Sec. 514. Graduate traineeship grant program
556 words·~3 min read·
/bill/113/s/2757/is/section-514·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall establish a grant program to incentivize the establishment, improvement, or expansion of qualifying traineeship programs for graduate students. The Director may award a grant under this section, in an amount determined by the Director, to an eligible institution for the establishment, improvement, or expansion of a qualifying traineeship program. An eligible institution may partner with 1 or more nonprofit education or research organizations, including scientific and engineering societies, for the purposes of carrying out the activities authorized under this section.
A grant to an eligible institution may be used— to provide up to 5 years of student support to trainees, including stipends, tuition and fees, education allowances, and support for ancillary needs; and to fund permissible activities. Activities supported by grants to eligible institutions under this section may include— designing curricula that combine educational content with professional skill development relevant to a diversity of career pathways; advancing a multi-disciplinary focus that applies advanced knowledge to problem solving in multiple areas; providing opportunities for graduate students to gain teamwork, oral communication, planning and project management, writing, presentation, and entrepreneurial skills; creating advisory committees of employers to provide input and expertise in designing or modifying graduate education programs; providing graduate students with resources and guidance for a variety of career pathways; and implementing an accountability and reporting system which tracks enrollment, completion rates, and job placement information for the trainees supported under the traineeship program.
An eligible institution receiving funding under this section for the establishment, improvement, or expansion of a qualifying traineeship program may be required to contribute non-Federal funds to the effort in an amount that is significant and specified by the Director. The Director may award a grant under this section to a Foundation-supported principal investigator, graduate student, or post-doctoral fellow, in an amount determined by the Director, to support professional skills development through participation in a qualifying traineeship program.
Each grant awarded under this section shall be provided on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis. In selecting an eligible institution to receive a grant under subsection (b), the Director shall consider at a minimum— the likelihood of success in undertaking the proposed effort at the eligible institution submitting the application; the evidence of long-term organizational support for the existing or proposed traineeship program; and the inclusion of plans for the assessment of the existing or proposed traineeship program and for the dissemination of best practices.
The Director shall evaluate the traineeship grant program established under this section not later than 6 years after the date the program is established. At a minimum, the Director shall evaluate the extent to which the program has achieved the objective of supporting career development among graduate students. In this section: The term eligible institution means an institution of higher education. The term qualifying traineeship program means a traineeship program designed— to provide graduate students with career experience related to the graduate students' fields of study; to increase the relevance of academic preparation to national workforce needs, including the needs of industry or Federal, State, or local government; to support education and experience in entrepreneurship and commercialization; and to provide for tuition and fees and such stipends and allowances, including travel and subsistence expenses and dependency allowances, for the trainees as the Director considers necessary.