The SAEEI Funding Opportunity Announcement FOA will provide up to $87.5 million in grant awards to support the expansion and diversification of Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs), as described in 29 C.F.R. 29. Grant funds will be awarded to Governor-led, state initiatives that are expanding, diversifying and transforming registered apprenticeship. Funding will provide states with the flexibility to meet specific industry needs and demands. Collectively, these efforts will aim to achieve the following goals:
1) System expansion to support the development, modernization, and diversification of RAPs;
2) Equity in apprenticeship by increasing the number of apprentices enrolled in RAPs, including underrepresented populations; and
3) Partnership and alignment to support workforce system integration;
4) Innovation in program development and recruitment strategies.
Allowable activities under this grant include activities related to establishing or expanding existing RAPs for adults and/or youth, pre-apprenticeship leading to a RAP, and wrap-around/supportive services that enable participants to succeed in a RAP or pre-apprenticeship programs that directly lead to grant-funded RAPs.
Eligible participants are persons 16 years of age and older who are not enrolled in a RAP at the time of initial grant service. The Department is particularly interested in applications seeking to increase the diversity of RAP populations by actively recruiting youth, women, people of color, ex-offenders, and persons with disabilities, as well as the protected groups identified in 29 CFR Part 30. The Department also remains committed to prioritizing veterans. Further, the Department is interested in targeting the populations and industries most affected or displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic.