four year and graduates degrees in information technology and computer science. The sets of program modules in the skill shortage occupations covered under this effort are, applications programming, information engineering, and systems analysis.

Community Served: Snohomish, King and Pierce Counties

Barriers/Target Group: The goal of the project is to develop new building blocks for IT training, geared to several target populations at various stages on the career ladder.

The target groups are unemployed workers who require additional skills to gain employment in IT professions and currently employed workers who wish to advance in their professions or change career path.

Partnerships: The consortium brings together business, training, and service organizations which include the Seattle-King Private Industry Council, the University of Washington, Bellevue Community College, Edmonds Community College, Pierce Community College and the Washington Software Alliance with over 1400 member companies in the technology industry.

Innovations/Service Strategy: Through this collaborative effort, the partners will build this system of technology certificates and provide 500 hundred training vouchers in a demonstration of the new programs. In addition, the UW will work with the participating community colleges to ensure that current and future IT and computer science courses meet UW standards of quality assurance and articulation.

H-1B Technical Skills Training Grants

First Round

Awardee: The Workplace, Inc.

350 Fairfield Avenue

Bridgeport, Connecticut 06604

Contact: Joseph Carbone

Phone: (203) 576-7030x309

Proposed Award Amount: $1,500,000

Project Emphasis: H-1B Technical Skills Training

Summary Paragraph: The project's goal is to create real and viable new career-paths to provide adequate domestic labor pools for the H1-B growth occupations; create employer-based Certified Skills Centers at which the program trainees receive experiential and on-the-job training in the occupations which deliver skills certification and valuable job references; expand the capabilities of the workforce development system without a proportionate increase in costs; and incorporate Equipped for the Future (by the National Institute for Literacy) and Best Practices concepts to create a sustainable system that effectively dissolves the barriers that have caused an increasing employer reliance on imported foreign labor to fill high-skill high-wage jobs.

Community Served: 20 communities of the Valley-Bridgeport-Norwalk-Stamford region

Barriers/Target Group: The target population includes both unemployed and employed, as well as young adults entering the workforce. Emphasis will be placed on training incumbent workers in both related and unrelated industries whose skills match those of the H1-B occupations.

Partnerships: This project brings together business, training, and service organizations which include The Workplace, Inc., SACIA, Pepperidge Farm, Pitney Bowes, Norwalk Community-Technical College, and The Community Action Agencies for Norwalk (NEON, Inc.) and Stamford (CTE, Inc.).

Innovations/Service Strategy: One of the principal innovations of the project is the creation of Certified Skills Center at employers. Each participating company has agreed to be designated as a Certified Skills Center. This designation required the following: all training is structured on National Skills Standards Board (NSSB) standards; all training results in formal certification in NSSB skills; all training results in college credits; all training results in additions to a lifelong resume; all certification in skills competency is maintained in a site database and that data is shared with the Substate grantee for the purpose of maintaining a workforce certification database; and all instruction is delivered by trainers who themselves are certified in the NSSB skills as well as certified as instructors by the State. An estimated 540 participants will be trained.

H-1B Technical Skills Training Grants

First Round

Awardee: Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation, Inc.

1617 JFK Boulevard, 13^th Floor

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103

Contact: Ernest E. Jones

Phone: (215)-963-3473

Proposed Award Amount: $563,057

Project Emphasis: H-1B Technical Skills Training

Summary Paragraph: The major goal of the effort is to address the needs of area employers for nurses at all levels and especially for the highest skilled nurses-registered nurses and licensed practical nurses. The program design is built around an accessible career ladder in nursing, enabling all levels of participants to access training and employment based on the needs. Motivated and experienced entry level health care workers will be targeted for training as skilled nurses supporting employer efforts to assist their incumbent workers in upgrading their skills. A backfilling system will allow low-wage workers, their unemployed, and younger workers to become trained as nurses aides, and backfill the entry-level workers vacated jobs. This project includes a comprehensive support system to ensure success of the skilled nursing students in an extremely challenging academic experience. The project design integrates the new One Stop System into the service delivery strategy, enabling the consortium partners to become involved in the development of the new system. And finally, the project is employer driven. The project is designed to be responsive to employer needs, and sustained through employer support.

Community Served: Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Bucks County, Delaware County, Montgomery County

Barriers/Target Group: To address the shortage of high skilled nurses in the Philadelphia and the four surrounding counties. Incumbent workers, low wage workers, younger workers, and the unemployed.

Partnerships: The consortium brings together organizations including: the Philadelphia Workforce Development Corp., Inc., One Stop Center, Career Link, Job Security Fund, Temple University Healthcare system, New Courtland, Inc., Tenet-owned Medical College of Pennsylvania, National Union of Hospital & Health Care Employees, AFSCME, AFL-CIO District 1199C and 60 area hospitals.

Innovations/Service Strategy: Through this collaborative effort, 80 Philadelphia residents will be trained as high skill nurses. Of those, fifty participants will become licensed as registered nurses and 30 participants will become licensed practical nurses. In addition 200 low- wage, younger workers, and unemployed residents of Philadelphia will be trained as nurses aides and placed into jobs that will increase earnings.

H-1B Technical Skills Training Grants

First Round

Awardee: New Hampshire Job Training Council

64 Old Suncook Road

Concord, NH 03301

Contact: John D. Hamilton

Phone: (603) 228-9500

Proposed Award Amount: $1,500,000

Project Emphasis: H-1B Technical Skills Training

Summary Paragraph: The New Hampshire Job Training Council and its partners will implement job training and career development programs which increase companies' ability to access and retain skilled workers in the State. The funding will be used to develop and implement a technical skills feeder system for high technology firms, a career ladder development process for individuals with suitable aptitudes for positions in identified industries, and an ongoing commitment by businesses in the State to incumbent worker training. The project will work along a continuum of skills development, with career awareness/planning and technical skills aptitude analysis, Individual Training Accounts (ITAs) for qualified unemployed workers, and company-based Customized Training Programs (CTP) for incumbent workers. Technical skills training programs will include seamless transition from Community Technical College System (CTCS) degrees through Information Technology (IT)-based bachelor's degree programs at the College for Lifelong Learning, and in-house online training options for incumbent workers.

Community Served: State of New Hampshire

Barriers/Target Group: The grant will target both unemployed workers and also incumbent workers in 10 to 15 companies around the State.

