Regional Workforce Development Grant Program Overview

Welcome! The webinar will begin promptly at 2:00 p.m. All participants will be placed on mute upon entry. You will need to connect to audio after establishing the computer portion of the webinar. If you have difficulty connecting, call Brinda Berry at 501.230.5689. This presentation refers to Appendices found in the Request for Proposals and Guidelines for Submission document that has been distributed. You may want to have it available for reference as it will not be shown in its entirety. The webinar will be recorded for future viewing. Additional instructions for submitting questions during the presentation will be provided at the beginning of the webinar.

Workforce Initiative Act of 2015 Regional Workforce Grant Program RFP and Submission Guidelines

Dr. Brett Powell GENERAL INFORMATION/OVERVIEW

Legislative Intent Creation of statewide comprehensive structure for workforce development that reduces skills gaps in the regional workforce pool Evaluation of workforce needs of state Coordination of secondary and postsecondary education, including career and technical programs (CTE) Pursuit of high demand jobs, including those that require industry recognized credentials, short-term training through bachelor level programs Create long-term relationships between employers and regional workforce alliances Facilitation of a skilled and employment-ready workforce through alignment of education and workforce needs through a competitive grant process

Core Requirements Representation from mandatory partners CTE educators or appropriate local K-12 district that awards concurrent credit Technical institute, community college or university offering CTE programs Employers representing critical needs in the identified workforce region Enhance, expand or create clearly defined CTE pathway program(s) at technical institutes, community colleges or universities that includes concurrent secondary center programs to fill a critical, demonstrable local workforce need

Core Requirements Include programs which emphasize basic skills instruction concurrently with occupational training Embrace diversity of student enrollment Provide essential support services which link to resources that assist students in progressing along the identified pathways, including advising on academic, employment, financial and personal issues Develop and implement collaborative apprenticeship or training programs that prepare workers for rapid entry into the workforce or provide recognized industry certifications

General Process Competitive RFP process Awarded to regional workforce alliances Grants awarded by ADHE based on recommendations from: Arkansas Department of Education Arkansas Department of Career Education Arkansas Department of Higher Education Arkansas Department of Workforce Services Arkansas Economic Development Commission Three Phases Phase 1-Planning grants (up to $100K) Phase 2-Implementation (up to $1M over two years) Phase 3-Continutation (up to $1M over two years)

Timeline Date Action Item May 2015 Guidelines Available August 2015 Intent Letter Due September 2015 Planning Grant Proposal Due October 2015 Notification of Planning Grant Awards June 2016 Implementation Grant Proposal Due July 2016 Notification of Implementation Grant Awards September 2016 Initiatives Begin (no later than) September 2017 Interim Report due June 2018 Continuation Grant Proposal Due July 2018 Notification of Continuation Grant Awards September 2019 Interim Report Due August 2020 Continuation Award Period End September 2020 Final Report Due

Planning Grant Proposal Specifications Regional alliance with mandatory partners Arkansas community college or university to serve as lead applicant and fiscal agent. Additional partners may include any public or private, non-profit, technical institute, two-year or four-year institutions Two or more employers representing industry sectors with a demonstrated shortage of skilled workers seeking credentialed graduates from the proposed program CTE educators or other appropriate representatives from a local K- 12 school district Based on input from Local Workforce Development Board Proposal will present a detailed plan for achieving the outlined objectives in a Phase 2 Implementation Grant proposal

Northwest Arkansas Benton, Carroll, Boone, Marion, Baxter, Washington, Madison, Newton, Searcy North Central Arkansas Fulton, Izard, Sharp, Stone, Independence, Jackson, Van Buren, Cleburne, White, Woodruff Northeast Arkansas Randolph, Clay, Lawrence, Greene, Craighead, Poinsett, Mississippi Northwest Technical Institute Northwest Arkansas Community College North Arkansas College ASU Mountain Home University of Arkansas, Fayetteville John Brown University Univ. of the Ozarks ASU Beebe ASU Newport Ozarka College UACC Batesville Lyon College Harding University Arkansas Northeastern Black River Technical College Arkansas State Univ. Crowley s Ridge Williams Baptist Western Arkansas Crawford, Franklin, Logan, Sebastian, Scott, Polk Eastern Arkansas Cross, Crittenden, St. Francis, Lee, Phillips Rich Mountain CC Arkansas Tech - Ozark Univ. Arkansas Ft. Smith East Arkansas CC Mid-South CC Phillips CC of UA West Central Arkansas Johnson, Pope, Conway, Yell, Perry, Montgomery, Garland, Hot Spring, Pike, Clark National Park CC College of the Ouachitas UACC - Morrilton Ark. Tech Univ. Henderson State Univ. Ouachita Baptist Univ. Central Arkansas and Little Rock Faulkner, Saline, Pulaski, Lonoke, Prairie, Monroe Pulaski Tech Univ. Arkansas Little Rock Univ. Central Arkansas Philander Smith Shorter College Arkansas Baptist Hendrix Coll.

