[Federal Register: February 6, 1997 (Volume 62, Number 25)]
[Notices]
[Page 5693-5694]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[[Page 5693]]
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA No.: 84.234M]
Projects With Industry; Notice Inviting Applications for New
Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 1997
PURPOSE OF PROGRAM: The Projects With Industry (PWI) program
creates and expands job and career opportunities for individuals with
disabilities in the competitive labor market by engaging the talent and
leadership of private industry as partners in the rehabilitation
process. PWI projects identify competitive job and career opportunities
and the skills needed to perform those jobs, create practical settings
for job readiness and training programs, and provide job placement and
career advancement services.
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS: Employers and profitmaking and nonprofit
organizations, including any designated State units, labor unions,
employers, community rehabilitation program providers, trade
associations, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, and other agencies
or organizations with the capacity to create and expand job and career
opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
Only eligible applicants that propose to serve a geographic area
that is currently unserved or underserved by the PWI program can
receive new awards under this program.
DEADLINE FOR TRANSMITTAL OF APPLICATIONS: April 21, 1997.
DATELINE FOR INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW: June 20, 1997.
APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE: February 7, 1997.
AVAILABLE FUNDS: $18,472,708.
ESTIMATED RANGE OF AWARDS: $158,000-238,000.
ESTIMATED AVERAGE SIZE OF AWARDS: $198,000.
ESTIMATED NUMBER OF AWARDS: 78-117.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
PROJECT PERIOD: Up to 60 months.
APPLICABLE REGULATIONS: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 85, and 86; (b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR part
369; and (c) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR part 379, as
published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.
PRIORITIES: Competitive Preference Priority. The competitive
preference priority concerning Empowerment Zones and Enterprise
Communities in the notice of final priorities for this program,
published in the Federal Register on December 9, 1994 (59 FR 63860),
applies to this competition.
The Federal Government has designated 9 Empowerment Zones (Atlanta,
Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; New
York, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania/Camden, New Jersey; Kentucky
Highlands, Kentucky; Mid-Delta, Mississippi; and Rio Grande Valley,
Texas). Two Supplemental Empowerment Zones have been designated--Los
Angeles, California and Cleveland, Ohio. A total of 95 Enterprise
Communities have been designated. A full list of Enterprise Communities
is available upon request from the Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) at 1-800-998-9999.
The Secretary gives preference to applications that meet the
following competitive priority. Ten bonus points will be assigned to
applications determined to be approvable on the basis of their
evaluation under the applicable program selection criteria. These bonus
points are in addition to any points the application earns under the
selection criteria for the program.
Competitive Preference Priority--Providing Program Services in an
Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community
Under the Projects With Industry program, competitive preference
will be given to applications that--(1) Propose the provision of
substantial services in Empowerment Zones or Enterprise Communities;
and (2) Propose projects that contribute to the strategic plan of the
Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community and that are made an integral
component of the Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community activities.
A PWI project may provide services at one or more sites. Under this
program a PWI project is considered to be providing substantial
services in a zone or community if a minimum of 51 percent of the total
number of persons served by the project, irrespective of the number of
sites, reside in a zone or community and at least 1 of the project
sites is located within the boundaries of a zone or community. If there
is only one project site, it must be located within the boundaries of a
zone or community.
Invitational Priorities
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) the Secretary is particularly interested
in applications that meet one or more of the following invitational
priorities. However, an application that meets one or more of these
invitational priorities does not receive competitive or absolute
preference over other applications:
Invitational Priority 1. Projects that demonstrate the use of
alternative work settings, such as flexiplace or telecommuting, to
assist individuals with disabilities, especially individuals with
severe disabilities, to secure job skills training and employment
opportunities in the competitive labor market.
Invitational Priority 2. Projects that demonstrate the use of
workplace apprenticeship programs to train persons with disabilities
for employment in careers with advancement potential.
Invitational Priority 3. Projects that demonstrate effective
outreach and collaboration with minority-owned businesses in order to
secure competitive placement opportunities for persons with
disabilities. Minority-owned businesses are defined as nonprofit and
for-profit entities that are at least 51 percent owned or controlled by
one or more minority individuals. Applications should demonstrate a
project's capacity to address cultural diversity issues as these issues
relate to the training and placement of individuals with disabilities
in competitive employment.
Invitational Priority 4. Projects designed to facilitate the
school-to-work transition of students who are individuals with
disabilities. Projects should focus on placing youth with disabilities
in employment with clearly defined career-path or career-advancement
opportunities, or both.
FOR APPLICATIONS OR INFORMATION CONTACT: Martha Muskie, U.S.
Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 3332,
Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2649. Telephone: (202) 205-3293.
Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.
Information about the Department's funding opportunities, including
copies of application notices for discretionary grant competitions, can
be viewed on the Department's electronic bulletin board (ED Board),
telephone (202) 260-9950; on the Internet Gopher Server (at gopher://
gcs.ed.gov); or on the World Wide Web (at http://gcs.ed.gov/). However,
the official application notice for a discretionary grant competition
is the notice published in the Federal Register.
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 795g.
[[Page 5694]]
Dated: January 30, 1997.
Judith E. Heumann,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 97-2835 Filed 2-5-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P