Partnerships: The consortium brings together organizations including: the New Hampshire Department of Resource and Economic Development, the New Hampshire Community Technical College System, the New Hampshire Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the University of New Hampshire College for Lifelong Learning, the New Hampshire Job Training Council, New Hampshire Employment Security, plus several business partners including the Software Association of New Hampshire, the High Tech Council, and the Business and Industry Association.

Innovations/Service Strategy: The range of training programs will be tailored to worker needs and relate specifically to company human resource benchmarks established by business assessment tools. One important innovation is the use of a newly-developed bachelor's degree program in information sciences, with the bulk of the coursework delivered via online educational segments. In addition, up to 120 Individual Training Accounts (ITAs) will be created to meet individual needs for career growth within the targeted sectors.

H-1B Technical Skills Training Grants

First Round

Awardee: Prince George's Workforce Services Corporation (WSC)

1802 Brightseat Road

Landover, Maryland

Contact: Joseph T. Puhalla, President

Phone: (301) 386-5522 Fax: (301) 386-5533

Proposed Award Amount: $1,500,000

Project Emphasis: H-1B Technical Skills Training

Summary Paragraph: Applicant will provide a targeted multi-regional program to recruit, assess, train, and place participants into the telecommunications and Information Technology (IT) fields. Program training will take place at existing training facilities administered by the Communication Workers of America (CWA) located in Fremont, California and in Washington, D.C. Participants for the training program will be recruited and screened for the program by their local Private Industry Council (PIC) (Prince George's WSC or Oakland PIC). Following successful screening outcomes, entry into the program begins with a skills assessment using an Internet based tool developed through the partnership of CWA, Cisco Systems, Aires Technologies, and Arizona State University. Training is presented in four stages leading top three industry-recognized certifications: Basic computer literacy, data cable installation (Building Industry Consulting Services International (BICSI) Certification), computer technician skills (A+ Certification) and network technician skills (CCNA/Cisco Certified Network Associate). Benchmarks in the program allow the participants to elect for job placement with one of the CWA participating employers.

Community Served: East Bay Area of Northern California, Washington, D.C. metropolitan area

Barriers/Target Group: employed and incumbent workers with some emphasis on a nontraditional IT workforce which includes minorities, women and the handicapped.

Partnerships: Prince George's WSC, Oakland, Cal. Private Industry Council, CWA National Education and Training Trust, Cisco Systems, CWA-represented employers including Lucent Technologies, AT&T, Bell Atlantic, GTE, Bell South , US West, PacBell.

Innovations/Service Strategy: Distance learning, skills assessment using an Internet based tool developed through the partnership of CWA, Cisco Systems, Aires Technologies, and Arizona State University.

Grantee: Arlington-Alexandria Workforce Investment Board

Grant Amount: $2,723,600

Contact: Susanne Eisner

Telephone: (703) 228-1322

Duration of Grant: The period of performance shall be 24 months from grant award.

Population Served: 200 incumbent workers for higher level training and 340 unemployed or underemployed for introductory training in information technology and health care specialties.

Geographic Area Served: State of Virginia

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Information technology and health care, including a variety of occupational skills training and on-the-job training.

Uniqueness of Proposal: The A/A Consortium is experienced in tailoring training both to the needs of employer and the capability of potential trainees. The Consortium will address health care and information technology skills shortages in the area based on labor market information and assessment of skills of the potential trainees.

Partnerships: Consortium members include The City of Alexandria, VA., and Arlington County, VA; Marymount College, Northern Virginia Community College and Old Dominion University; a one stop center, two community organizations and established business internships and externships in a variety of demand occupations.

THE NEED: The Northern Virginia area employers has an unusually high level of demand for workers with technical skills in health care and information technology. The current supply of potential employees with high technology training falls short of the demand for them, threatening the continued viability of hospitals and businesses, which must resort to imported H1B workers.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

The Consortium, with ten years of experience and considerable in-kind and cash contributions has a high likelihood of continued viability. The exceptional demand for high tech workers in the area, and the large pool of potential workers in need of training tailored to their abilities, should sustain indefinitely the demand for the Consortium's varied high technology training in Northern Virginia.

Grantee: Buffalo and Erie County Workforce Development Consortium, Inc.

Grant Amount: $2,799,951

Contact: Marie Kaczmarek

Telephone: (716) 885-9840

Duration of Grant: January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2002

Population Served: 700 incumbent workers from thirteen local companies and eighty (80) unemployed and underemployed individuals

Geographic Area Served: 1,189,288; Erie and Niagra Counties, contiguous areas located at the Western end of New York State

Targeted Industries/

Job/ Skills: Information Technology (IT) and Automated Manufacturing Skills

Uniqueness of Proposal: Innovative strategies employed in this program design will include the application of the WIA Individual training account (ITA) concept to this employer focused skills training project.

Partnerships: AFL-CIO; the United Auto Workers; Western New York Workers; Infotech Niagara; the Niagara County Workforce Investment Board, the State University of New York at Buffalo, Erie Community College, Niagara Community College.

The Need: As large numbers from the aging local manufacturing workforce prepare for retirement, it is essential to have the foresight to begin advancing the information technology skills of younger manufacturing workers as well as to prepare more younger entry level workers for these jobs which increasingly use computer assisted manufacturing techniques. Employers in the key sector of the local economy.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

The proposed program will provide for the upgrading of information technology skills and/ or training in automated manufacturing skills for approximately 700 employees of thirteen local companies and include 80 unemployed or underemployed individuals who may need these skills to qualify for jobs with these companies or other local firms.

Grantee: Central Iowa Employment and Training Consortium (CIETC)

Grant Amount: $2,157,770

Contact: Ramona Cunningham

Telephone: (515) 281-9728

Duration of Grant: January 2, 2001 to December 31, 2002

Population Served: 300 people, including 270 unemployed individuals and 30 individuals employed among the business partners

Geographic Area Served: 11 counties in West Central Iowa: Polk, Dallas, Warren, Story, Jasper, Madison, Marion, Boone, Guthrie, Carroll, Audubon, and the City of Des Moines (All of Iowa's Region 11 And three counties of Region 8)

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills : Information technology - specifically software applications, programming and technical support in the information technology occupational fields

Uniqueness of Proposal: Proposes an Information Technology Scholars Project; this involves bringing unemployed individuals into the information technology field through classroom training and "cooperative internships" and upgrading employed individuals by increasing their skill levels through training and experience in a higher level job.

Partnerships: Des Moines Area Community College, United Way's Dislocated Worker Center, Iowa Comprehensive Human Services, Iowa Region XII Council of Governments, Greater Des Moines Partnership, Automatic Data Processing, Iowa Telecom, Maytag Appliances, Ruan Transportation Management and other businesses

The NEED: Although there is a very low unemployment rate in Central Iowa (1.4 percent), there is a serious deficit skilled workers. Specifically, over 20,000 new and replacement workers will be needed by the year 2005 in five key industries - manufacturing technology, information technology, health care, biotechnology, and skilled trades. Just under 10,000 of those needed workers will be needed in the information technology industry.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

The Information Technology Scholars Project will provide technical training in a variety of information technology occupations through the use of classroom training and "cooperative internships" (for unemployed workers) and training and work experience in a higher level job (for employed workers). The training provider for this project is Des Moines Area Community College.

Grantee: City of Greensboro (North Carolina)

Grant Amount: $2,721,000

Contact: Lillian G. Plummer

Telephone: (336) 373-5922

Duration of Grant: December 1, 2000 to December 31, 2002

Population Served: 550 people; 250 new workers to the information technology field and 300 workers currently in the information technology field. There will be a special emphasis on recruiting members of groups under represented in the information technology field for this program (women and minorities)

Geographic Area Served: Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point NC (the Piedmont Triad area)

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Information Technology Occupations; specifically computer technician, network technician, software quality assurance analyst, and higher level occupations such as WEB development and software automation.

Uniqueness of Proposal: The project's special emphasis on under represented groups (particularly women and minorities) sets it apart. Currently, women, African Americans, and Hispanics represent only a minuscule portion of the population in the higher levels of IT occupations. It is anticipated that 70 percent of the participants will be from those under represented groups.

Partnerships: Guilford County Workforce Development Board, IT Training and Solutions, Actuarial Sciences Associates (ASA) Inc., Burlington Industries, OASIS Corporation, Greensboro and High Point Chambers of Commerce, Guilford Technical Community College.

The Need: There is a significant shortage of skilled information technology workers in the Piedmont-Triad area (Greensboro, Winston Salem, High Point, NC) to work in: 1. The IT industry business and 2. other more traditional industries -e.g, apparel and furniture - that are having to replace labor intensive methods with advanced computers and machinery.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

The Information Technology Innovations (ITI) project is designed to: 1. Develop a technical workforce through training and certifications to address the IT skill shortage in the Piedmont-Triad area; and 2. Make available training courses to the incumbent workers and the current technical workforce in the IT industry to update their skills.

Grantee: City of New Orleans

Grant Amount: $2,708,305

Contact: Thelma H. French

Telephone: (504) 565-6414

Duration of Grant: September 19, 2000 to September 19, 2002

Population Served: 350 individuals; targets incumbent workers and unemployed with non IT backgrounds.

Geographic Area Served: The New Orleans Region

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Information Technology (IT); Systems Analysts, Computer Engineers, Database Administrator and Computer Support Specialists.

Uniqueness of Proposal: The work of the City of New Orleans, the Louisiana Technology Council (LTC) and partners is to promote technological innovation and improve education as a continuous boost for the area's innovative capacity and create a more dynamic and productive workforce able to access high-paying career positions. This proposal is intended to address an inhibitor to growth technology sector-an identified labor shortage of information technology workers in New Orleans.

Partnerships: New Orleans Workforce Investment Board, One Stop Centers, the Louisiana Technology Council, the University of New Orleans Metro center, Metropolitan College and other area educational institutions and training entities.

THE NEED: The New Orleans area is experiencing rapid growth in the technology sector. However, employers are experiencing difficulty hiring information technology professionals, which is having a negative impact on productivity and delivery of services.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

The project will train 175 incumbent workers and 175 unemployed/ dislocated/underemployed individuals. The program will integrate its operations into those of the One-Stop, which will perform intake and assessment activities for the unemployed individuals. For the incumbent workers, the process will vary with participating businesses cooperating with the One-Stop to administer assessments f the incumbent workers, The One-Stop will also provide services to the incumbent workers. In either venue, the individual to be trained must demonstrate an aptitude in math and science to be eligible for training

Grantee: City of Newark

Grant Amount: $2,770,000

Contact: Unavailable

Telephone: (973) 733-4820

Duration of Grant: October 1, 2000 to October 1, 2002

Population Served: 420 individuals; targets women, people with disabilities and minority groups

Geographic Area Served: Newark and Morris, Sussex, Warren and Union Counties

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Information Technology (IT); Web Authoring and Developing, Database Management, and Programmers

Uniqueness of Proposal: This is an innovative project developed to train people with disabilities, women and members of minority groups for existing jobs in the Information Technology (IT) industry. Both class-room based and distance learning advance training modules will be offered.

Partnerships: The Northern New Jersey Regional I.T. Consortium, the New Jersey Technology Council, One Stop Centers, the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Community Options, W.I.S.E. Women's Center, and the Urban League.

THE NEED: Projections of industry and occupational employment for New Jersey identify the business services industry as one of the fastest growing industries in the state, projecting a 44.4 percent increase of 135,000 new jobs. The greatest numbers of new jobs are expected in the professional and technical major occupational group, which includes computer scientist and systems analyst.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

It was decided to target workforce development efforts at three significant disadvantaged populations: individuals with disabilities; women; and individuals with minority backgrounds. The focus will be on the top two issues identified by employers in the region: availability of qualified employers and training for skilled workers.

Grantee: City of Peoria Workforce Development Board

Grant Amount: $1,099,000

Contact: Jennifer Brackney

Telephone: (309) 495-8928

Duration: October l, 2000 to October 3l, 2002

Population Served: Peoria--young people age 20-29; other counties have older populations.

The target population to be served will be unemployed, underemployed, and employed workers within the local labor market area and adjacent districts. Special focus will be given to targeting minorities, women, people with disabilities, and other under represented groups.

Geographic Area Served: Central Illinois including five counties: Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, Marshall, Stark.

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Computer skills and technological literacy.

Uniqueness of Proposal: The partnership brings together business, training, and service organizations including Advanced Information Systems Incorporated, Inc., Advanced Technology Services, Caterpillar, Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Central College, Illinois State University, the Central Illinois Workforce Development Board and the local one-stop Workforce Network System.

