Labor Department Offers Technical Skills Training Grants Program Assistance

Business-led partnerships looking to train workers in high-skill, high-tech occupations may get a boost from a series of instructional conferences to be held later this month and in August. The U.S. Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) will hold three conferences in 2003 to assist prospective applicants for its H-1B Technical Skills Training Grants competition, under which approximately $50 million is available for new awards.

Among other purposes, the conferences will serve to instruct prospective applicants on the goals and principles of the training grants program, with an overview of the Department of Labor’s policies and emphases. Participants also can expect to gain an understanding of the required elements of a grant package, the grants review process, and the experiences of successful H-1B grantees.

Eligible applicants for the grants will be business-led partnerships consisting of at least two businesses or a business-related nonprofit organization representing more than one business. The partnership also may include any educational, labor, faith-based or community organization, or workforce investment board.

The conferences are scheduled as follows:

* July 23 at the Hilton Chicago;

* July 29 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.; and,

* August 13 at the Pan Pacific Hotel in San Francisco.

Grants are awarded competitively for up to a maximum of $3 million over a three-year period. Employers and trade associations must commit themselves to substantial involvement in planning, designing and delivering the training for American workers to fill existing or expected vacancies in order to qualify for the grants. Project results should include creating job opportunities for unemployed workers, increasing salaries of incumbent workers, and the attainment of industry-recognized certification or licensing for trainees. A 100 percent cash/in-kind matching requirement applies.

Earlier competitive grants awarded by the Department of Labor have been used by businesses to increase the productivity of their current workers; retrain workers in new skills; improve employee morale and decrease turnover by advancing employee careers. The majority of training under these new grants will focus on advanced manufacturing, information technology, biotechnology, and other high-level technology skills.

Applications for H-1B Technical Skills Training Grants are due on Sept. 22, 2003. More information on the application process, as well as conference registration details, is available at http://www.doleta.gov/h-1b/.

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