Sec. 202. Grants for access to high-demand careers
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The Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) is amended by inserting after title I the following: The purpose of this section is to expand student access to, and participation in, new industry-led earn-and-learn programs leading to high-wage, high-skill, and high-demand careers. From the amounts authorized under subsection (j), the Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible partnerships for the purpose described in subsection (a). The Secretary shall award grants under this section for a period of— not less than 1 year; and not more than 4 years.
A grant awarded under this section may not be in an amount greater than $1,500,000. An eligible partnership or member of such partnership may not be awarded more than one grant under this section. An eligible partnership awarded a grant under this section may not use more than 5 percent of the grant funds to pay administrative costs associated with activities funded by the grant. To receive a grant under this section, an eligible partnership shall, through cash or in-kind contributions, provide matching funds from non-Federal sources in an amount equal to or greater than 50 percent of the amount of such grant.
To receive a grant under this section, an eligible partnership shall submit to the Secretary at such a time as the Secretary may require, an application that— identifies and designates the business or institution of higher education responsible for the administration and supervision of the earn-and-learn program for which such grant funds would be used; identifies the businesses and institutions of higher education that comprise the eligible partnership; identifies the source and amount of the matching funds required under subsection (c); identifies the number of students who will participate and complete the relevant earn-and-learn program within 1 year of the expiration of the grant; identifies the amount of time, not to exceed 2 years, required for students to complete the program; identifies the relevant recognized postsecondary credential to be awarded to students who complete the program; identifies the anticipated earnings of students— 1 year after program completion; and 3 years after program completion; describes the specific project for which the application is submitted, including a summary of the relevant classroom and paid structured on-the-job training students will receive; describes how the eligible partnership will finance the program after the end of the grant period; describes how the eligible partnership will support the collection of information and data for purposes of the program evaluation required under subsection (h); and describes the alignment of the program with State identified in-demand industry sectors.
Applications submitted under paragraph
(1)shall be read by a panel of readers composed of individuals selected by the Secretary. The Secretary shall assure that an individual assigned under this paragraph does not have a conflict of interest with respect to the applications reviewed by such individual. The panel of reviewers selected by the Secretary under subparagraph
(A)shall be comprised as follows: A majority of the panel shall be individuals who are representative of businesses, which may include owners, executives with optimum hiring authority, or individuals representing business organizations or business trade associations. The remainder of the panel shall be equally divided between individuals who are— representatives of institutions of higher education that offer programs of two years or less; and representatives of State workforce development boards established under section 101 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act ( 29 U.S.C. 3111 ). The Secretary shall instruct the review panel selected by the Secretary under paragraph (2)(A) to evaluate applications using only the criteria specified in paragraph
(1)and make recommendations with respect to— the quality of the applications; whether a grant should be awarded for a project under this title; and the amount and duration of such grant. Not later than June 30 of each year, the Secretary shall notify each eligible partnership submitting an application under this section of— the scores given the applicant by the panel pursuant to this section; the recommendations of the panel with respect to such application; and the reasons for the decision of the Secretary in awarding or refusing to award a grant under this section; and modifications, if any, in the recommendations of the panel made to the Secretary. The Secretary shall award grants under this section on the following basis— the number of participants to be served by the grant; the anticipated income of program participants in relation to the regional median income; the alignment of the program with State-identified in-demand industry sectors; and the recommendations of the readers under subsection (d)(2)(C). Grant funds provided under this section may be used for— the purchase of appropriate equipment, technology, or instructional material, aligned with business and industry needs, including machinery, testing equipment, hardware and software; student books, supplies, and equipment required for enrollment; the reimbursement of up to 50 percent of the wages of a student participating in an earn-and-learn program receiving a grant under this section; the development of industry-specific programing; supporting the transition of industry-based professionals from an industry setting to an academic setting; industry-recognized certification exams or other assessments leading to a recognized postsecondary credential associated with the earn-and-learn program; and any fees associated with the certifications or assessments described in paragraph (6). The Secretary may provide technical assistance to eligible partnerships awarded under this section throughout the grant period for purposes of grant management. From the amounts made available under subsection (j), the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Institute for Education Sciences, shall provide for the independent evaluation of the grant program established under this section that includes the following: An assessment of the effectiveness of the grant program in expanding earn-and-learn program opportunities offered by employers in conjunction with institutions of higher education. The number of students who participated in programs assisted under this section. The percentage of students participating in programs assisted under this section who successfully completed the program in the time described in subsection (d)(1)(E). The median earnings of program participants— 1 year after exiting the program; and 3 years after exiting the program. The percentage of students participating in programs assisted under this section who successfully receive a recognized postsecondary credential. The number of students served by programs receiving funding under this section— 2 years after the end of the grant period; 4 years after the end of the grant period. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the evaluation required by this subsection shall not be subject to any review outside the Institute for Education Sciences before such reports are submitted to Congress and the Secretary. The evaluation required by this subsection shall be made publicly available on the website of the Department. In this section: The term earn-and-learn program means an education program, including an apprenticeship program, that provides students with structured, sustained, and paid on-the-job training and accompanying, for credit, classroom instruction that— is for a period of between 3 months and 2 years; and leads to, on completion of the program, a recognized postsecondary credential. The term eligible partnership shall mean a consortium that includes— 1 or more businesses; and 1 or more institutions of higher education. The term in-demand industry sector or occupation has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act ( 29 U.S.C. 3102 ). The term on-the-job training has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act ( 29 U.S.C. 3102 ). The term recognized postsecondary credential has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act ( 29 U.S.C. 3102 ). There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $183,204,000 for fiscal year 2019 and each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years. .
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