Partnerships: The Central Illinois Workforce Development Board, Central Illinois Workforce Network, City of Peoria, Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce, Illinois State University, Illinois Central College, and local employer partners including small, medium, and large businesses have worked jointly to develop a service delivery strategy offering fast-paced, industry focused, intensive technical skills training. This training will prepare area employed, underemployed. and unemployed individuals for IT jobs held by H-IB workers.

The Need: A recent assessment of local market needs for Software Engineers/ Programmers and Computer Support Specialists revealed a substantial increase in the need for these positions. It is estimated that the area will experience a need for over 200 Software Engineers/Programmers and over 400 Computer Support Specialists over and beyond its current workforce within the next two years.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

The intent of this project is to prepare domestic workers for positions held by H-IB workers; place employed, underemployed, and unemployed workers in highly skilled technical jobs; employ an increased number of minorities, women and people with disabilities; address business and community skill shortages, and upgrade the earnings and skills of the area's workforce.

Grantee: Workforce Investment Board of Cuyahoga County of Ohio

Grant Amount: $970,000

Contact: Susan Muha

Telephone: (216) 987-3024

Duration of Grant: April 1, 2001 to March 31, 2003

Population Served: 175 individuals, including welfare-to-work participants, economically disadvantaged individuals, women, minorities and persons with disabilities.

Geographic Area Served: The City of Cleveland, comprised of 21 wards and over 500,000 residents, and Cuyahoga County with a population of just over 1.4 million.

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Information Technology Field including occupations in systems analysis and programming; occupations in computer systems technical support; occupations in data communications and networks; occupations in computer system user support; and other computer-related occupations.

Uniqueness of Proposal: To raise the skills levels of domestic (American) workers so that the traditionally under served workers, including economically disadvantaged individuals-women, minorities and persons with disabilities and a significant number of dislocated workers can move quickly through the training and into in-demand Information Technology positions.

Partnerships: The Cuyahoga County Workforce Investment Board (WIB); the regional "One Stop" system; the Greater Cleveland Growth Association's IT Business Coalition; and Cuyahoga Community College.

THE NEED: Research conducted by the Cuyahoga Community College showed that 291 northeast Ohio employers submitted H1-B applications for 668 workers in the first five months of 1999 to fill the unmet demand for Information Technology workers. Skills shortages in the Information Technology field hamper regional growth.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

The primary focus of this training network and its ultimate goal is to raise the skills of American workers so that they can be trained quickly and then qualify for and be placed in high skill Information Technology jobs in northeast Ohio which are currently being filled by H1-B non-immigrant visa workers.

Grantee: The Workforce Investment Council of the District of Colombia

Grant Amount: $1,527,954

Contact: Joseph W. Smolskis

Telephone: 202-884-9528

Duration of Grant: January 1, 2001 until December 31, 2002

Population Served: 100 unemployed and 200 underemployed inner-city, minority, and female populations currently under-represented in the IT industry will be served.

Geographic Area Served: Washington, D.C. metropolitan area (Greater Washington)

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Information Technology (IT) skills, Business, Computers and Information Systems, Computer applications in Business, and Internet Research, Accounting, E-Commerce, Health Informatics.

Uniqueness of Proposal: It increases the IT skills of the unemployed and underemployed while assisting employers undergoing skilled worker shortages. D.C. has a high unemployment rate in the midst of a prosperous high-tech economy. Funding the D.C. Workforce Investment Council under WIA with partners such as Trinity College, Howard University as well as Mariott, International and UPS will be very important in bridging the "digital divide" in our nations capitol

Partnerships: Mariott, International, UPS, Washington Gas, Deloitte and Touche, Trinity College. D.C., Howard University, the Community Preservation and Development Corporation, and local community colleges, and the Workforce Investment Council of the District of Colombia

THE NEED: Greater Washington has surpassed Silicon Valley in the number of jobs in the IT field. Paradoxically, the inner city still has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. This project will help fill the gap in very creative ways.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

The project will provide high tech training to 100 unemployed and 200 underemployed individuals in Washington, D.C. preparing them for high pay, high demand occupations. It will assist area employers who need highly skilled workers. It will target the inner-city, minority, female populations which are under represented in the IT industry.

Grantee: Kansas City Full Employment Council High Skills Consortium

Grant Amount: $2,678,147

Contact: Clyde McQueen

Telephone: (816) 471-2330 x 256

Duration of Grant: November 1, 2001 to October 31, 2002

Population served: 1,340 workers of three of the largest Kansas City MSA companies: Hallmark Cards, H&R Block, and Sprint Corporation.

Geographic Area Served: Kansas City area and East Jackson County, Mo.

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Information Technology; specifically, Tech Support for Computer Systems, Data Communications, Systems Analysis and Programming, and occupations requiring computer skills, such as Commercial Artists and Designers.

Uniqueness of Proposal: Large-scale partnerships between top area employers, the One Stop Center, and educational entities will target the skills most lacking by area US citizens so that those positions for which H1B workers are most sought can, in the future, go to qualified citizens.

Partnerships: In addition to Hallmark, Sprint, and H&R Block, partnerships include the Silicon Prairie Association consisting of 170 IT businesses in the Kansas City area, Rockhurst University, the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, and the Full Employment Council (one stop center operator).

THE NEED: These employers have filled large numbers of openings in IT positions with H1B workers.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

To reduce the need to petition for H1B workers and to export IT-based operations offshore, the employer-partners will contribute significant resources towards training costs and will conduct a mix of customized on-site classroom training and on-the job training to attain specified, measurable outcomes.

Grantee: League/SEIU 1199 Training and Upgrading Fund

Grant Amount: $2,751,787

Contact: Deborah King

Telephone: (212) 494-0524

Duration of Grant: November 1, 2000 to October 31, 2000

Population Served: This project will train 675 employed and unemployed health care workers into high demand nursing positions.

Geographic Area Served: New York City

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Health care workforce, particularly LPNs and Registered nurses and health care workers.

Uniqueness of Proposal: The proposed training fulfills a two-fold mission: it answers a crucial need for skilled and specialized nurses in light of a projected nursing shortage to the New York City region, while providing career ladders of opportunity to women of color, bilingual workers, and immigrants, previously prevented from obtaining professional advancement and economic stability within a growth industry.