Director Daryl E. Bassett WIOA BOARD INVOLVEMENT

Monieca West PLANNING GRANTS

Planning Grant Proposal Elements Elements Points Possible Program Need 30 Program Plan 25 Strength of Partnerships 25 Budget Plan 20 Total 100 Reference: Scoring Rubric on Appendix D of RFP Submission Guidelines

Program Need (Planning) Program Need (30 points) Labor needs overview Current and projected skills gaps Proposed program/equipment needs How program/equipment will address stated labor needs Exemplary 26-30 Superior 21-25 Adequate 16-20 Needs Improvement 0-15 Significantly address a top 3 workforce need in region Addresses in a more limited way a top 3 workforce need in region Addresses in a limited way a less critical workforce need in the region Identified labor need is too narrow or not in a critical area

Program Plan (Planning) Program Plan (25 points) Meets the goals and core requirements of the Regional Workforce Grants program Summary of expected outcomes Description of career pathways that will be created/enhanced Description of anticipated equipment needs Proposed governance and accountability structure for program Exemplary 22-25 Superior 18-21 Adequate 14-17 Needs Improvement 0-13 All goals and core requirements and identifies significant outcomes Most goals and requirements and identifies outcomes Many goals and requirements and identifies few outcomes Lacks significant requirements or lacks apparent outcomes

Strength of Partnerships (Planning) Strength of Partnership (25 points) How the program plan incorporates each mandatory partners Other regional partners who can contribute significantly in unique and meaningful role Anticipated role for each member for the alliance Commitment letter from each partner Commitment letter from Local Workforce Development Board Exemplary 22-25 Superior 18-21 Adequate 14-17 Needs Improvement 0-13 Includes broad representation and each partner has defined role with identified critical contributions Includes broad representation but partner roles are not clearly defined Plan lacks one or two important partners or not all partners are critical to success of the plan Partner participation is too narrow or some partners do not contribute meaningfully

Budget Plan (Planning) Budget Plan (20 points) Detailed financial plan with cost estimates for all proposed planning activities Completed budget template Efficiency in planning grant expenditures is expected Exemplary 18-20 Superior 15-17 Adequate 11-14 Needs Improvement 0-10 All requested resources are essential and clearly support goals of plan Most requested resources are important and clearly support goals of plan Plan includes some questionable resource requests Budget includes requests deemed unnecessary

Application Procedures (Planning) Intent to Submit Submission Application Cover Sheet Proposal Narrative Budget Template Review and Approval Scored by state workforce development partners using Scoring Rubric for each application ADHE will average individual scores and rank from most to least favorable Funding not guaranteed for any submitted proposal ADHE will issue notice of approval and permission to proceed ADHE disbursement of funds

Intent to Submit Proposal (Planning) Reference: Appendix A of RFP Guidelines Required information includes: Workforce Initiative Alliance Lead Institution Workforce Initiative Alliance Partners Contact information for Lead Institution Project title (if one has been chosen)

Cover Sheet (Planning) Reference: Appendix B of RFP Guidelines Required information includes: Requesting Institution Title of Project Project Partners Requested Budget (not to exceed $100,000) Date Submitted Applicant Contact Authorized Signatures of all Project Partners

Budget Template (Planning) Reference: Appendix C of RFP Guidelines Required financial information includes: Budget Item Amount A. PARTNER PARTICIPANT SUPPORT COSTS 1. Personnel/Stipends 2. Travel 3. Other Total Partner Participant Support Costs B. OTHER DIRECT COSTS 1. Materials and Supplies 2. Publication Costs/Documentation/Dissemination 3. Consultant Services 4. Other Total Other Direct Costs C. TOTAL DIRECT COSTS (A & B) TOTAL REQUESTED PLANNING GRANT BUDGET

Tara Smith PLANNING GRANT QUESTIONS

Monieca West IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS

Proposal Specifications Implementation Successful planning grants are expected to culminate in Implementation Grant proposals. Applicants must demonstrate the viability of a regional alliance with the same makeup as required in the Planning Grant application. Implementation Grants must also be based on input from a Local Workforce Development Board and address the following proposal requirements: Elements Points Possible Program Need 20 Program Plan 25 Strength of Partnerships 20 Budget Plan 15 Sustainability 20 Total Reference: Scoring Rubric on Appendix G of RFP Submission Guidelines 100

Implementation Grant Notes Process and procedure is generally same as for Planning Grants. Differences include: Sustainability Local Match ($10% of total request; maximum of $50,000) Date Action Item June 1, 2016 Implementation Grant Proposal Due July 1, 2016 Notification of Award Implementation Grant Awards September 1, 2016 Initiatives Begin (no later than) August 1, 2016 25% of Grant Disbursed January 1, 2017 25% of Grant Disbursed September 2017 Interim Report due August 1, 2017 25% of Grant Disbursed January 1, 2018 25% of Grant Disbursed August 2020 Continuation Award Period End September 2020 Final Report due

Budget Template (Implementation) Appendix F of RFP Guidelines Budget Item Amount A. PROGRAM LEADERSHIP SUPPORT COSTS 1. Personnel 2. Travel 3. Other Total Program Leadership Support Costs B. OTHER DIRECT COSTS 1. Equipment 2. Materials and Supplies 3. Publication Costs/Documentation/Dissemination 4. Consultant Services 5. Other Total Other Direct Costs C. TOTAL DIRECT COSTS (A & B) D. COST SHARING (Minimum 10% of C; up to $50,000) TOTAL REQUESTED IMPLEMENTATION GRANT BUDGET

Questions & Summary Questions Summary Next Steps For follow-up information: Tara Smith, ADHE 501.371.2026 tara.smith@adhe.edu Submission and submission related questions: ADHE.Workforce.Grant@adhe.edu