[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 146 (Monday, July 29, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39473-39481]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-19191]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


School-to-Work Opportunities Act: Out-of-School Youth

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Funds and Solicitation for Grant 
Application (SGA).

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SUMMARY: All information required to submit a proposal is contained in 
this announcement. The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and 
Training Administration (DOL/ETA), announces the availability of 
approximately $750,000 to award competitive grants to youth employment 
and/or education program providers that currently have a solid 
foundation of serving out-of-school youth (OSY) in a school-to-work 
(STW) framework. The purpose of the grants will be to accelerate the 
development of promising STW practices for OSY or to add new STW 
components to existing initiatives. This project is not designed to 
help existing youth programs plan how to serve out-of-school youth in a 
STW framework. Rather, the purpose is to select a variety of types of 
youth initiatives that already have developed and are implementing 
school-to-work elements for out-of-school youth, to help them build on 
this foundation in order to serve additional out-of-school youth more 
effectively, and to share the results with other out-of-school youth 
service deliverers and STW grantees.
    Applicants that are not able to demonstrate a substantial number of 
the components and strategies of a School-to-Work Opportunities system, 
as described in the School-to-Work

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Opportunities Act (STWOA) of 1994, for out-of-school youth will not be 
considered. Each potential applicant should review its current program 
against the three categories of threshold criteria (partnerships, 
programmatic, measurement) before deciding whether to submit an 
application. Programs that do not meet a majority of the threshold 
criteria will not be considered.

DATES: The closing date for receipt of proposals at the Department of 
Labor shall be August 23, 1996, at 4:00 P.M., Eastern time. Any 
proposal not received at the designated place, date and time of 
delivery specified will not be considered.

ADDRESSES: Proposals shall be mailed to: Division of Acquisition and 
Assistance, Attention: Ms. Brenda Banks, Reference: SGA/DAA 96-011, 
U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, 200 
Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room S-4203, Washington, D.C. 20210.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brenda Banks, Division of Acquisition and Assistance. Telephone (202) 
219-7300 (This is not a toll-free telephone number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This announcement consists of three parts: 
Part I Background/Description, Part II Application Process, and Part 
III Evaluation Criteria for Award.

Part I--Background

    The School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 is intended to create 
statewide systems to help all students attain high academic and 
occupational standards and identify and navigate paths to rewarding 
roles in the workplace. ``All students'' is defined in the Act as 
``both male and female students from a broad range of backgrounds and 
circumstances, including disadvantaged students, students with diverse 
racial, ethnic or cultural backgrounds, American Indians, Alaska 
Natives, Native Hawaiians, students with disabilities, students with 
limited-English proficiency, migrant children, school dropouts, and 
academically talented students.''
    Experience in implementing the School-to-Work Opportunities Act has 
shown that school dropouts are extremely difficult to serve under STW 
precisely because they are not in the school buildings that have been 
the major focus of STW activities to date. A major problem for many 
young people, especially those who leave high school without a degree, 
is their inability to secure full-time career-track employment and 
their lack of preparation for further education or training. STW is 
designed to respond to these problems.
    In addition, there are currently many effective employment programs 
for school dropouts and other out-of-school youth. There is now a need 
to focus these programs on ways to better serve these youth with 
attention to the twin STW goals of high academic achievement and 
progressive mastery of career competencies.

Part II--Application Process

A. Eligible Applicants

    This competition is open to current youth employment and education 
program providers who can clearly demonstrate the extent to which their 
program meets a majority of the ``threshold criteria'' in Appendix C.
    Entities described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue 
Code who engage in lobbying activities are not eligible to receive 
funds under this SGA. The new Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, Public 
Law No. 104-65, 109 Stat. 691, which became effective January 1, 1996, 
prohibits the award of federal funds to these entities if they engage 
in lobbying activities.

B. Grant Awards

    The Department has allocated approximately $750,000 to award grants 
under this SGA in a range of $75,000 to $150,000, with an average award 
of $100,000. Applications that request more than $150,000 will not be 
considered. ETA expects to select a variety of types of existing 
programs that serve out-of-school youth as well as a variety of 
approaches. The Period of Performance shall not exceed twelve (12) 
months from the date of execution by the Government.