Partnerships: New York's Health and Human Service Union, AFL-CIO, New York's One-stop, City and State Universities of New York, 1199 Registered Nurse Training, Workforce Investment Board

THE NEED: Current research at both the regional and national levels indicates a demonstrated need for qualified nursing personnel beginning in 2000, and projected until 20020. Job opportunities for RNs will dramatically increase over the next several years, due to a number of factors, nurses are aging out and retiring, but replacement are lagging, as women are finding more lucrative and less strenuous employment fields to enter.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

The training proposed includes distance learning and challenge out options, tutoring and counseling; preparatory courses in computer and the Internet, college level research and writing; and pre-course work in subjects required for entry into the participating nursing program.

Grantee: Metro North Workforce Investment Board,

Northeastern Massachusetts

Grant Amount: $2,372,522

Contact: Nancy Brown

Telephone: (781) 388-7700

Duration of Grant: January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2002

Population served: 750 semi-skilled incumbent workers

Geographic Area Served: Northeastern Massachusetts

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Electronics and telecommunications IT jobs

Uniqueness of Proposal: Targets H1B occupations with two employers, Lucent Technologies and Ametek Aerospace and their respective unions, CWA Local 1365 and IUE local 201, by providing three higher levels of training in math skills, tester and technician occupations - through both on-site training with paid release time as well as off-site training at two local community colleges, with labor-management committee coordination at each site under the umbrella of the Metro North Workforce Investment Board (WIB).

Partnerships: Two leading employers, Lucent Technologies and Ametek Aerospace and organized labor - their respective unions, Communications Workers of America, local 1365, and the International Union of Electrical Workers, with Northern Essex Community College and Essex Community College, two local community colleges which will provide classroom training, with the coordination of the Metro North Workforce Investment Board.

THE NEED: The Northeast Region of Massachusetts is home to 145 firms which concentrate on the production and use of communications equipment and electronic components and accessories but which experience a shortage of highly skilled workers. Lucent applied for 66 H1B visas out of a total of 2,185 applied for in this region from 1996 - 1999.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

These employer/labor union/education partnerships will employ a mix of on-the-job training, customized on-site instruction, and classroom attendance over a two-year period, leading to measurable outcomes for both the workers and the participating employers.

Grantee: Napa County (CA)

Grant Amount: $2,800,000

Contact: Donna DeWeerd

Telephone: (707) 259-8680

Duration of Grant: November 1, 2000 to November 1, 2002

Population Served: 330 employed and 170 unemployed workers

Geographic Area Served: 4 contiguous counties in the North Bay area of California: Marin, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma counties

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Information technology occupations to create a pool of skilled workers for North Bay area businesses

Uniqueness of Proposal: Highly innovative mechanisms for delivering training: E.g., 1. Santa Rosa Junior College Technology Academy (SRJCTA) has just opened a modular curriculum to be delivered on-line 24 hours a day and on-site 7a.m. to 10 p.m. six days a week; 2. Sonoma State University (SSU) is providing a master's degree program in digital engineering through continuing education. This program is designed by local businesses primarily to meet their needs for incumbent worker skill upgrades.

Partnerships: Workforce Investment Boards (and One Stop Centers) for Marin, Solano, and Sonoma Counties in cooperation with Napa County; Nokia, Alcatel , Advanced Fibre Communications, North Bay Multi-Media Association; North Bay Technology Roundtable; County of Napa Management Information Systems; Service Employees International Union (SEIU); SSU, SRJCTA, Napa Valley College, College of Marin, Solano Community College.

The Need: The North Bay area is experiencing a major shortfall in the supply of highly skilled information technology workers to meet the needs of the explosively growing number of telecommunications and high technology firms.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

The North Bay Employment Connection will implement a technical skills training system in the four North Bay counties of Napa, Solano, Sonoma, and Marin, that will connect the resources of the community college systems, technology based employers, Workforce Investment Boards and other organizations. The purpose of the training system will be to raise the skill levels of employed and unemployed workers in the four county area so that they can fill high skill, high technology jobs across all industries that are currently in need by the region's employers.

Grantee: North Central Texas Council of Governments

Grant Amount: $2,800,000

Contact: Jennifer Roberts

Telephone: (817) 695-9179

Duration of Grant: November 01, 2000 to December 30, 2002

Population Served: 455 people total: 80 people as Secondary Industrial Technology Teachers and 375 people in high-tech occupations. Open to all current workers, unemployed, and underemployed individuals. Special outreach to low income individuals, individuals with a disability, veterans, offenders, and racial/ethnic minorities.

Geographic Area Served: Fourteen county region consisting of Collin, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, and Wise Counties.

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills Targets teacher certification for high-tech occupations; targets emerging occupations in high-tech fields, such as computer network administrators, computer programmers, computer support specialists, computer systems analysts, database administrators, electronic commerce specialist, computer security specialist, multimedia specialists, web masters, telecommunications specialist

Uniqueness of Proposal: Provides training for technology education teachers to prepare youth for high-tech occupations to bridge current and future skills gap. Also provides training for high-tech occupations, with anticipated wage replacement rates of $20 per hour ($41,600 per year) for those who successfully complete program and certification

Partnerships: North Central Texas Workforce Board; Collin County Community College District; Southern Methodist University; North Texas Human Resource Group

THE NEED: North Central Texas employment is concentrated in the Manufacturing, Services and Trade sectors, which represent more than two-thirds of the total employment in 1997, and continues to expand. Manufacturing in the region is geared towards telecommunications and high technology industries. It is projected that by the year 2010, one of the areas known as the "Telecom Corridor" will add 40,000 jobs and be the second largest employment center in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex behind only downtown Dallas.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

The North Central Texas Technology Training project is intended to provide both a short-term solution for high-tech companies facing labor shortages and a long-term solution for bridging the gap between the needs of employers and the skills of the American workforce.

Grantee: Northeast Indiana Workforce Investment Board, Inc.

Grant Amount: $1,750,000

Contact: Steve Corona

Telephone: (219) 458-7l52

Duration: January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2003

Population Served: Nine county area in Northeast Indiana with a population of 551,08l.

Geographic Area: Nine county area including Allen County, which is home to Fort Wayne, the largest city in Northeast Indiana and eight more rural counties which surround Allen County and the City of Fort Wayne.

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/skills: Targeted groups will be unemployed and underemployed workers, incumbent workers in entry level IT positions, low income individuals, dislocated graduating HS seniors. This project seeks to provide IT and IT-related training to these groups including the soft skills that are most in demand by area employers.

Uniqueness of Proposal: The Techworks proposal will work with graduating seniors by developing special IT training programs with local high schools where graduating seniors can take course work which allows them to graduate from high school with an IT or IT related certificate. Scholarship vouchers will also be awarded to graduates enabling them to pursue advanced IT training following graduation. The goal of this set of special training services will be to provide high school graduates with IT training before and after high school graduation, making the transition from school-to-work a smooth one.

