[Item added: Sep 17, 2008]
DOL Proposes Rules to Modernize H-2B Program
On May 22, 2008, the U.S. Department of Labor proposed rules to modernize the application process and enhance worker protections under the H-2B temporary labor certification program. Click here for the press release and a link to the proposed rule.

[Item added: Sep 17, 2008]
DOL funds additional YouthBuild projects
On July 21, 2008, The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration announced the awarding of nearly $9 million to 11 groups that will provide skills-based education in construction to at-risk young people in 10 states and the District of Columbia through the department's YouthBuild program. Click here for the press release.

[Item added: Sep 17, 2008]
$20 million in aid to Florida
On August 25, 2008, The U.S. Department of Labor announced a $20 million grant to the state of Florida to fund the creation of approximately 6,500 temporary jobs for cleanup and recovery efforts underway in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Fay. Click here for the press release.

[Item added: Sep 17, 2008]
Proposed Rule Spells Out Vets' Priority Service
The U.S. Department of Labor?s Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) today announced the publication of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Priority of Service for veterans and eligible spouses. The proposed regulations apply to any workforce preparation, development or delivery program or service that is directly funded, in whole or in part, by the Department of Labor, as provided by the Jobs for Veterans Act (P.L. 107-288), enacted in 2002.
Click here for more information.

[Item added: Sep 17, 2008]
$10 million in grants to train workers
On July 22, 2008, U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced the awarding of $10 million to fund 11 projects that will provide potential workers with skills-based job training to enter careers in the energy industry. Click here for the press release.

[Item added: Jan 22, 2008]
DOL awards totaling $20 million for Youth Offender
U.S. Department of Labor announces awards totaling $20 million for Youth Offender Grants On November 1, 2007, U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced awards totaling $20 million to 16 organizations offering career training, alternative education and apprenticeships to youth and young adults who either have been adjudicated by or are at risk of facing the justice system. For the news release and more information, please click here.

[Item added: Jan 22, 2008]
WIRED
Click here for information on the WIRED initiative

[Item added: Jan 22, 2008]
$10 million to expand support of science careers
On January 15, 2008, The U.S. Department of Labor?s Employment and Training Administration announced a new competition to support careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. Click here for the news release and information on how to apply.

[Item added: Aug 31, 2007]
ETA Financial Report (ETA–9130)
ETA Regional Information Alert NO. 125-07 has been issued that provides information about ETA Form 9130 which replaces the SF-269, ETA-9126, ETA-9076, ETA-9080, ETA-9099 and all other financial reporting formats used to report expenditures charged against grant awards made by the Employment and Training Administration.

For more information please read ETA REGIONAL INFORMATION ALERT NO. 125-07

[Item added: May 30, 2007]
Performance and Reporting Summits

ETA is hosting a series of national performance and reporting conferences to provide the workforce system with the latest information on ETA policies, including the proposed streamlined reporting system, as well as innovative and promising practices from the field. The theme for this year's conferences will be "Integration Through Innovation".

These education and training sessions will provide a venue for discussing policy questions and raising issues with federal staff, as well as states and local areas from across the country.

The conferences will be held in the following locations:

• Dallas, TX Area - August 21 - August 23, 2007
• Atlanta, GA - August 28 - August 30, 2007
• Phoenix, AZ Area - September 18 - September 20, 2007

Click here to obtain a draft agenda and workshop descriptions.

For registration and more information, please visit: http://www.branchassoc.com/conference

[Item added: May 11, 2007]
YouthBuild Grants

The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) today (April 26, 2007) announced a competition for $47 million in funding for YouthBuild grants to provide education, training and leadership development to at-risk youth while preparing them for skilled positions in construction and other industries.

This Solicitation for Grant Applications appears in the April 26, 2007 Federal Register and can be found online at http://www.doleta.gov/sga/sga.cfm or at http://www.grants.gov. The competition is open to organizations including workforce investment boards, faith-based and community groups, state and local housing development agencies, and Indian tribes. ETA will serve young people in approximately 100 communities during the first year of the project. YouthBuild participants will earn while they learn through building affordable housing in distressed communities nationwide.

YouthBuild is an alternative education program that provides at-risk youth with training in construction and pathways to post-secondary education and careers in high growth, high demand occupations. Those served include young people who have been in the juvenile justice system, youth aging out of foster care, high school dropouts, and other at-risk populations. For more information on YouthBuild grants and other youth employment programs, please visit http://www.doleta.gov/youth_services.

[Item added: May 11, 2007]
Multiple Education Pathways Blueprint Grants

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA), announces the availability of approximately $3 million in grant funds to create a blueprint to build systems of multiple education pathways.

