[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 95 (Monday, May 18, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27319-27327]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-13156]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Notice Inviting Proposals for Promoting Employer Participation in 
School-to-Work (STW) Systems

SUMMARY: This notice contains all of the necessary information and 
forms to apply for grant funding. The Departments of Labor and 
Education jointly are accepting proposals for a new award in FY 97, as 
authorized under section 403 of the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 
1994 (the Act). This award will provide for coordination of the overall 
effort to engage employers in STW activities, the identification and 
collaboration with national business leaders to advocate for and 
promote the visibility of business participating in STW, the provision 
of technical assistance to business leaders, the dissemination of 
products and information related to employer participation in STW, and 
the marketing and dissemination of research findings related to 
employer participation in STW. The Departments believe that a targeted 
approach to employer involvement through a unified, singular and 
strategically managed award, has the potential to increase the number 
of employers participating in STW systems, build their capacity to 
influence and benefit from STW partnerships, and increase the ability 
of other STW stakeholders to develop effective, sustainable 
partnerships with employers.

DATES: Applications will be accepted commencing May 18, 1998. The 
closing date for receipt of applications is July 2, 1998, at 4 P.M., 
(Eastern Time) at the address below.

ADDRESSES: Applicants shall be mailed to U.S. Department of Labor, 
Employment and Training Administration, Division of Acquisition and 
Assistance, Attention: Patricia Glover, Reference: SGA/DAA 98-005, 200 
Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room S-4203, Washington, D.C. 20210.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions should be faxed to Ms. 
Patricia A. Glover, Grants Management Specialist, Division of 
Acquisition and Assistance, Fax (202)219-8739. This is not a toll-free 
number. All inquiries should include the SGA number (DAA 98-005) and a 
contact name and phone number. This solicitation will also be published 
on the Internet, and the Employment Administration's Home Page at 
http://www.doleta.gov. Award notifications will also be published on 
this Home Page.

Employer Technical Support Coordination Solicitation

I. Purpose

    To invite proposals to coordinate an array of national efforts to 
engage employers in STW and to provide technical support to STW 
partners that will increase and maximize employer participation in 
these partnerships.

II. Background

    The School-to-Work Opportunities Act was signed into law by the 
President on May 4, 1994. Jointly administered by the Departments of 
Labor and Education, this Act is a new approach to education that seeks 
to better prepare all American Youth for careers in high skill, high 
wage jobs and to strengthen the linkages between what is learned in 
school with work. Under the Act, venture capital grants are provided to 
States and local communities to undertake systemic reform. Grants are 
for a limited duration with the Federal investment declining over time. 
These investments are intended to support the one-time costs of States 
and local communities to restructure learning experiences for all 
students. The Act also provides a set-aside of funds for national 
activities to support School-to-Work system building nationwide. These 
funds are used for technical assistance and capacity building, for 
outreach, and for research and evaluation. Section 403 of the Act, 
relating to training and technical assistance, specifically directs the 
Secretaries to ``work in cooperation with * * * employers and their 
associations * * * to increase their capacity to develop and implement 
effective School-to-Work programs.''

III. Statement of Work

Employer Participation in STW
    Changes in the economy, technology and global competition are 
driving forces behind efforts to improve the academic performance and 
career preparedness of today's youth. Among its purposes, the National 
School-to-Work Act was enacted to: ``utilize workplaces as active 
learning environments in the educational process by making employers 
joint partners with educators in providing opportunities for all 
students to participate in high quality, work-based learning 
experiences.'' Work based learning is one of the three key components 
within a STW system (school-based learning and connecting activities 
are the other two). At the early stages of STW implementation, one of 
the key considerations was to build employer