Partnerships: Ivy Tech State College, Job Works, State Employment Service, the Northeast Indiana Workforce Investment Board, City of Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne Community Schools, DeKalb County Central United School District, The Ottenweller Company, Inc., TD&M, Co., General Motors Corp (Fort Wayne Assembly), Sprint, and the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center.

The Need: In Northeast Indiana, the available pool of IT trained workers is not commensurate with demand. Dramatic growth in the demand for IT and IT related workers has increased 300% in the last two years, particularly in the areas of network and software engineering. Employers have also clearly identified a need for employees with "soft skills" in addition to technical skills and certifications.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

This project will develop a set of training opportunities which build upon the existing training infrastructure in Northeast Indiana. Techworks will use a voucher system to enable individual trainees to assess IT and IT related training at local institutions. Scholarships or vouchers to access IT programs will be awarded to individuals who fall into targeted groups identified by assessment.

Grantee: Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board

Grant Amount: $2,797,189

Contact: Sallie Glickman

Telephone: (215) 717-2010

Duration of Grant: January 1, 2001 until December 31, 2003.

Population Served: A total of 300 people: 175 of these with known disabilities (100 of those will be unemployed while 75 will be employed in an IT industry but in dead-end positions.); another 125 -- both employed and unemployed -- will have "hidden disabilities."

Geographic Area Served: Philadelphia, Delaware, and Chester

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, Cisco Certified Internet Expert, Web Design, Client Server Applications Development.

Uniqueness of Proposal:

Project will begin to bridge the gap between needed IT workers and disabled individuals by first establishing a vibrant Industry Advisory Board led by the CEOs of the 4 lead companies. It defines IT occupations being filled by those with H-1B visas. It will identify occupations with greatest need for trained workers. It will share industry requirements to create new training curricula. It will provide funds for training on a matching basis using monies currently used for recruitment or finders fees. It will provide "virtual" training" perhaps on the web. InspiriTec merges IT tech skills with a holistic approach to the special needs of disabled trainees. The project will provide intense case management, transportation and child care services. The project will introduce a new way of looking at the target population.

Partnerships: InspirTec, Opportunity Center Incorporated, Philadelphia Workforce Development Board, the Delaware Workforce Development Board, Phila. Workforce Development Corporation, and a consortium of employers, Sunoco Oil, Atofino chemicals, and the Society for Information Management. Training Providers include LaSalle University, the PA Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, the DE Division of Voc Rehabilitation, Delaware Technical Community College, and the Thomson Institute

THE NEED: There is a great need for IT workers in the region. The Philadelphia Inquirer recently ran 28 pages of ads for high tech workers. There were 296 jobs for website developers, 277 for network engineering, 216 for server database development and more.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

An employer-focused program, this IT Training for disabled and under served populations targets the high demand IT positions which are often filled through the H-1B visa program. It is a multi-county, multi-state, regional partnership to train disabled people in IT skills. It will show employers who are trying to meet the high demand for workers how to harness the skills of the disabled.

Grantee: The Workforce Investment Board of Selaco

Southeast Los Angeles County, California

Grant Amount: $2,800,000

Contact: Bill Plaster

Telephone: (562) 402-9336

Duration of Grant: November 1, 2000 to June 30, 2002

Population Served: 500 professionals

Geographic Area Served: Southeast Los Angeles County

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Machinist, Computer numerical control (CNC), CNC programmer

Uniqueness of Proposal: Provides training for high-tech machinist/computer numerical control professional training program. The project will leverage the partnerships' existing resources and expand existing instructional interactive multimedia projects. It will create a sustainable multi-city regional network of training providers, businesses, and the workforce investment board to focus on the long-term workforce needs for this high tech industry.

Partnerships: Gateway Cities Partnership, Inc., Cerritos College, Long Beach City College, Rio Hondo College, Compton College, California Sate University, International Association of Machinists

THE NEED: Los Angeles county is home of one of the nation's largest concentrations of advance manufacturing industry, and the southeast sector of the county. Contributing to the region's struggle for economic health is the rapid globalization of its industry, particularly those dependent on machinist trades, including CNC. As more businesses make the transition to high-tech manufacturing techniques, more jobs are becoming available with no qualified workers.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

The purpose of the project is to provide high technical training to fill a critical gap in trained machinists/CNC professionals. Training will range from short intensive technical seminars virtual interactive multimedia sessions, to traditional credit courses.

Grantee: South Dakota Department of Labor

Grant Amount: $2,714,720

Contact: Michael Ryan

Telephone: (605) 773-5017

Duration of Grant: November 1, 2000 to November 1, 2002

Population Served: The unemployed and underemployed workers in South Dakota; primary focus is on individuals ages 25-60.

Geographic Area Served: Aberdeen (population 24, 865) including Sioux Falls and Rapid City, and Eureka (population 1,100)

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Registered Nurses (RN), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN), Lab Technicians, Radiology Technicians and Medical Records.

Uniqueness of Proposal: This project will utilize Distance Learning through the South Dakota Skills Enhancement and Education through Distance Learning (SEED) project. Distance education will be provided to smaller communities to pursue occupations in their skill area when other opportunities lead them to larger cities with first class health facilities.

Partnerships: South Dakota Workforce Development Council, Lake Area Technical Institute, SDAHO, Avera Health Systems, and Presentation College.

THE NEED: As the demand for service providers continues to increase, there is a declining number of workers in the field. The shortage is not due to a lack of workers but rather a lack of workers with the necessary skills and prerequisite training .This project will utilize Distance Learning through the South Dakota Skills Enhancement and Education through Distance Learning

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

Rural communities have many workers employed as nurses aides, licensed practical nurses or other health related occupations. This project will offer an avenue for individuals who have made a choice to live and work in small communities to advance their education. South Dakota SEED will bring high-skill technical education programs to them through the use of technology. Interactive video and the Internet will be key components to this training.

Grantee: Workforce Development Board of St. Louis County

Grant Amount: $2,800,000

Contact: Dana McAuliffe

Telephone: (314) 615-0320

Duration of Grant: January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2002

Population Served: 350 people; targets the employed or incumbent worker, the unemployed job seeker, older workers, minorities, and disabled.