These grants will support small cities (population 70,000 - 350,000) in the development of detailed blueprints for multiple education pathways systems that provide a mix of alternative learning environments. ETA is targeting cities of this size in order for the blueprints to have maximum impact on the community's dropout challenges. It is ETA's expectation that the blueprints developed with these funds will serve as the city's strategic action plan and foundation for building multiple education pathways. Youth who are at risk of dropping out of school and youth who have already dropped out of school are the main targets of this grant; however, it is important that the blueprint developed fits within the city's larger education strategy. These two objectives, reducing the dropout rate and re-engaging youth who have dropped out, are critical to ensuring a prepared and educated youth pipeline to compete in a demand-driven workforce.

This Solicitation for Grant Applications appears in the May 8, 2007 Federal Register and can be found online at http://www.doleta.gov/sga/sga.cfm or at http://www.grants.gov.

[Item added: Feb 20, 2007]
$2,500,000 Competition for Long-Term Care Training
On February 16, 2007, the Employment and Training Administration announced a grant competition for approximately $2.5 million to be invested in training for the healthcare industry's long-term care sector. Click here for the news release and for more information on the SGA, please click here.

[Item added: Feb 20, 2007]
Competition for WIRED Initiative’s 3rd Generation
On February 13, 2007, U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced a competition for a third generation of awards through the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Initiative. Please click here for the news release. Click here for the Solicitation

[Item added: Feb 01, 2007]
Workforce Innovations 2007

This year's conference will be held at the Kansas City Convention Center July 17 - 19.

Beyond Boundaries
To meet the demands of the 21st century marketplace, regional partners need to develop strategies that go beyond boundaries, whether those are historical, geographical, political, or financial. It is essential that regional partners work collaboratively to develop the talent of their workers, and that the workforce system become the catalyst for an educated and prepared workforce. Workforce Innovations 2007: Beyond Boundaries will explore ways in which key partners, including business, economic development, education and workforce systems, can collaborate and innovate to break down boundaries and create a competitve advantage.

Access the Workforce Innovations 2007 website for more information.

[Item added: Feb 01, 2007]
Fiscal Conference
The Employment & Training Administration is presenting a series of technical assistance and training conferences in 2007 to fiscal, administrative and program staff of ETA's formula and discretionary grantees.

The primary goal of these conferences is to provide training on fiscal and administrative issues to better inform state, local area and discretionary grant staff of the grants management process as it pertains to ETA grants.

The conferences will be held in the following locations:

Atlanta, GA - January 29 - February 1, 2007
Phoenix, AZ Area - February 20 - February 23, 2007
Chicago, IL Area - April 2 - April 5, 2007

You can obtain a draft agenda and workshop descriptions.

For registration and more information, please visit: http://www.branchassoc.com/conference

[Item added: Jan 25, 2007]
Second generation WIRED funding
January 17, 2007, Washington, DC - U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced the Department of Labor's intent to provide up to $65 million to the 13 regions that comprise the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development's (WIRED) 2nd Generation.

The 2nd Generation WIRED regions are: Eastern & Central Puerto Rico; Southwestern Connecticut; Northern New Jersey; Delaware Valley Tri-State Area (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware); Appalachian Ohio; Southeast Michigan; Northern Alabama and Southern Tennessee; Southwestern Indiana; Southeast Wisconsin; Arkansas Delta; Rio Grande Valley, Texas; Wasatch Range, Utah; and Northern California.

• Visit the Wired website

[Item added: Apr 27, 2006]
Workforce Innovations 2006 Conference

Workforce Innovations Is Coming to California! Workforce Innovations 2006 will be held July 11-13, 2006, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Workforce Innovations 2006 "Regional Strategies - Global Results: Talent Driving Prosperity," will explore the important role of workforce professionals in meeting the national challenge of global competition.

For more information on this most important workforce conference, please visit: http://www.workforceinnovations.org

[Item added: Mar 13, 2006]
Selected Regions Under WIRED Initiative
On February 1, 2006, Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced a major component of President Bush's Competitiveness Agenda that was unveiled last night during the State of the Union Address. Through the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative, the U.S. Department of Labor will invest $195 million in 13 regional economies.

For information on Selected Regions
To read a Fact Sheet

[Item added: Mar 13, 2006]
ETA's 2007 Budget Request
To view ETA's 2007 Budget Request. The information also includes the new Career Advancement Accounts Proposal.

[Item added: Oct 13, 2005]
The Workforce Development Report for New England  

The Center for Labor Market Studies of Northeastern University has released their latest Workforce Development Report for New England

This monograph presents the summaries of thirteen research reports prepared by the Center for Labor Market Studies as part of the Workforce Development Report for New England. These thirteen individual reports can be grouped into the following five general topic areas:

To open the report in Adobe Acrobat click here

[Item added: Sep 08, 2005]
3rd Annual Jobs First Day

On Thursday, October 6, Jobs First Day will feature a Massachusetts statewide job fair hosted by all of the state's 32 One-Stop Career Centers and will include Career Center visits by Governor Romney, Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey and various cabinet members.