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participation in STW at such a scale and depth as to provide the vast 
number of work-based learning opportunities necessary for all of the 
nation's students to experience meaningful connections between the 
classroom and the workplace. Thus, an unprecedented scale of employer 
commitment and involvement in education is critical for the 
implementation and sustainability of STW systems. Employers participate 
in STW systems through a number of different activities involving 
students, teachers and with State and local governing bodies. The 
Employer Participation Model, published by the National Employer 
Leadership Council (NELC), outlines more than 50 different 
opportunities for employer involvement in STW. State and local 
communities are actively working to engage employers in becoming 
partners and active participants within their STW systems.
Status of Employer Investments
    To date, the two Departments through the National School-to-Work 
Office have made a number of investments to support employer knowledge 
and participation in aspects of emerging STW systems. A major 
investment included support for the establishment and development of 
the National Employer Leadership Council (NELC), the purpose of which 
has been to enlist the leadership of highly visible CEOs of major 
companies in order to promote STW at the highest levels of corporate 
business. Another significant investment included one through an 
existing ETA grant to the National Alliance of Business (NAB). The 
purpose of this project was to promote participation in STW through 
ETA's workforce development infrastructure featuring a partnership 
comprised of NAB, NELC, the Association of Private Industry Councils, 
and the National Employer Council. The National STW Office also 
invested in specific outreach activities and publications targeted to 
business entities and employers. Recently, the National STW Office 
released a solicitation in which up to 5 awards will be made to 
national industry and trade associations. The successful applicants 
will be expected, through their membership infrastructures, to capture 
for STW participation a critical mass of employers in growth industries 
and/or those with high potential for providing jobs with career 
pathways for new job entrants.
    Additional investments have been made in research and evaluation to 
collect data on employer participation. These studies support the 
notion that the investments made to date are having a modest impact, 
but there is still a long way to go before employer participation can 
be considered at a scale sufficient to sustain STW systems. One recent 
study conducted by Mathematica Policy Research revealed that employers 
are playing an active role in local partnerships, participating widely 
in governing in and more than a quarter of the cases are actually 
chairing these bodies. They are offering varied forms of work-base 
learning opportunities, hosting teacher internships and contributing to 
curriculum development. However, according to the Mathematica report, 
partnerships still face significant challenges as they try to recruit 
the numbers of employers needed. The report concludes that ``Employer 
recruiting will have to expand participation manyfold beyond the 1996 
levels if the goals states are setting for workplace activity are to be 
realized.'' Other research shows, however, that employers are ready and 
eager to participate in STW and that their numbers are expanding. The 
National Employer Leadership Survey conducted by the Center on 
Educational Quality of the Workforce illustrated a clear desire by 
employers to participate in and provide appropriate leadership to STW. 
Significantly, another study conducted through the NELC shows that 
there is economic incentive to do so. Preliminary data from its Return 
on Investment Study shows a quantitative value of STW participation 
ranging from $.44 to over $5 for every dollar invested. In addition, 
companies are likely to experience non-monetary returns on investment 
such as increased employee morale when they participate in STW.
    There are other encouraging indications that employer participation 
is beginning to accelerate. Part II of the National Employer Survey 
released in November 1997 revealed that over one in four employers with 
20 or more employees are involved in STW. However, the survey also 
shows that mentoring and job shadowing are the predominant modes of 
participation and that larger companies participate in greater numbers 
than small companies. Thus, to further take STW to scale and build 
employer capacity there need to be efforts to (1.) continue to broaden 
the number of employers; (2.) expand the nature of employer 
participation to include more in-depth participation through such 
activities as internships; and (3.) increase the number of small and 
medium sized businesses participating in STW. Although investments to 
date have built awareness of STW in the business community and an 
encouraging level of employer involvement, we now need to build greater 
depth and capacity in employer participation. STW initiatives need to 
engage companies of all sizes and all industries in order to build 
capacity beyond basic awareness and peripheral participation.
Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA)
    GPRA requires that each government entity develop goals and 
objectives against which performance can be measured. Building strong 
employer participation in STW is chief among the objectives the 
Departments have established for the National School-to-Work Office. 
The Departments have identified two indicators of achievement for this 
objective: 1. by fall 2000, 600,000 employers will engage in at least 
one recognized STW activity; and 2. by fall 2000, 40% of all employers 
participating in STW systems will offer work-based learning 
opportunities. As of December 1995, the most recent data available, 
150,000 employers nationally were engaged in at least one STW activity. 
When the next Progress Measures report is issued this number is likely 
to be significantly higher. However, it is apparent that strategic 
approaches for recruitment of employers remains an urgent necessity. 
There is a need to develop prototype products and to work with key 
organizations to raise critical awareness of STW among employers. In 
addition, the Departments recognize the importance of supporting the 
development, testing, dissemination and implementation of various 
approaches to employer participation in order to meet the GPRA 
objectives. This solicitation represents a major component of the 
Departments' strategy to achieve its objective of building employer 
participation in STW.
Required Areas of Effort
    Reaching a critical mass of employers participating in STW will 
require concentrated and strategic effort. This effort will require: 
that both private and public sector employers increase their knowledge 
of the breadth of STW participation options; that employer 
participation is easily facilitated; that other stakeholders are ready 
and knowledgeable enough to partner with employers; that employers are 
able to influence other institutions for their own benefit; that 
employers help infuse STW into other workforce development and 
community systems; that there is research--both hard evidence and 
anecdotal examples--to demonstrate the conditions under which there is 
a return on investment when they participate;

