[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 51 (Friday, March 15, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11680-11681]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-6214]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.234Q]


Projects With Industry; Notice Inviting Applications for New 
Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2002

    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 placements and 
career advancement services.
    Eligible Applicants: Employers, nonprofit agencies or 
organizations, designated State units, labor unions, community 
rehabilitation program providers, trade associations, Indian tribes, 
tribal organizations, and other agencies or organizations with the 
capacity to create and expand job and career opportunities for 
individuals with disabilities.
    In order to ensure an equitable distribution of funds among the 
States as required by statute, grant awards will be made only to 
organizations that provide job and career opportunities for individuals 
with disabilities within the State in which the organization is 
located. Only organizations that have the ability to directly receive 
the grant and directly carry out the project are eligible to apply.
    Only applicants that propose to serve individuals with disabilities 
in States, portions of States, Indian tribes, or tribal organizations 
that are currently unserved or underserved by the PWI program may 
apply.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Funds under this competition will be used to 
support projects in FY 2002. The Assistant Secretary may consider 
funding approved applications submitted in FY 2002 to support projects 
in future years.
    The Business Leadership Network (BLN), staffed by the U.S. 
Department of Labor, works to promote best practices in rehabilitation 
and to enhance opportunities for workers who are disabled. The BLN 
currently has programs in 30 States, the District of Columbia, and 
Puerto Rico. These programs operate independently of each other and 
focus on meeting the specific needs of the business community and State 
Government. Through BLNs, participating employers, in partnership with 
State Governor's Committee representatives and other community services 
professionals, identify specific hiring requirements of employers so 
that referral and placement services can be customized to meet those 
employers' needs. Applicants applying under the PWI program are 
encouraged to collaborate with their local BLN, if one has been 
established in the State, in order to expand services and employment 
opportunities to project participants. We believe that strong working 
relationships with local BLNs will expand the employer network 
available to projects and, as a result, increase employment 
opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
    Applications Available: March 15, 2002.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 31, 2002.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 30, 2002.
    Estimated Available Funds: $17,478,135.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $175,000-$250,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $221,200.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 79.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 85, 86, 97, and 99; and (b) The regulations for this program in 
34 CFR part 379.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants 
except federally recognized Indian tribes.


    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of 
higher education only.

    Priorities: We are particularly interested in applications that 
meet one or more of the following invitational priorities.

Invitational Priority 1

    Projects should demonstrate effective collaboration with the ``One-
Stop''

[[Page 11681]]

service delivery system established under title I of the Workforce 
Investment Act of 1998, as amended (WIA), to assist individuals with 
disabilities to secure job skills training and employment opportunities 
in the competitive labor market. Proposed PWI service delivery models 
should promote the delivery of services to individuals with 
disabilities through local ``One-Stop'' centers. Proposed PWI service 
delivery models should investigate replicable innovative approaches to 
effective collaboration with the ``One-Stop'' service delivery system 
in placing individuals with disabilities into competitive employment. 
Applicants who wish to address this invitational priority may get 
further information about the ``One-Stop'' service delivery system by 
calling the Department of Labor (DOL) at (202) 693-2700 or visiting the 
DOL web site at: www.dol.gov/dol/allcfr/Title_20/Part_662/toc.htm

Invitational Priority 2

    Projects should demonstrate the use of alternative work settings, 
such as flexiplace or telecommuting, to assist individuals with 
disabilities, especially individuals with significant disabilities, to 
secure job skills training and employment opportunities in the 
competitive labor market. Projects should investigate replicable 
innovative approaches in the use of alternative work settings. Projects 
also should demonstrate how these alternatives may increase the number 
of individuals with disabilities placed into competitive employment.

Invitational Priority 3

    Projects should facilitate the school-to-work transition of 
students with disabilities. Projects should focus on placing youth with 
disabilities in employment with clearly defined career-path or career-
advancement opportunities, or both. Projects also should investigate 
replicable innovative approaches that can be used to assist students in 
transition from school-to-work in obtaining competitive employment.

Invitational Priority 4

    Projects should demonstrate how literacy services can assist PWI 
consumers with low literacy levels to obtain higher earnings in 
competitive employment. Proposed PWI service delivery models should 
investigate replicable innovative approaches that can be used to assist 
individuals to obtain higher quality jobs (e.g., jobs with higher wages 
and health insurance benefits). Projects should focus on enhancing 
collaboration between local Adult Education and Family Literacy (AEFL) 
programs, the primary resource for providing adult basic education 
(ABE) services, and Vocational Rehabilitation programs. This 
collaboration should include the provision of training, experience, or 
appropriate reasonable accommodations to AEFL or ABE programs to assist 
them in serving individuals with disabilities, particularly individuals 
with significant disabilities, and working cooperatively to share in 
the cost of training and placement.
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an application that meets 
one or more of the invitational priorities a competitive or absolute 
preference over other applications.

Competitive Preference Priority

    We give preference to applications that meet the competitive 
preference priority in the notice of final competitive preference for 
this program, published in the Federal Register on November 22, 2000 
(65 FR 70408). Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award up to an 
additional 10 points to an application that is otherwise eligible for 
funding under this program. The maximum score under the selection 
criteria for this program is 100 points; however, we will also use the 
following competitive preference so that up to an additional 10 points 
may be earned by an applicant for a total possible score of 110 points.
    Up to 10 points may be earned based on the extent to which an 
application includes effective strategies for employing and advancing 
in employment qualified individuals with disabilities as project 
employees in projects awarded under this program. In determining the 
effectiveness of those strategies, we will consider the applicant's 
prior success, as described in the application, in employing and 
advancing in employment qualified individuals with disabilities.
    For Applications Contact: Education Publications Center (ED Pubs), 
P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-
7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a telecommunications device for 
the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free): 1-877-576-7734.
    You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html.
    Or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: 
[email protected].
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
this competition as follows: CFDA No. 84.234Q.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format by contacting the Grants and Contracts 
Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
room 3317, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: 
(202) 205-8207. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf 
(TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-
800-877-8339. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an 
alternative format the standard forms included in the application 
package.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kerrie Brown, Mary Jane Kane, Sonja 
Turner, or Lois Vaughan, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland 
Avenue, SW., room 3329, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202. 
Telephone: (202) 401-9707 for Kerrie Brown; (202) 205-8484 for Mary 
Jane Kane; (202) 205-9396 for Sonja Turner; and (202) 205-8749 for Lois 
Vaughan. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you 
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-
8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this notice in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the contact persons listed in the preceding 
paragraph.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site: 
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. 
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in 
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.


    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 795 et seq.

    Dated: March 11, 2002.
Loretta L. Petty,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services.
[FR Doc. 02-6214 Filed 3-14-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P