Successful workforce development programs depend on
continuous improvement and innovation. To ensure these programs are efficient
and effective, the U.S. Department of Labor created the Workforce
Innovation Fund. The fund provides the support needed to enhance
federally funded employment and training programs and study these programs to
identify and share best practices in workforce development.
To continue this work, the department is announcing the
availability of $34 million for the third round of grants for the Workforce
Innovation Fund today. Funding awards will support approximately 6-8 grants,
ranging from $3 million to $6 million.
"Workforce Innovation Fund grants are all about
finding new and creative ways to expand opportunity and make the workforce
system more customer-focused," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E.
Perez. "States and local areas continue to be laboratories for innovation,
and these grants aim to help them develop sustainable, effective strategies
that we can scale across the country."
This is the first round of WIF funding since the passage
of the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, which emphasizes the
coordination and alignment of resources across the federal government and with
state and local partners. Funds in the round will help the WIF build on the
act's principles of a fully integrated, job-driven workforce system. Grants
funded in this round will pursue one or more of the following strategies:
Enhance strategic collaboration and coordination of workforce
development programs to align services with employer needs and local economic
development activities and be more effective;
Strengthen the quality of services to individuals and
employers at American Job Centers; and
Promote accountability, data-driven decision-making and
customer choice.
All WIF grantees are required to procure an independent
evaluator to evaluate the project rigorously. These evaluations are likely to
yield significant new evidence and best practices to stimulate innovation throughout
the broader workforce system.
Grant applications are due by July 23, 2015. Information on applying for this grant is now
available.
Interested applicants are encouraged to visit http://www.doleta.gov/workforce_innovation
to learn more about the Workforce Innovation Fund, and to find tools and
resources to support application development. A tutorial for on applying for grants is also
available online.
ETA News Release: [06/10/2015]
Source: Department of
Labor
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