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and that investments in employer participation grow and leverage other 
resources. Based on lessons learned from previous investments in 
awareness building and research, the Departments believe it necessary 
to approach building the levels of employer participation by requiring 
the successful applicant for this solicitation to demonstrate concerted 
effort in the following four areas of concentrated activity.
    1. Building employer knowledge base about STW and cultivating 
corporate leadership. This area required effort includes but is not 
limited to those activities that (1) address perceived barriers to 
employer participation in STW; (2) provide more information to 
employers; (3) organize employer events (such as employer conferences) 
regarding STW; (4) highlight effective and best practices; (5) publicly 
recognize commendable examples of employer participation in STW; (6) 
disseminate research findings pertinent to employer participation in 
STW; and (7) generally provide outreach to the employer community and 
promote participation in STW. The Departments are particularly 
interested in activities that instruct and sustain employers in leading 
efforts to promote and implement STW systems' leadership at the 
national, state, and local levels.
    The Departments have determined that these activities proceed most 
effectively when they are guided by business leaders who have 
demonstrated their commitment to STW and their willingness to promote 
the program within the larger business community. As discussed above, 
several employer groups, such as the NELC, NAB, NAPIC, and NEC, have 
substantially increased the visibility of STW in the business 
community. Accordingly, the Departments expect the successful applicant 
to: (1) operate an active national advisory council of business 
leaders, including representatives from employer groups such as those 
listed above; (2) describe, with specificity, the roles and activities 
of the advisory council; and (3) identify the business leaders who have 
committed themselves to serve on the council.
    2. Organizing and participating in strategic alliances with 
national business groups and organizations. This area of required 
effort involves activities designed to maximize the coordination of 
STW-related initiatives. The Departments recognize that national 
organizations which represent and serve a wide variety of businesses 
and business interests have been demonstrating increasing interest in 
STW. Some of these groups have established STW initiatives of varying 
scope and intensity. As a result, there are several simultaneous 
national efforts to inform about STW and to engage them in STW 
initiatives. The Departments believe that where possible, coordinated 
alliances between these groups would strengthen the overall impact of 
these efforts. Accordingly, the Departments are interested in 
activities that would strategically convene divergent business efforts 
to increase knowledge of, and participation in STW, that includes 
serving when necessary as the collective voice of business in the 
ongoing dialogue around STW issues.
    3. Providing technical assistance to State STW systems in 
cultivating employer participation. States need various degrees of 
assistance in recruiting employers to actively participate in STW. 
Also, previous experience indicates that employer involvement becomes 
tenuous when employers are in a ready posture to participate, but STW 
systems are not fully ready to engage employers. The Departments are 
therefore interested in direct technical assistance to selected State 
STW systems that will help these systems expand and intensify employer 
participation. Examples of such technical assistance include helping 
states develop strategic plans for developing employer leadership, 
assisting states develop products and tools for working with employers 
as well as for organizations working with employers, and dissemination 
of products and materials for engaging employer leadership in State 
systems.
    4. Providing support and coordination to national industry specific 
STW initiatives. The Departments are in the process of awarding up to 5 
new awards (Reference # : SGA/DAA 98-003) to provide support to 
industry groups and trade associations to undertake outreach, technical 
assistance, and other activities to engage and build capacity of 
employers in their industry to participate in STW systems. The 
Departments believe that, through industry-specific initiatives, 
industry groups representing high growth industries and/or those that 
have a high potential for providing jobs with career pathways for new 
job entrants can build a strong base of employer participation in STW. 
Accordingly, it is expected that the successful applicant for this 
solicitation will convene the successful offerors from SGA/DAA 98-003 
on a quarterly basis and coordinate their efforts to share activities 
and results across industries. This requirement is to insure that the 
National STW Office's investments in employer engagement are closely 
allied and are strategically consistent.

IV. Eligible Applicants

    National business organizations or associations, or a national 
consortium of business organizations experienced in business 
partnership management and School-to-Work. Potential applicants, 
however, should note the Departments' priority in seeking an 
organization with a thorough knowledge of School-to-Work, familiarity 
with The Employer Participation Model, demonstrated competence in 
promoting and supporting education/business partnerships, and a strong 
knowledge base concerning the needs, circumstances and conditions of 
businesses that participate in School-to-Work. In preparing the 
proposal, please use the following headings and respond to the 
information in each of the following categories.