Geographic Area Served: St. Louis County, the City of St. Louis, St. Charles, Jefferson/Franklin on the Missouri side and Madison and St. Clair/Monroe on the Illinois side.

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Information Technology (IT); Systems analysis and programming, system user support, technical support, and data communications and networks.

Uniqueness of Proposal: This collaboration between the late Governor Carnahan of Missouri and Governor George Ryan of Illinois, formally designated eight counties of the St. Louis area as a single, interstate labor market and provide training tailored to meet the needs of the participant and business community, this project also provides training that is accessible to everyone because it will be available along the MetroLink corridor. The region's 18 mile light rail facilities is home to many of the region's training and educational facilities.

Partnerships: Workforce Investment Board, St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association, East-West Gateway Coordinating council, the University of Missouri, St. Louis, St. Louis Community College, East. Louis College Center (IL), Southwestern Illinois College, Technology Gateway Alliance, AAIM Management Association, and World Wide Technology.

THE NEED: Like many older communities, St. Louis has struggled as its core industries in the industrial, manufacturing/transportation sectors have suffered major losses. The professional speciality occupations in the St. Louis MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) are expected to increase by over 47,000 positions from 1996-2006.Computer-related occupations are the fastest growing occupations in this group.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

This project provides the opportunity for a long-term solution to the area's skill shortages in the IT industry. In response, a committee of public and private interests from across the region are initiating a plan to result in a coordinated, bi-state (MO and ILL) system that develops and improves the region's human capital. Guidance will be provided by a broad Regional Workforce Development Group composed of local elected officials, educators, representatives of organized labor, and business leaders, including the chairs of the region's six Workforce Investment Boards.

Grantee: State of Vermont

(Vermont Human Resources Investment Council)

Grant Amount: $2,658,055

Contact: Bill Cormony Greg Vorheis

Telephone: (802) 828-4355 (802) 828-4343

Duration of Grant: January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2002

Population served: 65 incumbent and unemployed workers for high tech training and 148 nurses for operating room and critical care specialties.

Geographic Area Served: State of Vermont

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills: Health care, specifically acute shortage of skilled operating room and critical care nurses, and high tech occupations.

Uniqueness of Proposal: Two unique employer-led partnerships will address the two skills shortages. 1) High Tech - Brings together employers who share common occupations within their industries and will share training costs, help develop curricula, and share knowledge and expertise partnering with Vermont Technical College and others. 2) Health Care - largest training effort among health care providers to date. Training will be provided at the sixteen hospitals and will also be linked with the University of Vermont's School of Nursing.

Partnerships: HRIC membership, organized labor, community-based organizations, government, four colleges, all sixteen Vermont hospitals, and high tech industries, specifically IBM, Verizon, General Dynamics, BF Goodrich Aerospace, GW Plastics, Husky Injection Molding, and NewsBank.

THE NEED: The availability of operating room and critical care nurses as well as area workers with higher level technical skills falls short of the demand for them, threatening the continued viability of these hospitals and businesses, which must resort to imported H1B workers

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

The partnerships, which should lead to permanent training partnerships in coordination with the State one-stop career resources centers, will employ a mix of on-the-job training, on-site instruction, and classroom attendance over a two-year period. Both partnerships will lead to measurable outcomes for both the workers and the participating employers.

Grantee: Workforce Essentials, Inc.

Grant Amount: $2,800,000

Contact: Ross Jackson

Telephone: (931)551-9110

Duration of Grant: January 01, 2001 to December 31, 2002

Population Served: Targets incumbents workers who are either underemployed or have potential to benefit substantially from technical training; dislocated workers due to recent plant closings; recently discharged military personnel from Fort Campbell; and students entering the labor force.

Geographic Area Served: Nashville, Clarksville, and 11 surrounding counties

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills Occupational Clusters in both Local Workforce Invest Areas 8 and 9. Occupational clusters range a variety of field, such as health care, computer systems, construction technology, and plastics.

Uniqueness of Proposal: Partners with an extensive number of employers who have committed to the project and provided matching funds. The matching funds assist with program cost-effectiveness and sustainability. The number of partnerships committed to this project reflects a collaborative effort to fill the regional skills gap.

Partnerships: Tennessee Local Workforce Investment Boards: Local Workforce Investment Area 8 and Local Workforce Investment Area 9; 22 regional employers (TriStar Health Care Systems, Sumner County Health, CEI Company, Inland Paperboard, Aqua Glass, The Parent Company, GF Office Products, Telco, Inc., Smithfield Industries, Mueller, Bosch Braking, Sumiden Wire Products, Tennsco, Standard Gypsum, Premdor, Teksid, Saint Thomas Hospital, Zycron, Celestica, Aerostructures, Trane, UNARCO); International Association of Machinists, local economic development agencies; regional training institutions; 13 local elected officials

THE NEED: Regional businesses expressed a need for training far in excess of the grant award, reflecting a high demand for qualified individuals to fill job occupations. The labor shortage is most pronounced in the technical fields.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

This program alleviates the pressure of employers who are having trouble filling job openings due to a relatively low supply of qualified individuals in the region by identifying, assessing, training, and placing qualified individuals into specified positions within a relatively short time frame. Effective assessment will be a critical component of the program.

Grantee: worksystems inc. (Portland, Oregon)

Grant Amount: $2,800,000

Contact: Anne Hill

Telephone: (503) 478-7360

Duration of Grant: January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2003

Population Served: 400 people; targets incumbent, dislocated, disadvantaged, minority, unemployed, and new workers.

Geographic Area Served: The greater Portland region (Multnomah, Washington, and Tillamook counties)

Targeted Industries/

Jobs/Skills Manufacturing/microelectronics technicians, ranging from entry-level technicians to specialized engineering positions.

Uniqueness of Proposal: Partners with Intel, the largest private sector employer in Oregon, which has agreed to provide hiring preferences to qualified Connect 2 Jobs program graduates; pilots a distance-learning component to explore the potential for making microelectronics training available through interactive video and self-guided instruction as an effective training model for incumbent and rural workers; recruits target population through extensive partnerships.

Partnerships: Intel Corporation; the Semiconductor Workforce Consortium (consisting of regional semiconductor companies, colleges and universities, the Oregon Economic Development Department, the Portland Development Commission); Portland Community College; Tillamook Bay Community College; Clackamas Community College; regional One-Stop Centers; Youth Opportunity Center; Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce; Self-Enhancement, Incorporated; Dislocated Workers Project; Oregon Vocational Rehabilitation Division.