C. Application Procedures

1. Submission of Proposal
    An original and three (3) copies of the application shall be 
submitted. The application shall consist of two (2) separate parts:
    Part I shall contain the Standard Form (SF) 424, ``Application for 
Federal Assistance,'' and ``Budget Information Sheet.'' All copies of 
the SF 424 shall have original signatures. In addition, the budget 
shall include--on a separate page(s)--a detailed cost break-out of each 
line item on Budget Information Sheet.
    Part II shall contain technical data that demonstrates the 
applicant's capabilities in accordance with Part II, Section D, 
Statement of Work, using the headings below and responding to the 
information requested in each of the categories.
    I. Project title. Identify the title of the proposed project.
    II. Type of current program, and major source of funding, e.g., Job 
Corps Center (JTPA), Federally-funded State or local STW program 
(STWOA), Youth Fair Chance (JTPA), Youth Build, alternative education 
program, etc.
    III. Project Proposal.
    A. Provide a brief description of the existing youth program and 
the STW elements, as laid out in the STWOA, that are currently a part 
of the program and services for out-of-school youth. The description 
should provide qualitative and quantitative information about current 
activities, keyed to the threshold criteria, and sufficient to 
demonstrate substantial conference with the threshold criteria. If the 
program receives funds under the STWOA, describe the level of service 
currently provided to school dropouts.
    B. Provide a description of the proposed activities. Applicants 
must be specific in describing (1) which STW elements components or 
strategies are being proposed, (2) how they will build on the current 
program(s) and provide additional benefit to school dropouts, and (3) 
how the activities proposed are or will coordinate appropriately the 
activities of youth-serving organizations with STW activities in the 
State or local area funded under the STWOA. Applicants are advised to 
be specific about the proposed processes, products and outcomes of the 
OSY/STW project and to address the techniques proposed for sharing the 
results of the model with others.
2. Page Count
    Part II--Technical Application is not to exceed a maximum of 10 
single-sided pages. Attachments are not required and shall not be 
submitted as a part of this application. The application must be typed 
with a font size no smaller than 10cpi or 12pt print size, with 1 inch 
default margins (i.e., for top, bottom, left, and right margins). Any 
applicants technical proposal exceeding this page count limitation will 
not be considered for an award.
3. Hand Delivered Proposals
    Proposals should be mailed at least five (5) days prior to the 
closing date. However, if proposals are hand-delivered, they shall be 
received at the designated place by 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time by August 
23, 1996. All overnight mail will be considered to be hand-delivered 
and must be received at the designated place by the specified closing 
date and time. Telegraphed and/

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or faxed proposals will not be honored. Note. Failure to adhere to the 
above instructions will be a basis for a determination of 
nonresponsiveness.
4. Late Proposals
    Any proposal received at the office designated in the solicitation, 
after the exact time specified for receipt, will not be considered 
unless it is received before award is made and was either.
    (1) Sent by U.S. Postal Service registered or Certified Mail not 
later than the fifth (5th) calendar day before the date specified for 
receipt of application (e.g., an offer submitted in response to a 
solicitation requiring receipt of applications by the 20th of the month 
must have been mailed by the 15th).
    (2) Or sent by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Next Day Service--
Post Office to addressee, not later than 5 p.m. at the place of mailing 
two working days prior to the date specified for receipt of proposals. 
The term ``working days'' excludes weekends and U.S. Federal holidays.
    The only acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of a 
late proposal sent either by U.S. Postal Service Registered or 
Certified Mail is the U.S. postmark both on the envelope or wrapper and 
on the original receipt from the U.S. Postal Service. Both postmarks 
must show a legible date or the proposal shall be processed as if 
mailed late. ``Postmark'' means a printed, stamped, or otherwise placed 
impression (exclusive of a postage meter machine impression) that is 
readily identifiable without further action as having been supplied and 
affixed by employees of the U.S. Postal Service on the date of mailing.
    Therefore, applicants should request the postal clerk to place a 
legible hand cancellation ``bull's eye'' postmark on both the receipt 
and the envelope or wrapper.
5. Period of Performance
    The period of performance shall not exceed twelve (12) months from 
the date of execution by the Government.

