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November 5, 2008 DOL Home > CFBCI > Resource Library > Burning Bush |
Burning Bush Booklet Dear Colleague: In this booklet, you will find valuable information outlining the federal-state Workforce Investment System and ways to access these resources at the local level. To support you in your efforts, the Department of Labor's Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives has designed new programs that will help level the playing field and create opportunities for faith-based and community organizations. We started with a project to create new partnerships between the Job Corps and faith- and community-based mentor programs. Following a competitive grant process, DOL awarded the first federal government grants for the purposes of building links between small faith-based and community groups and the national premier job training and employment institution, the One-Stop Career Centers system. Our Center, along with the Employment and Training Administration, the Department of Justice and Public/Private Ventures based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has launched Ready4Work, a Business-Faith-Community-Criminal Justice partnership program to assist men and women returning from prison in finding and keeping jobs. The Center has also worked with the Veterans Employment and Training Administration to strengthen services for the homeless, the Office of Disability Employment Policy to encourage faith- and community-based mentoring of disabled youth, and the International Labor Affairs Bureau to work with faith-based and community groups in Thailand to reduce human trafficking and fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in East Africa. And, believe it or not, we are just getting started! We are very proud of the work that the Department of Labor and its Center has done to empower faith-based and community organizations. I congratulate you on your interest in learning more about the federal-state Workforce Investment System and how you can utilize those resources to serve those in need. With your compassion and commitment, we can make a real difference for America. Sincerely, Elaine L. Chao U.S. Secretary of Labor Table of Contents The Workforce Investment System The Workforce Investment System: An Introduction The Workforce Investment System and Leadership Structure One-Stop Career Center Services Critical Roles Faith-Based
Organizations (FBOs) Help Your Community Members Access Career Support Your Members as They Seek Employment Assistance Make Your Services Available through the One-Stop Centers Make Your Organization's Site a "One-Stop Center Access Point" Supervise Your Local Workforce Investment System by Participating on an Oversight Body Serve as a Provider for Those in Need Through the Local Workforce System Serve as a Provider for Those in Need Through Participating in a National Grant Program U.S. Department of Labor Discretionary Grants Grant Writing Guidance Checklist The Workforce Investment System: An Introduction In 1998 Congress passed the Workforce Investment Act, the first major reform of the nation's job training system in over 15 years. It was designed to replace the patchwork federal system that developed over the previous sixty years with a locally designed and driven system to improve the quality of the workforce and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the nation. The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) became fully effective on July 1, 2000. Passed by a wide bipartisan majority in part, WIA was designed to permit communities and states to build a workforce investment systems that respects individual choices, reflects local conditions, and results in increased employment, retention, and earnings of participants while increasing occupational skills attained by participants. The Workforce Investment Act redesigned the nation's workforce development system to:
Partnerships at all levels — local, state, and federal — and across the system are the hallmark of the workforce investment system. All levels are required to coordinate and collaborate with agencies and entities that have not been a part of the traditional workforce development system. Accountability and responsibility for outcomes at all levels of the system now exist, with each level having unique and integral roles and responsibilities. The Workforce Investment System Leadership Structure One-Stop Career Centers Federal Provides federal funding, primarily to states, for employment and training programs and services. The largest division of the U.S. Department of Labor, the Employment and Training Administration One-Stop (ETA) provides oversight to the national workforce investment system, which includes over 1,900 Career Centers across the nation. ETA also provides emergency grants to states and local areas that experience disasters and/or large business closings, operates Job Corps, and manages the National Apprenticeship System. Special national programs administered by ETA provide services to targeted populations, such as older workers, Native Americans, migrant and seasonal farm workers, and veterans. Business Relations Group State Governor State Workforce Agency State Workforce Investment Board Local Local Workforce Investment Board (WIB) At the integrated local One-Stop Career Centers, individuals can access high quality local information on available jobs, skill requirements, and training provider performance. While the Workforce Investment Act establishes certain minimum requirements for the structure of the local system, it allows local communities significant flexibility in the design and implementation of their One-Stop Career Center systems. The partners required by the law to be part of the One-Stop Career Centers are:
Each One-Stop Career Center partner is required to be represented on the local board and to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the local board describing what services are to be provided at the One-Stop Career Center, how the costs of the services and the operating costs of the system will be funded, methods of referral of individuals between the One-Stop operator and the One-Stop partners, the duration of the MOU, and the procedures for amending the MOU. A One-Stop operator is designated to manage the day-to-day functioning of the local One-Stop Career Center. Post-secondary educational institutions, local Employment Service offices, community and faith-based nonprofit organizations, private for-profit entities, and government agencies may be designated as the One-Stop operators. A local board may be designated with the agreement of the chief local elected official and the governor. Each local area must have at least one physical "full service" center where customers can access services from each of the One-Stop partners. Additional service structures may include other full service centers or a network of affiliated sites, or a network of One-Stop partners that can consist of physical sites or electronic access points. Regardless of the design, all One-Stop Career Centers must be based on a "no wrong door" approach that assures customers access to information on all of the core services. A business-led state WIB is appointed by the governor to oversee each state's One-Stop Career Center system and to develop a statewide five-year strategic plan. The governor also designates a state agency to oversee the eligible training provider identification process. In most cases, the governors have designated the state workforce agency that carries out the state's labor exchange programs. The federal role in the One-Stop Career Center system is generally to coordinate activities between federal agencies and to provide administration and oversight to ensure financial accountability of programs and compliance with legal requirements. One-Stop Career Center Services Each One-Stop Career Center offers services ranging from self-service activities to more concentrated staff-assisted services. The Workforce Investment Act provides for a continuum of three levels of services that individuals are to progress through: core services; intensive services; and training, with the more extensive levels of services being provided only after the individual is unable to obtain employment with basic services. Core Services The Core Services required at each One-Stop Career Center include:
Intensive Services Intensive services may be provided to adults and dislocated workers who
are unemployed, have received at least one core service and are unable to
obtain employment through core services, or who are employed and have received
at least one core service if the One-Stop operator determines the individual is
in need of more intensive services in order to obtain or retain employment that
leads to self-sufficiency.
Training Services Individuals who have met the eligibility requirements for intensive services and are unable to obtain or retain employment through intensive services may receive training services. Through One-Stop Career Centers, these individuals will be evaluated to determine whether or not they are in need of training and if they possess the skills and qualifications needed to participate successfully in the training program in which they express an interest. Training services must be directly linked to occupations that are in demand in the local area, or in another area to which the individual receiving services is willing to relocate. As with intensive services, in areas where the local board and the governor have determined that adult funds are limited, those with the greatest need may receive priority in the use of funds for training services. One-Stop Career Centers provide access to consumer information about training providers that can assist individuals in gaining relevant skills including information on the performance of such providers in placing graduates in employment. Through local boards, each state maintains a list of eligible training providers that meet performance levels set by the governor. The performance levels may be adjusted upward, as appropriate, by local boards. Individuals may choose any provider from the list of approved providers, whether or not the provider is located in the local area where the individual resides. With limited exceptions, training services are provided through the use of Individual Training Accounts (ITAs). States and local boards determine the structure of the ITA system in their local areas that may take a variety of forms including vouchers, credit cards or debit cards. The Workforce Investment Act reforms the youth training system and the Job Corps program, creating a system that is closely linked to the labor market. It also gives local areas greater discretion in determining how to allocate resources and provide services to youth within a comprehensive statewide system. The new youth program is based on integrating academic and vocational education, integrating work-based and classroom-based instruction, creating connections with employers and private sector involvement. The Act requires the creation of a Youth Council under each local board. The Youth Councils include representatives of youth service agencies, parents, public housing authorities, Job Corps, former youth program participants, and other appropriate individuals. The Youth Council may serve various roles, such as developing portions of the local plan relating to youth, recommending the providers of youth activities to be awarded grants by the local board, conducting oversight of these providers, and coordinating youth activities in the local area. Youth services are delivered by entities that are competitively awarded a grant or contract by the local board. Such entities may or may not be the same as those providing other WIA services under the One-Stop Career Center system in the local area. Each local area can determine the extent to which they want to integrate youth services with the adult and dislocated worker delivery system in the One-Stop Career Center. In order to be eligible for youth services, a youth must be 1421, low income, and meet at least one of six specified barriers to employment including: basic skills deficiency; a school dropout; homeless, a runaway, or a foster child; pregnant or a parent; an offender; or require additional assistance to complete an educational program, or secure and hold employment. Five percent of the youth served in a local area may be non-low-income if they experience one or more specified barriers to graduation or employment. In addition, in an attempt to focus resources on those most in need, thirty percent of funds in each local area must be expended on out-of-school youth. Youth who do not meet the eligibility requirements must be referred to the One-Stop Career Center or another appropriate program for further assessment in order to meet the basic skills and training needs of the individual. The Workforce Investment Act requires an individual assessment of skill levels and service needs and the development of a service strategy for each youth participant. The Act also outlines ten required elements of the youth program, including:
WIA emphasizes longer-term service by providing such things as: adult mentoring both during and after participation, for at least one year, and follow-up services for at least one year. The Workforce Investment Act also strengthens the Job Corps program and ensures that it functions as an integral part of the workforce investment system. Career OneStop (www.careeronestop.org) America's Job Bank America's Career InfoNet (www.acinet.org)
America's Service Locator (www.servicelocator.org)
Workforce Tools of the Trade (www.workforcetools.org)
O*NET OnLine (online.onetcenter.org) Help Your Community Members Access Career Services through the One-Stop Career Center Congregations draw strength from their leaders. They seek them out in times of need for advice and counsel. As a result, faith-based leaders are uniquely positioned to know the needs and concerns of their members and their surrounding communities and to refer them to the best source of assistance. Faith-based leaders can play a critical role in helping their members resolve their employment problems by suggesting they visit their local One-Stop Career Center or access the Career OneStop website (www.careeronestop.org). Please note that the name for federally-funded One-Stop Career Centers varies by state or locality, e.g. Job Centers, Workforce Centers or Career Links. FBO leaders can refer members to these critical resources by:
FBO leaders can provide this vital assistance without depleting your organization's limited time and financial resources. In fact, it requires no formal agreement with the local One-Stop Career Center but can pay tremendous dividends in the lives of individuals. Extra Tips Your organization may also wish to consider assigning a team of volunteers from your organizations to familiarize themselves both with the One-Stop Center resources as well as the One-Stop Career Center's online tools so that team members can better refer individuals in need. Support Your Members as They Seek Employment Assistance One of the greatest strengths of FBOs is the sense of caring, compassion and support they demonstrate. People facing critical employment problems are often in need of that type of support. Whether a member of your congregation is facing the loss of a job, an impending lay-off, or the need to change jobs, FBOs are well positioned to provide individuals with the spiritual and emotional support they need during these stressful situations. FBOs that want to support their members facing employment problems may support them in numerous ways, including:
All of these activities serve individuals by leveraging the skills, talents, and resources of other members of the congregation. By empowering your congregation to support those facing serious challenges finding and retaining employment, you provide an invaluable service to them even as you strengthen your organization's impact and standing within the community. If your organization is committed to contributing to and collaborating with a wider network of services within the community, you might consider two options discussed in the next two sections:
Make Your Services Available through One-Stop Centers Many FBOs have ministries that supplement the resources of their parishioners. These ministries often serve the same needs that are critical in helping job seekers begin a career or advance in their careers. FBOs can fill a critical role by supplementing the resources of those in their congregations and local communities by providing, whether free of charge or at reduced rates, such things as:
FBOs can partner with the One-Stop by:
Formal Arrangement Once approved by the local board and your community's chief elected official, you can sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the local board to become a formal One-Stop partner located on the One-Stop site or offsite. For more information contact your local WIB or your local One-Stop Career Center.
Make your organization's site a "One-Stop Center Access Point" For 2002-2003, the Department of Labor invested nearly $20 million dollars in projects designed to:
One successful strategy has involved partnerships to house "One-Stop Access Points" or "Mini-One-Stop Career Centers" inside FBCOs. These projects included agreements between FBCOs and the One-Stop Career Center that included the following components:
One-Stop Centers are increasingly in search of organizations that can help reach populations facing significant barriers to employment. We recommend you contact your local Workforce Investment Board or One-Stop Center operator to let them know of your organization's interest in partnering with the workforce development system. Some local systems are already exploring competitive grant opportunities to fund "Access Points," while others are interested in recruiting organizations to volunteer as employment resource rooms in the community. Supervise Your Local Workforce Investment System by Participating on an Oversight Body The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) established governing bodies at the local and state levels. In order to better serve the community, you might choose to help supervise your local workforce system by serving on the local or state WIB (WIB) or simply attending board meetings and researching board activities. In addition to public meetings, a great deal of WIB planning and decision making is conducted by a committee process. We recommend investigating your WIBs committee structure and seeking opportunities to become an active participant in committee deliberations. The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) established a workforce investment system that depends upon the active participation and leadership of businesses and community leaders. The supervisory bodies at the local and state levels created by WIA are:
Each of these supervisory bodies needs people who care about helping individuals meet their full potential and providing a qualified workforce for area employers. Serve as Provider for Those in Need Through the Local Workforce System As discussed previously, WIBs have discretion at the local level as to how to invest resources. Many WIBs, particularly through the parallel Youth Council structure, issue standard Request for Proposals to solicit providers of youth services or other support or training services. To find out about these local funding opportunities, you must contact your local WIB directly. Information on contacting your WIB can be found at the National Association of Workforce Boards, www.nawb.org. In addition to looking for direct contract and grant opportunities, organizations should consider partnering with current grantees and larger organizations in their applications to provide WIB services. Organizations might be able to find opportunities to act as "subcontractors" providing part of a larger service. When pursuing both local and national grant opportunities, remember that the government (at all levels) focuses upon in investing in organizations that produce measurable outcomes in people's lives. Performance accountability is an important principle which strongly influences how grant programs are structured, including reporting requirements. For some non-profit organizations, it may be appropriate to pursue the opportunity to become an Eligible Training Provider. With this designation, the Eligible Training Provider would receive payment for each individual trained through an Individual Training Account "voucher." For more information on state requirements for Eligible Training Providers, we recommend contacting your state Workforce Investment Board. The Common Measures Adult Measures
Youth and Lifelong Learning Measures
Serve as Provider for Those in Need Through Participating in National Grant Programs Your organization may desire to become a provider of federally funded services through contracts, sub-contracts, grants and sub-grants. There are opportunities available for interested organizations to become such service providers, and President George W. Bush has undertaken an initiative to enhance the opportunities to do so. In January 2001, the President established the White House Office for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and centers in the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Education, and Justice. These centers work to identify and eliminate barriers to participation in discretionary and formula grant programs. Discretionary grant programs are issued directly to non-profit organizations or other entities such as educational institutions, or government. Formula grants are issued to state governments to invest in their areas. Organizations wanting to learn more about the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiative may visit www.fbci.gov. This website also include links to other cabinet Centers for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives outside the Department of Labor. The Department of Labor's Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI) keeps its website, www.dol.gov/cfbci, updated with information about Department of Labor discretionary grants relevant to FBCOs and intermediaries. CFBCI works within the department to simplify the grant process so that it can be accessible to new grantees, FBCOs. Within the Department of Labor, the following agencies issue grants:
Some of these discretionary grants are issued consistently; other discretionary grants are pilot demonstration projects, which may be only issued once or every few years. For more indepth descriptions of grant programs through these departments, please see the following pages. Please note that if your organization registers to receive updates at www.dol.gov/cfbci, you do not need to register to receive grant information from individual agencies. Agencies issue grants in the format of a "Solicitation for Grant Applications" or SGAs; Discretionary Grant Opportunities Veteran's Employment Training Services (VETS) Mission: To provide veterans with the resources and services to succeed in the 21st century work force by maximizing their employment opportunities, protecting their employment rights and meeting labor-market demands with qualified Veterans. For more information about VETS, please visit www.dol.gov/vets. Discretionary Grant Opportunity: Homeless Veteran's Reemployment Program Grant (HVRP) The Homeless Veterans Reintegration Project (HVRP) seeks to "expedite the reintegration of homeless veterans into the labor force." It was authorized under Section 738 of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act in July 1987. Funds are awarded competitively to units of State or local governments, state and local workforce investment boards, and nonprofit organizations. Grantees provide an array of services directly and through linkages in the local community. The program is employment focused and veterans receive the employment and training services they need to reenter the labor market. Job counseling, resume preparation, job development and placement are among the services that may be provided. Supportive services such as clothing, shelter, referral to medical or substance abuse treatment, and transportation assistance are also provided to meet the needs of this target group. Since its inception, HVRP has featured an outreach component using veterans who themselves have experienced homelessness. In recent years this requirement was modified to allow the projects to utilize formerly homeless veterans in other positions where there is direct client contact if outreach was not needed extensively, such as counseling, peer coaching, and intake and follow up. In 2003, VETS awarded 43 new grants for between $200,000$500,000. Within the HRVP competition, VETS reserved a certain amount of money to award to organizations who had never received a grant before. New grant opportunities may be available in spring of 2004. Office of Disability and Employment Policy
(ODEP) Mission: ODEP's mission is to provide leadership to increase employment opportunities for adults and youth with disabilities. ODEP is a federal agency in the Department of Labor. Pilot Grant Opportunities: In 2003, ODEP launched two new pilot initiatives totaling over $1 million to assist FBCOs that assist disabled youth and provide home modifications for individuals with disabilities. Additionally, grants issued from ODEP for state agencies all include mandates in look for ways to include FBCOs in service provision. For more information about ODEP, please visit www.dol.gov/odep. New pilot grants through ODEP that focus on utilizing the strengths of FBCOs are likely to be issued in spring and summer of 2004. Intermediary Grants for Mentoring Youth with Disabilities were awarded to 6 organizations from a total investment of $880,710.00 Home Modification Grants were awarded to 8 organizations for a total investment of $700,000.00. Employment and Training Administration