The Need: The semiconductor industry is projected to add 5,000 jobs between 1998 and 2008, growing by 22.9%. For example, Intel projects a need for 1,200 manufacturing technicians over the next 12 months.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

The Connect 2 Jobs Skills Training Project will reduce the need for H-1B workers by providing a reliable pipeline of incumbent workers advancing in careers that begin with training. Successful trainees will help meet current industry demand for manufacturing/ microelectronics technicians. The project will contribute to the economic stability of the region and the health of the communities by including dislocated, disadvantaged and minority workers in the target population- better connecting these workers to career opportunities in the digital economy.

ATTACHMENT II

L.8 SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL

(A) - General Instructions:

Each offeror must submit an offer (proposal) and other written information and make an oral presentation in strict accordance with these instructions. When evaluating an offeror, the Government will consider how well the offeror complied with the letter and spirit of these instructions. The Government will consider any failure on the part of an offeror to comply with both the letter and spirit of these instructions to be an indication of the type of conduct it can expect during contract performance. Therefore, the Government encourages offerors to contact the Contracting Officer by telephone, facsimile transmission, e-mail, or mail in order to request an explanation of any part of these instructions.

Your proposal must be submitted in three (3) separate and distinct parts as outlined below, consisting of the number of stated copies and accompanied by the required supportive materials to insure that the proposal will be considered responsible to the Request for Proposals.

Part 1 - Original and two (2) signed copies of completed Standard Form 33, Solicitation, Offer and Award, Original and two (2) signed copies of Section K, the Representations, Certifications and other Statements of Offerors and all attachments thereto except those items required in Part 2 and 3 will be submitted as outlined in their respective parts.

Legible copies are acceptable. (All copies shall be ink-signed.)

Part 2 - (1) A set of overhead transparencies and five (5) paper copies in a sealed package. These transparencies shall form the basis of the offeror's Oral Presentation. PLEASE NOTE: The sealed package containing the transparencies will not be opened until the scheduled date for an offeror's presentation, in the presence of the Contract Specialist and a representative of the offeror. Both the transparencies and the Oral Presentation will be used to evaluate the offeror's capability to perform the contract (See section M.2(D);

(2) Offerors shall submit an original and three copies of the written response to evaluation criterion A - Technical Approach (See Section M.2(A);

(3) Offerors shall submit an original and three copies of the "Resumes of Key Personnel" (See Section M.2(B);

(4) Offerors shall submit three copies of relevant past performance information (See Section L.6 and M.2(C); and

The Technical Proposal shall not make reference to cost or price data so that an independent technical evaluation may be made on the basis of technical merit alone. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in a determination of nonresponsiveness. Proposals specifying less than one hundred twenty (120) days Government Acceptance may be considered not acceptable. Any exceptions taken by a proposer to any provisions of this Request for Proposals or any condition placed upon a proposal may result in a finding of not acceptable. Only one proposal may be submitted by each respondent.

Part 3 - A detailed Business Management Proposal as further outlined in the below instructions and consisting of:

(a) Three (3) copies of Attachment J.2 - Cost and Price Analysis, ETA 8555 (Mar. 1981)

(b) One (1) copy of Attachment J.3 - Statement of Financial Capability, ETA 8554 (Mar. 1981)

(c) "One (1) each Accounting System Certification which is a statement certifying that the offeror has an established accounting system with internal controls adequate to safeguard their assets, insure that funds are accounted for by cost categories, check the accuracy and reliability of the accounting data, promote operating efficiency and permit compliance with Government requirements and accounting procedures with respect to Cost Reimbursement types of contracts. The statement shall be executed by a certified public accountant (CPA), licensed public accountant, a bona-fide accounting or audit organization such as Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) or an entity of equivalent status acceptable to the Government." Failure to include the above stated supportive materials with your proposal will be a basis for determination of not being acceptable.

NOTE: Part 1, 2, and 3 should be sealed in separate envelopes and included in one master package. The RFP number and related Part numbers outlined above, if applicable, must be shown in the upper left hand corner of each of the envelopes as well as the master package.

The Government warns offerors that taking exception to any term or condition of the RFP (including submitting any alternative proposal that requires a relaxation of a requirement), will make an offer unacceptable, and the offeror ineligible for award, unless the RFP expressly authorizes such an exception with regard to that specific term or condition. The Government will consider any exception to a term or condition of the RFP that is not expressly authorized by the RFP to be a deficiency, as defined in FAR Part 15.

An offeror may eliminate a deficiency in its offer only through discussions, as defined and prescribed in FAR Part 15. However, the Government intends to award a contract without discussions, as authorized by FAR Part 15. Therefore, any offeror planning to take exception to a term or condition of the RFP should consult with the Contracting Officer prior to submitting and offer, unless the RFP expressly authorizes such an exception.

Not withstanding its plan to award without discussions, the Government reserves the right to conduct technical and cost discussions with offers in a competitive range, if necessary, and to permit such offerors to revise their proposals. The government also reserves the right to change any terms and conditions of their RFP by amendment at any time prior to contract award and to allow offerors to revise their offers accordingly, as authorized by FAR Part 15.

The offeror shall complete and submit all certifications included in or attached to this Request for Proposal.

The Cost Analysis (Attachment J.2) and Financial Capability Forms (Attachment J.3) support information shall be augmented as follows:

Offerors are required to submit cost proposals fully supported by cost and pricing data adequate to establish the reasonableness of the proposed costs.

1. Most current published annual balance sheet and profit or loss statement.

2. The offeror shall furnish a total cost breakdown utilizing the enclosed cost and price analysis form.

(a) Include the backup data to support the type of labor and estimated numbers of hours within each category.

(b) Include a breakdown of the amount estimated for travel including destination, duration, purpose and cost (per diem and transportation).

(c) Include backup data to support the estimated amount of material and subcontracting (if applicable) including description of materials to be procured, basis for proposed subcontract, type of subcontract and amounts proposed.

3. List the names and addresses of any subcontractor* the offeror intends to use in the performance of a resulting contract. Include the following information about the subcontract(s).

(a) How subcontractor was selected?

(b) Has the subcontractor submitted a cost proposal?

(c) Will he be able to start performance at the start of the contract period?

(d) What is the total cost of (each) subcontract?

(e) What services (skills) will the subcontract provide?

(f) What experience do they have in this technical area?

*Also provide the above information for consultants you intend to use in the performance of a resulting contract.