D. Statement of Work/Grant Application

    The Department of Labor has a strong interest in assisting youth 
employment and education programs to apply STW principles and 
components to their out-of-school youth strategies and to connect their 
efforts to the Federally-funded STW systems in their States. In 
addition, the Departments of Education and Labor, which jointly 
administer the School-to-Work Opportunities initiative, have a strong 
interest in ensuring that STW systems being developed and implemented 
in the States and local communities are designed to provide the same 
opportunities and benefits to school dropouts as they do for students 
who are attending school. This project will demonstrate a variety of 
comprehensive approaches for serving school dropouts effectively in a 
School-to-Work framework. Funds under this award must be used to serve 
``school dropouts'' as required by the STWOA.
1. OSY/STW Threshold Criteria
    This project is not intended to help fund out-of-school youth 
initiatives begin design of a school-to-work system; nor is it intended 
to fund existing Federally funded State or local STW initiatives that 
have not already begun to implement strategies for school dropouts. The 
expectation is that most, but not necessarily all, of the strategies 
and essential elements of a STW system, as laid out in the School-to-
Work Opportunities Act, will be present in the existing youth 
initiatives selected for funding. The degree to which each is present 
will vary according to the type of initiative. The goal is to 
demonstrate a variety of more fully developed models for serving school 
dropouts in a STW framework than is now available.
    Appendix C contains the threshold criteria that the Departments and 
the School-to-Work Office consider a baseline of activity for 
effectively serving out-of-school youth in a STW framework.
2. Allowable Activities
    Activities to be funded under the OSY/STW Project must be related 
to components and activities in the School-to-Work Opportunities Act 
(most of which are referred to in Appendix C), must be designed to 
serve additional school dropouts more effectively, and must show a 
connection--that is appropriate to the status of STW implementation in 
the State or locality--between the organization(s) delivering services 
to school dropouts and the STW system funded under the STWOA. 
Activities may be designed to better link two or more existing out-of-
school youth programs with a STW system funded under the STWOA. An 
objective of the overall OSY/STW initiative is to encourage existing 
programs serving out-of-school youth to adapt and adopt more STW 
elements and to assist STW systems to learn more effective ways to 
serve school dropouts as they design and implement STW systems for all 
students. Applications that do not show a strong, appropriate 
connection between programs serving out-of-school youth and existing 
STW components and systems will not be selected for funding.

Part III--Evaluation Criteria for Award

    Completed applications will be reviewed against the technical 
criteria listed below by a rating panel. The panel's recommendations 
are advisory in nature to the Grant Officer.
    1. Foundation of School-to-Work elements. (30 points)
     The extent to which the current youth program provides 
service to school dropouts using STW components and elements described 
in the School-to-Work Opportunities Act and reflected in the threshold 
criteria (Appendix C).
     The extent to which the current program demonstrates 
that it meets a majority of the threshold criteria.
     The effectiveness of the current activities in 
providing youth who have dropped out of school the opportunities and 
benefits envisioned in the STWOA and reflected in attached threshold 
criteria.
    2. Strategy for adding new STW component(s) or accelerating the 
development of an existing promising practice in STW. (40 points)
     The extent to which the proposed activities will 
provide additional employment and education services in a STW 
framework.
     The effectiveness of the proposed STW strategy in 
promoting higher academic achievement and greater mastery of career 
competencies for school dropouts.
    Connections between organizations serving out-of-school youth and 
State or local STW systems funded under the STWOA. (15 points)
     The degree to which the proposed activity(ies) connects 
youth service delivery organizations with the STW system in the State 
and local communities so that existing promising practices, strategies, 
curriculum, and other strategies for effectively serving youth in a STW 
framework are incorporated into the OSY/STW Project, and the lessons 
learned as a result of the OSY/STW Project are shared.
     The effectiveness of the techniques proposed for 
helping others, nationwide, learn from the OSY/STW Project and 
replicate relevant activities.
    3. Capability of staff. (15 points)
     The extent to which the staff proposed have the 
knowledge and expertise in STW and in serving out-of-school youth 
required to successfully complete the project.
    Final selections will be made based upon the panel's review and 
such other factors as type of current program, diversity of 
programmatic approaches,

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and geographic balance and what is in the best interest of the 
Government.

    Signed at Washington, D.C., this 23d day of July 1996.
Janice E. Perry,
Grant Officer, Employment and Training Administration.