    1. Project Description. Summarize the scope of the project, 
outline how its activities will relate to the four broad areas of 
activity described in the previous section, provide succinct and 
measurable project objectives, and show how the objectives will help 
the Departments meet the STW goals and objectives established 
pursuant to GPRA.
    2. Operational Plan. Provide a detailed work plan that includes 
a description of the proposed activities matched to the objectives 
presented in the Project Description, with accompanying time lines, 
and the targeted audiences for each of these activities. Provide an 
organizational structure and clear management plan detailing the 
staff and organizational resources to be devoted to the project. The 
offeror should demonstrate how the proposed work will contribute to 
bringing STW to scale and how it will lead to sustainability. 
Indicators demonstrating whether the work plan is likely to help 
bring STW to scale include:
     Showing the impact usefulness at the national, state, 
and local levels and demonstrating a strong ``outreach'' effort to 
enhance this impact;
     Articulating how the planned activities will build 
linkages between business and other STW stakeholders;
     Connecting to, and collaborating with, other 
organizations and initiatives designed to promote employer 
participation in STW;
     Identifying, developing, and disseminating materials 
for professional development in the area of effective employer 
engagement in STW; and
     Building linkages with industry groups and 
organizations which, through their membership, are in a position to 
promote broader employer participation in STW, in particular, those 
industry/trade consortiums funded by the National School-to-Work 
Office. Indicators demonstrating whether the plan demonstrates 
sustainability after the federal investment has ended include:
     Identifying both federal and non-federal funding 
sources a that amplify the federal investment and outlast it;

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     Describing in business terms how the plan addresses 
business problems or needs;
     Inviting other entities with similar experiences and 
interests to identify related products, resources, findings and 
interests in order to take advantage of activities in the larger 
arena of STW implementation; and
     Building upon existing, or creating new coalitions that 
maximize business involvement and participation in STW.
    3. Connecting to related initiatives and entities. The offeror 
should demonstrate how its proposed plan of activities will build 
upon existing or create new coalitions that maximize business 
involvement and participation in STW; and/or connect with other 
entities with similar experiences and interests to identify related 
products, resources, funding and interests in order to take 
advantage of activities in the larger arena of STW implementation, 
and/or involve the public and private sectors in ways that 
capitalize on, and connect to, existing infrastructures and overall 
workforce development systems.
    4. Results. The offeror should provide specific and quantifiable 
outcomes that are anticipated from the proposed plan of activities 
and that are measured with STW GPRA performance indicators. The 
proposed outcomes should be sufficiently rigorous to allow the 
Departments to meet its performance objectives and indicators 
established pursuant to GPRA. In identifying outcomes, the offeror 
should also explain how it will collect data, document results and 
use these results to inform its ongoing workplan.
    5. Capability. The offeror should demonstrate the capability of 
the organization and the key staff assigned to undertake the work 
plan, including examples of prior related efforts that demonstrate 
success in providing outreach and capacity building efforts to 
employers and employer organizations.

V. Funding Availability and Period of Performance

    The Departments expect to make one award under this competition. 
The award will be for $750,000. The period of performance will be for 
12 months from the date the grant is awarded. The Departments may, at 
their option, provide additional funds for another 24 months, depending 
on fund availability and performance of the awardee.

VI. Application Submittal

    Applicants must submit four (4) copies of their proposal, with 
original signatures. The applications shall be divided into two 
distinct parts: Part I--which contains Standard Form (SF) 424, 
``Application for Federal Assistance,'' (Appendix A) and ``Budget 
Information Sheet,'' (Appendix B) . All copies of the SF 424 MUST have 
original signatures of the designated fiscal agent. Applicants shall 
indicate on the SF-424 the organization's IRS status, if applicable. 
According to the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, Section 18, an 
organization described in Section 501(C) 4 of the Interal Revenue Code 
of 1986 which engages in lobbying activities shall not be eligible for 
the receipt of federal funds constituting an award, grant, or loan. The 
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number is 17.249. In addition, 
the budget shall include--on a separate page(s)--a detailed cost break-
out of each line item on the Budget Information Sheet. Part II shall 
contain the program narrative that demonstrates the applicant's plan 
and capabilities in accordance with the evaluation criteria contained 
in this notice. Applicants must describe their plan in light of each of 
the Evaluation Criteria. No cost data or reference to price shall be 
included in this part of the application. Applicants MUST limit the 
program narative section to no more than 30 double-spaced pages, on one 
side only. This includes any attachments. Applications that fail to 
meet the page limitation requirement will not be considered.

VII. Late Applications

    Any application received after the exact date and time specified 
for receipt at the office designated in this notice will not be 
considered, unless it is received before awards are made and it--(a) 
Was sent by registed or certified mail not later than the fifth 
calendar day before the date specified for receipt of applications 
(e.g., and application submitted in response to a solicitation 
requiring receipt of applications by the 20th of the month must have 
been mailed/post marked by the 15th of that month); or (b) Was sent by 
the U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Next Day Service to addresses not 
later than 5:00 P.M. at the place of mailing two working days prior to 
the date specified for receipt of applications. The term ``working 
days'' excludes weekends and federal holidays. The term ``post marked'' 
means a printed, stamped or otherwised placed impression (exclusive of 
a postage meter machine impression) that is readily identifiable, 
without further action, as having been supplied or affixed on the date 
of mailing by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service.

VIII. Hand Delivered Proposals

    It is preferred that applications be mailed at least five days 
prior to the closing date. To be considered for funding, Hand-delivered 
applications must be received by 4:00 p.m., (Eastern Time), on the 
closing date.

Telegraphed and/Faxed Applications Will Not Be Honored

    Failure to adhere to the above instructions will be a basis for a 
determination of nonresponsiveness. Overnight express mail from 
carriers other than the U.S. Postal Service will be considered hand-
delivered applications and Must Be Received by the above specified date 
and time.

IX. Review Process

    A careful evaluation of applications will be made by a technical 
review panel who will evaluate the applications against the criteria 
listed below. The panel results are advisory in nature and not binding 
on the Grant Officer. The government may elect to award the grants with 
or without discussions with the offeror. In situations without 
discussions, an award will be based on the offeror's signature on the 
SF-424, which constitutes a binding offer. Awards will be those in the 
best interest of the Government.

X. Evaluation Criteria

    1. The extent to which the offeror outlines a clear and detailed 
plan of operation. (40 points)
     Is the plan specific as to the activities proposed and how 
these activities will result in broad employer participation?
     Are the outcomes proposed specific and realistic?
     Is the plan specific as to staff assignments and level of 
effort?
     Do the activities directly relate to the four areas of 
required effort?
     Does the application demonstrate how the proposed work 
will contribute to expanding the scope and breadth of employer 
participation in STW?
     How will the proposed activities lead to sustainability of 
the federal investment to engage employers in STW systems?
     How will the proposed outcomes help the Departments to 
meet its performance objectives and indicators established pursuant to 
the GPRA?
    2. The extent to which the applicant demonstrates the capability 
and capacity to meet the requirements of this solicitation. (30 points)
     Does the organization have clear links to the employer and 
business communities?
     Does the applicant identify specific corporate entities 
and leaders (e.g., individuals associated with particular business 
groups) who have committed to actively participate on a national 
advisory council; and does the organization clearly delineate the roles 
and activities of this advisory body?

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     Has the applicant demonstrated the ability to recruit 
business leaders, who represent a mix of industry types, sizes and 
geographic locations, for its proposed STW activities?
     Are the personnel assigned to the effort well qualified to 
carry out the activities represented in the operational plan?
     Are the organization and assigned staff well positioned to 
provide the range of technical assistance to employers, employer 
partners and STW systems as required?
     Does the organization demonstrate the capacity to perform 
the range of required activities on a national scale?
    3. The extent to which applicant demonstrates the willingness and 
ability to engage and convene other related national initiatives that 
seek to inform and develop employer participation in STW. (20 points)
     Does the applicant propose specific activities that are 
likely to result in strategic alliances with other business groups?
     Does that applicant show relevant past experience in 
collaborating with national business groups?
     Does this experience span a range of industry sizes and 
types?
    4. The overall utility of the applicant's plan to evaluate its 
activities and use its results to inform its ongoing plan. (10 points)
     Is the plan for evaluation clearly tied to clear 
objectives and specific outcomes?
     Is there a clear mechanism for adjusting the workplan 
based on results?
     Are there clear descriptions of the type of data to be 
collected and a clear data collection plan?
    The grants will be awarded based on applicant response to the above 
mentioned criteria and that which is otherwise most advantageous to the 
Departments.

XI. Reporting Requirements

    The Departments are interested in insuring that the grantee work 
closely with the industry and trade associations that are successful 
applicants for the previously referenced competition (Reference # DGA/
DDA 98-003). The Departments expect the successful offeror will convene 
these associations' STW project staff on a quarterly basis. The grantee 
will also be asked to submit periodic reports in a format to be 
determined and on a semi-annual basis.

    Signed at Washington, D.C., this 11th day of May 1998.
Janice E. Perry,
Grant Officer.

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[FR Doc. 98-13156 Filed 5-15-98; 8:45 am]
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