Recruiters from hundreds of companies including General Dynamics, Hasbro, Sovereign Bank, MEDITECH, Fidelity Bank, Home Depot, Verizon and Premier Home Health Care will meet with job applicants about available positions across a wide variety of industries.

For more information please visit the 3rd Annual Jobs First Day web site.

[Item added: Jun 07, 2005]
The Right Track For Re-employment Success
New York State is proud to host the 9th Annual Rapid Response Summit to be held August 30-31, 2005 in beautiful Saratoga Springs, New York. This event, co-sponsored by the US Department of Labor, Regions 1, 2 & 3 will provide up-to-date information about WIA Reauthorization, rapid response strategies and practices that will foster increased employment opportunities for customers and greater economic development at the state and local levels.

More information can be found at New York State Department of Labor

[Item added: Apr 28, 2005]
The Second Annual Mastering the Skills for the 21s  

• Learn about the many free services and information available to you from Department of Labor agencies
• Develop key contacts and a better knowledge of how to navigate systems within the Department of Labor
• Learn about the laws that impact your workplace and receive important and accurate information on health coverage, financial security and retirement benefits, federal wage laws and employee benefits, such as FMLA
• Share some of the problems workers encounter and discover possible rights and remedies
• Learn about the workplace in the future, how to diversify your workforce, the high growth jobs, mentoring, apprenticeships, flex options, wages and benefits
• Obtain resource materials on compliance, employment and network resources from your organization
• Learn about health and safety in the workplace including OSHA's free Consultation Program

[Item added: Apr 28, 2005]
Request for Comments  

Request for Comments - Labor Exchange Reporting System (LERS), ETA Form 9002 and VETS Form 200, OMB Number 1205-0240; Trade Act Participant Report (TAPR), OMB Number 1205-0392; WIA Management Information and Reporting System, ETA Forms 9090, 9091 and WIASRD, OMB Number 1205-0420

To transmit a request for public comment on a revision of existing Information Collection Requests (ICRs), which have been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget for emergency review and approval, concerning Labor Exchange Reporting on ETA Form 9002 and VETS Form 200, Trade Act participant reporting on the TAPR, and Workforce Investment Act (WIA) reporting on ETA Forms 9090, 9091 and the WIASRD.

[Item added: Apr 28, 2005]
Request for Comments – 2007 Revision of the NAICS  
To transmit a request for public comments on revisions to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) for 2007.

[Item added: Apr 07, 2005]
Workforce Innovations 2005: A Declaration of Innov  
This year's conference themes are Integration, Transformation and Innovation within the world of workforce development. The event is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor/ETA and the American Society for Training & Development. In addition to the workshops and plenary sessions, there again will be an exhibition hall featuring over 100 exhibits at this year?s new Career Voyage Showcase. ETA considers this conference to be its premier annual event to educate and hear from the workforce investment system.

The primary audience for this issuance is SWA.

[Item added: Mar 11, 2005]
Significant and Bilingual Migrant and Seasonal Far  
To request data for the identification of Significant, Bilingual and Special Circumstances Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers (MSFW) Local Offices for Program Year 2005.

The primary audience for this issuance is SWA.

[Item added: Dec 07, 2004]
Participation in Beta-testing of WIA Youth Program  
To request participation in beta-testing sessions to test training tools for effectiveness.

The primary audience for this issuance is Youth Council,State Commissioner, State Youth Coordinators

[Item added: Oct 20, 2004]
Announcement of Nominations for the 7th Annual W.  
To communicate the names of the individuals nominated for the William J. Spring Award.

The primary audience for this issuance is SWA,WIBs,ONE-STOP,WtW,STW,YO! Site Directors,State Youth Coordinators.

[Item added: Sep 21, 2004]
Save the Date for the Youth Vision Paper Forum  
The U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration, in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Education Office of Vocational and Adult Education, Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and Health and Human Services Children's Bureau, will be conducting three Regional Forums to provide an overview of the new policy guidance related to services for youth for the workforce investment system and its partners in education, juvenile justice, and foster care. We anticipate the participation of all states in the form of teams including two or three individuals from each state workforce system.

The primary audience for this issuance is SWA.