(ETA) Mission: The mission of the Employment and Training Administration is to contribute to the more efficient functioning of the U.S. labor market by providing high quality job training, employment, labor market information, and income maintenance services primarily through state and local workforce development systems. Pilot Grant Opportunities:
The purpose of these grants is to create partnerships between grassroots FBCOs and the Nation's One-Stop Career System to help put people to work. In 2003, the amount of money designated was $250,000. Pilot: Intermediary FBCO Grants In 2002 and 2003, the Employment and Training Administration also published grants for intermediary organizations, non-profit organizations that could develop and assist networks of grassroots FBCOs in conducting workforce development activities. In 2003, the amount of money designated was $3.7 million dollars. Discretionary Grant Opportunities Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) For the first time since its creation in 1964, SCSEP was published for competition in 2003. FBCOs were specifically cited as eligible as grantees, sub-grantees and host agencies. Contact names for SCSEP grantees are available at: http://www.doleta.gov/Seniors/html_docs/PYdirectory.cfm The FY 2003 appropriation level: $442,306,000. No competition is planned for FY 2004. H1B Technical Skills Training Grant By law, 75 percent of the funds for this program are managed by local WIBs. Boards are required to develop community consortia which includes one business or business-related non-profit organization such as a trade association, and one community-based or FBO, higher education institution or labor union. The remaining 25 percent of H1-B funding is awarded directly by the Secretary of Labor to partnerships that consist of at least two businesses or business-related nonprofits. FBOs or CBOs may also be part of such partnerships. Grantees work to help American workers achieve higher level skills. For more information, please visit ETA's website: http://www.doleta.gov/sga/sga.cfm Elements of a DOL SGA
Should I apply for this grant? Each Solicitation for Grant Application (SGA) contains sections called Summary and Supplemental Background Information. While these sections provide insight into the services being sought, pay particular attention to the eligible applicant and deliverable sections to determine if your organization should consider submitting an application. The eligible applicant section will let you know if your organization can apply. For example, some solicitations for grant application are only for states or state agencies to respond. The SGA may include a deliverables section that describes the products and meetings required to fulfill this particular grant. If the requirements are unfamiliar or seem overwhelming, you may want to call the "for further information contact" person and determine if the requirements are feasible for your organization. Finally, does your organization provide the services requested in the SGA? The closer the match between your organization's mission and activities and the services being sought, the better your chance of success in competing for funds. Be sure organization is capable of providing the services the federal government is seeking to fund. How do I write a winning proposal? The application contents enumerate what the application must contain to be considered. Sometimes there is extra information describing these elements. Do not use this information as the sole guidelines for constructing your proposal. Rather, make sure every piece of information required is included, but also review the evaluation criteria and selection process for information about how to organize your proposal content. The evaluation criteria and selection process should be used to organize your proposal. The reviewer must evaluate your proposal using these criteria and point structure. Make sure that every question and request for information from the evaluation criteria is answered in the proposal. Use headings to let the reader know what question you are answering. To the extent possible, follow the order of the rating criteria when writing your proposal. Finally, in reviewing your proposal, make sure it is within the allowable page limit, uses the correct margins and font size, and is mailed on time. Commonly Requested Components of SGA Need: Use statistics to show how the community needs the proposed services. Information such as unemployment rates, poverty rates and high-school dropout rates are standard statistics that can tell a convincing story for a particular community. America's Career Infonet, local One-Stop Centers, and state employment service can provide some of these statistics. Use Partnerships: Show how the whole community is interested in working together by demonstrating that other organizations, such as schools, government, businesses, FBCOs, are a part of the team effort. Include letters from the partnering organization describing its commitment to the project, unless the SGA specifically says not to include supporting letters. It is helpful to begin your outreach early if you plan to include support letters. Goals and Objectives: Clearly number each goal and objective. Ensure that measurable indicators exist to evaluate whether the program attains the goals and objectives. Evaluation: Describe the method for collecting data and how it will be analyzed to determine if the goals and objectives are reached. Critical Ways Faith-Based Community-Based Organizations Can Help Meet Their Community's Employment Needs Help Your Community Members Access Career Services through the One-Stop Career Center
Support Your Members as They Seek Employment Assistance
Make your Services available through the One-Stop Centers
Make your organization's site a "One-Stop Center Access Point".
Supervise your local workforce investment system by participating on an oversight body.
Serve as provider in need in the local Workforce System or in National Grant Programs
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