[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 25 (Thursday, February 6, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5693-5694]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-2835]



Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 25 / Thursday, February 6, 1997 / 
Notices

[[Page 5693]]



DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.234M]


Projects With Industry; Notice Inviting Applications for New 
Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 1997

    PURPOSE OF PROGRAM: The Projects With Industry (PWI) program 
creates and expands job and career opportunities for individuals with 
disabilities in the competitive labor market by engaging the talent and 
leadership of private industry as partners in the rehabilitation 
process. PWI projects identify competitive job and career opportunities 
and the skills needed to perform those jobs, create practical settings 
for job readiness and training programs, and provide job placement and 
career advancement services.
    ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS: Employers and profitmaking and nonprofit 
organizations, including any designated State units, labor unions, 
employers, community rehabilitation program providers, trade 
associations, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, and other agencies 
or organizations with the capacity to create and expand job and career 
opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
    Only eligible applicants that propose to serve a geographic area 
that is currently unserved or underserved by the PWI program can 
receive new awards under this program.
    DEADLINE FOR TRANSMITTAL OF APPLICATIONS: April 21, 1997.
    DATELINE FOR INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW: June 20, 1997.
    APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE: February 7, 1997.
    AVAILABLE FUNDS: $18,472,708.
    ESTIMATED RANGE OF AWARDS: $158,000-238,000.
    ESTIMATED AVERAGE SIZE OF AWARDS: $198,000.
    ESTIMATED NUMBER OF AWARDS: 78-117.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.

    PROJECT PERIOD: Up to 60 months.
    APPLICABLE REGULATIONS: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 85, and 86; (b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR part 
369; and (c) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR part 379, as 
published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.
    PRIORITIES: Competitive Preference Priority. The competitive 
preference priority concerning Empowerment Zones and Enterprise 
Communities in the notice of final priorities for this program, 
published in the Federal Register on December 9, 1994 (59 FR 63860), 
applies to this competition.
    The Federal Government has designated 9 Empowerment Zones (Atlanta, 
Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; New 
York, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania/Camden, New Jersey; Kentucky 
Highlands, Kentucky; Mid-Delta, Mississippi; and Rio Grande Valley, 
Texas). Two Supplemental Empowerment Zones have been designated--Los 
Angeles, California and Cleveland, Ohio. A total of 95 Enterprise 
Communities have been designated. A full list of Enterprise Communities 
is available upon request from the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development (HUD) at 1-800-998-9999.
    The Secretary gives preference to applications that meet the 
following competitive priority. Ten bonus points will be assigned to 
applications determined to be approvable on the basis of their 
evaluation under the applicable program selection criteria. These bonus 
points are in addition to any points the application earns under the 
selection criteria for the program.

Competitive Preference Priority--Providing Program Services in an 
Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community

    Under the Projects With Industry program, competitive preference 
will be given to applications that--(1) Propose the provision of 
substantial services in Empowerment Zones or Enterprise Communities; 
and (2) Propose projects that contribute to the strategic plan of the 
Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community and that are made an integral 
component of the Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community activities.
    A PWI project may provide services at one or more sites. Under this 
program a PWI project is considered to be providing substantial 
services in a zone or community if a minimum of 51 percent of the total 
number of persons served by the project, irrespective of the number of 
sites, reside in a zone or community and at least 1 of the project 
sites is located within the boundaries of a zone or community. If there 
is only one project site, it must be located within the boundaries of a 
zone or community.

Invitational Priorities

    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) the Secretary is particularly interested 
in applications that meet one or more of the following invitational 
priorities. However, an application that meets one or more of these 
invitational priorities does not receive competitive or absolute 
preference over other applications:
    Invitational Priority 1. Projects that demonstrate the use of 
alternative work settings, such as flexiplace or telecommuting, to 
assist individuals with disabilities, especially individuals with 
severe disabilities, to secure job skills training and employment 
opportunities in the competitive labor market.
    Invitational Priority 2. Projects that demonstrate the use of 
workplace apprenticeship programs to train persons with disabilities 
for employment in careers with advancement potential.
    Invitational Priority 3. Projects that demonstrate effective 
outreach and collaboration with minority-owned businesses in order to 
secure competitive placement opportunities for persons with 
disabilities. Minority-owned businesses are defined as nonprofit and 
for-profit entities that are at least 51 percent owned or controlled by 
one or more minority individuals. Applications should demonstrate a 
project's capacity to address cultural diversity issues as these issues 
relate to the training and placement of individuals with disabilities 
in competitive employment.
    Invitational Priority 4. Projects designed to facilitate the 
school-to-work transition of students who are individuals with 
disabilities. Projects should focus on placing youth with disabilities 
in employment with clearly defined career-path or career-advancement 
opportunities, or both.
    FOR APPLICATIONS OR INFORMATION CONTACT: Martha Muskie, U.S. 
Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 3332, 
Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2649. Telephone: (202) 205-3293. 
Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may 
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.
    Information about the Department's funding opportunities, including 
copies of application notices for discretionary grant competitions, can 
be viewed on the Department's electronic bulletin board (ED Board), 
telephone (202) 260-9950; on the Internet Gopher Server (at <a href="gopher://
gcs.ed.gov">gopher://
gcs.ed.gov</a>); or on the World Wide Web (at http://gcs.ed.gov/). However, 
the official application notice for a discretionary grant competition 
is the notice published in the Federal Register.

    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 795g.


[[Page 5694]]


    Dated: January 30, 1997.
Judith E. Heumann,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 97-2835 Filed 2-5-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P