Appendices

A. SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance
B. Budget Information Sheet
C. Threshold Criteria (4 Pages)

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Appendix C--Serving Out-of-School Youth in a School-to-Work Framework

Threshold Criteria

Partnerships

    1. There is strong support for the existing initiative and for 
the school-to-work concept from appropriate OSY/STW stakeholders--
such as secondary schools, parents, young people, employers, 
community-based organizations, labor, post-secondary institutions, 
Private Industry Councils, government agencies--as well as 
strategies for maintaining their support and involvement. In 
particular, a strong leadership role played by CBOs as stakeholders 
in the STW initiative should be demonstrated.
    2. Collaborative agreements exist among a variety of 
institutions, such as those serving out-of-school youth (i.e., CBOs, 
Job Corps), employers, public schools, post-secondary and secondary 
schools, etc.
    3. Employers play strong and active roles in the planning and 
governance of the existing initiative, and provide a range of 
services for the out-of-school youth component, such as providing a 
variety of worksite learning experiences, developing assessment 
criteria, and participating in career exposure activities.
    4. Resources from a variety of sources (e.g., STW, federal 
categorical, State and local education funds, private sector) are 
systematically used in an integrated manner, to effectively address 
the work and learning needs of out-of-school youth.
    5. A realistic and coherent strategy is in place to coordinate 
with the statewide School-to-Work system, as well as any existing 
local School-to-Work systems.

Programmatic

    1. There is a strong community-wide partnership that is 
committed to preparing young people for the world of work and/or 
further educational and occupational training by providing 
appropriate activities and services which reflect the fact that 
youth learn best by learning in context and being actively engaged 
in their own learning.
    2. Ongoing professional development is provided for worksite and 
``school-based'' staff to ensure understanding of STW components and 
the provision of high quality services for out-of-school youth.
    3. A system of organized school-based learning, work-based 
learning, and connecting activities is present in the existing out-
of-school youth initiative, and is responsive to the cultural 
diversity of the youth it services.
    4. Work-Based Learning activities include the following:
    (a) A variety of different types of high quality work 
experiences and on-the-job training is available, depending upon the 
individual needs of the out-of-school youth.
    (b) Adult worksite mentors are utilized.
    (c) Learning is organized around an appropriate system of career 
pathways that offer students exposure to all aspects of an industry 
and are consistent with emerging industry and State standards for 
mastery of academic competencies and occupational skills.
    5. School-Based Learning activities include:
    (a) A commitment to high academic standards for all out-of-
school youth participants is evident.
    (b) A range of educational learning environments is available to 
meet the needs of out-of-school youth (e.g., alternative education).
    (c) Workplace basics and learning in applied context are 
incorporated into curricula.
    (d) Opportunities for post-secondary education and for further 
occupational/job training are available (e.g., dual enrollment 
option so that students can earn both high school and college 
credits simultaneously).
    6. Connecting Activities include:
    (a) A range of strategies that serve to effectively connect 
school-based and work-based learning activities, including dedicated 
staff that serve as school-based, work-based liaisons/coordinators.
    (b) The conduct of outreach and public relations for all 
stakeholders involved in out-of-school youth activities, such as:
     Parents.
     Youth.
     Community-Based Organizations.
     Local elected officials.
     School Boards/School Administrators.
    (c) Linkages between human resource service organizations and 
academic institutions to meet the needs of individual youth (e.g., 
pregnant and parenting teens).
    (d) The provision of transportation and other support services 
specific to the needs of out-of-school youth.
    (e) Strategies that develop the interpersonal skills of 
students, such as personal responsibility, teamwork, and conflict 
resolution.
    7. Effective strategies are in place for recruiting, retaining, 
and serving out-of-school youth in the school-to-work framework.

Measurement

    1. Evidence of specific goals and objectives and outcomes (or 
progress indicators) as they relate to the provision of services to 
out-of-school youth in a school-to-work framework.
    2. The ability to implement and adjust improvement plans based 
on the continuous measurement of progress of the goals, objectives 
and outcomes, as indicated above.
    3. The use of various types of ``assessment tools'' that would 
measure not only student mastery of skills, but also whether the 
student is able to integrate, apply and perform the learned 
knowledge, skills and abilities in real life situations, and that 
would serve as predictors of readiness for a variety of work, 
community college, advanced training and other real life situations.

[FR Doc. 96-19191 Filed 7-26-96; 8:45 am]
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