[Item added: Sep 21, 2004]
Solicitations for Grant Applications  
Solicitations for Grant Applications ? Small Grassroots Organizations, SGA/DFA-PY04-03; Workforce Investment Boards, SGA/DFA-PY04-04; Homeless Veterans Reintegration, SGA-05-01; Prisoner re-Entry, SGA/DFA04-08

To transmit four Solicitation for Grant Applications for Program Years 2004 awards to grassroots and faith-based organizations, Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs), homeless veterans programs and prisoner re-entry programs.

[Item added: Aug 24, 2004]
National Conference On Offender Reentry  
The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs along with the Departments of, Labor, Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, and the Social Security Administration is pleased to sponsor the National Conference on Offender Reentry. This conference presents an incomparable roster of speakers and facilitators; all experts in their field. Through plenary sessions, workshops and interactive small group discussions, the 2 ½ day conference will deliver current and practical information that will give attendees the essential tools to ensure innovative programming and sound management policies that will have a positive impact on the lives of ex-offenders.

The primary audience for this issuance is SWA,WIBs,ONE-STOP,State Youth Coordinators.

[Item added: Aug 16, 2004]
In Anticipation of Fiscal Year 2005 REA Grants  
To announce ­anticipated FY 2005 funds for selected State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) to implement UI REA programs; to invite the submission of state proposals; and to provide both the guidelines for developing the proposals and criteria governing the use of these funds.

The primary audience for this issuance is SWA.

[Item added: Aug 09, 2004]
Youth Vision Paper Forum  
Due to scheduling conflicts, the Youth Vision Forums that were originally planned for the fall have been postponed until after the election. We will be updating you all as to the dates and places as soon as possible.

[Item added: Aug 06, 2004]
2004 One-Stop Collaboration Awards Package  
On behalf of the NEtwork '04 Planning Committee, Region I of the Employment and Training Administration is pleased to announce the opening of nominations for the 2004 One-Stop Collaboration Awards. These awards are being made on behalf of a consortium of states which are involved in planning the NEtwork '04 One-Stop Conference. A cash grant in the amount of $2,500 will be awarded to two One-Stop Career Centers that demonstrate exemplary collaborative efforts in partnering with either businesses, community or faith-based organizations to promote linkages between the workforce investment system and economic development.
Application Form

[Item added: Jul 30, 2004]
Save the Date for Network 04  
NETWORK '04 One Stops Building Economic Opportunity thru Workforce Investment is scheduled to occur on November 3-5, 2004

[Item added: Jul 22, 2004]
Solicitation of States to Participate in BAM Pilot  
To solicit the participation of State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) to test the use of the State Directory of New Hires (SDNH) and state UI wage records files as part of the Benefit Accuracy Measurement (BAM) audit. Pilot states will attempt to identify benefit year earnings (BYE) and other issues affecting the eligibility of UI claimants for the week that they received a payment, and to determine if these claimants were properly paid for the week selected for the BAM sample. The Employment and Training Administration will enter into cooperative agreements with up to eight states to conduct the pilot, which is described more fully in the attachment.

[Item added: Jul 22, 2004]
Solicitation for Supplemental Budget Requests  
To announce the availability of FY 2004 funds to improve IT security for UI Benefits and Tax systems.

[Item added: Jul 22, 2004]
National Interstate Training Meeting  
The State of Ohio will host the annual national training meeting for Interstate Program Coordinators (IPCs), Interstate Liable Office Managers, Interstate/Combined Wage Managers, and the Interstate Connection (ICON) Network Programmers from September 7-10, 2004, in Columbus, Ohio. At the request of the NASWA Interstate Benefits (IB) Committee, the training will include information about the Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) and Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers (UCX) programs. Therefore, state and regional office Federal Program Coordinators are encouraged to attend this training.

[Item added: Jul 22, 2004]
UI Integrity Systems Funding Opportunity  
To inform State Workforce Age ncies (SWAs) of the opportunity for them to submit supplemental budget requests (SBRs) to fund the implementation and/or enhancement of systems for preventing, detecting, and reducing overpayments in the unemployment insurance (UI) program.

[Item added: Jul 22, 2004]
Prevailing Wage Determination  
To announce approved prevailing wage rates for agricultural job orders subject to the Agricultural Recruitment System (Clearance System) during calendar year 2004/5. These approved prevailing wage rates apply only to the State of CT.

[Item added: Jul 22, 2004]
BAM PCA and DCA additional training seminar  
To announce an additional seminar and to request the participation of State Workforce Agency (SWA) PCA/DCA staff for this seminar.

[Item added: Jul 22, 2004]
UI Benefit Financing Seminar  
To announce and solicit nominees for a UI Benefit Financing Seminar to be held October 19-22, 2004, in Washington, D.C.

[Item added: Jun 16, 2004]
National Day of Mourning
President Bush has issued an Executive Order to observe June 11 as a National Day of Mourning for President Reagan's Passing. As a result all federal agencies will be closed on June 18th.