I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1240 

To promote industry growth and competitiveness and to improve worker 

training, retention, and advancement, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 29, 2011 

Mr. LOEBSACK (for himself and Mr. PLATTS) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To promote industry growth and competitiveness and to improve worker training, retention, and advancement, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strengthening Employ5 ment Clusters to Organize Regional Success Act of 2011’’ 

6 or the ‘‘SECTORS Act of 2011’’. 

7 SEC. 2. INDUSTRY OR SECTOR PARTNERSHIP GRANT. 

8 (a) AMENDMENT.—Subtitle D of title I of the Work9 force Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2911 et seq.) 

10 is amended by inserting after section 171 the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 171A. INDUSTRY OR SECTOR PARTNERSHIP GRANT 

2 PROGRAM. 

3 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section to 

4 promote industry or sector partnerships that lead collabo5 rative planning, resource alignment, and training efforts 

6 across multiple firms for a range of workers employed or 

7 potentially employed by a targeted industry cluster, in 

8 order to encourage industry growth and competitiveness 

9 and to improve worker training, retention, and advance10 ment in targeted industry clusters, including by devel11 oping— 

12 ‘‘(1) immediate strategies for regions and com13 munities to fulfill pressing skilled workforce needs; 

14 ‘‘(2) long-term plans to grow targeted industry 

15 clusters with better training and a more productive 

16 workforce; 

17 ‘‘(3) core competencies and competitive advan18 tages for regions and communities undergoing struc19 tural economic redevelopment; and 

20 ‘‘(4) skill standards, career ladders, job re21 definitions, employer practices, and shared training 

22 and support capacities that facilitate the advance23 ment of workers at all skill levels. 

24 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

25 ‘‘(1) CAREER LADDER.—The term ‘career lad26 der’ means an identified series of positions, work exVerDate Mar 15 2010 04:25 Mar 30, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1240.IH H1240

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1 periences, and educational benchmarks or credentials 

2 that offer occupational and financial advancement 

3 within a specified career field or related fields over 

4 time. 

5 ‘‘(2) ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY.—The term 

6 ‘economic self-sufficiency’ means, with respect to a 

7 worker, earning a wage sufficient to support a fam8 ily adequately over time, based on factors such as— 

9 ‘‘(A) family size; 

10 ‘‘(B) the number and ages of children in 

11 the family; 

12 ‘‘(C) the cost of living in the worker’s com13 munity; and 

14 ‘‘(D) other factors that may vary by re15 gion. 

16 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en17 tity’ means— 

18 ‘‘(A) an industry or sector partnership; or 

19 ‘‘(B) an eligible State agency. 

20 ‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE STATE AGENCY.—The term ‘eli21 gible State agency’ means a State agency designated 

22 by the Governor of the State in which the State 

23 agency is located for the purposes of the grant pro24 gram under this section. 


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1 ‘‘(5) HIGH-PRIORITY OCCUPATION.—The term 

2 ‘high-priority occupation’ means an occupation 

3 that— 

4 ‘‘(A) has a significant presence in an in5 dustry cluster; 

6 ‘‘(B) is in demand by employers; 

7 ‘‘(C) pays family-sustaining wages that en8 able workers to achieve economic self-suffi9 ciency, or can reasonably be expected to lead to 

10 such wages; 

11 ‘‘(D) has or is in the process of developing 

12 a documented career ladder; and 

13 ‘‘(E) has a significant impact on a region’s 

14 economic development strategy. 

15 ‘‘(6) INDUSTRY CLUSTER.—The term ‘industry 

16 cluster’ means a concentration of interconnected 

17 businesses, suppliers, research and development enti18 ties, service providers, and associated institutions in 

19 a particular field that are linked by common work20 force needs. 

21 ‘‘(7) INDUSTRY OR SECTOR PARTNERSHIP.— 

22 The term ‘industry or sector partnership’ means a 

23 workforce collaborative that is described as follows: 

24 ‘‘(A) REQUIRED MEMBERS.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—An industry or 

2 sector partnership is a workforce collabo3 rative that organizes key stakeholders in a 

4 targeted industry cluster into a working 

5 group that focuses on the workforce needs 

6 of the targeted industry cluster and in7 cludes, at the appropriate stage of develop8 ment of the partnership— 

9 ‘‘(I) representatives of multiple 

10 firms or employers in the targeted in11 dustry cluster, including small- and 

12 medium-sized employers when prac13 ticable; 

14 ‘‘(II) one or more representatives 

15 of State labor organizations, central 

16 labor coalitions, or other labor organi17 zations, except in instances where no 

18 labor representation exists; 

19 ‘‘(III) one or more representa20 tives of local boards; 

21 ‘‘(IV) one or more representa22 tives of postsecondary educational in23 stitutions or other training providers; 

24 and 


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1 ‘‘(V) one or more representatives 

2 of State workforce agencies or other 

3 entities providing employment serv4 ices. 

5 ‘‘(ii) DIVERSE AND DISTINCT REP6 RESENTATION.—No individual may serve 

7 as a member in an industry or sector part8 nership, as defined in this paragraph, for 

9 more than one of the required categories 

10 described in subclauses (I) through (V) of 

11 clause (i). 

12 ‘‘(B) AUTHORIZED MEMBERS.—An indus13 try or sector partnership may include represent14 atives of— 

15 ‘‘(i) State or local government; 

16 ‘‘(ii) State or local economic develop17 ment agencies; 

18 ‘‘(iii) other State or local agencies; 

19 ‘‘(iv) chambers of commerce; 

20 ‘‘(v) nonprofit organizations; 

21 ‘‘(vi) philanthropic organizations; 

22 ‘‘(vii) economic development organiza23 tions; 

24 ‘‘(viii) industry associations; and 


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1 ‘‘(ix) other organizations, as deter2 mined necessary by the members com3 prising the industry or sector partnership. 

4 ‘‘(8) INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED.—The term ‘in5 dustry-recognized’, used with respect to a credential, 

6 means a credential that— 

7 ‘‘(A) is sought or accepted by businesses 

8 within the industry or sector involved as a rec9 ognized, preferred, or required credential for re10 cruitment, screening, or hiring purposes; and 

11 ‘‘(B) is endorsed by a nationally recognized 

12 trade association or organization representing a 

13 significant part of the industry or sector, where 

14 appropriate. 

15 ‘‘(9) NATIONALLY PORTABLE.—The term ‘na16 tionally portable’, used with respect to a credential, 

17 means a credential that is sought or accepted by 

18 businesses within the industry sector involved, across 

19 multiple States, as a recognized, preferred, or re20 quired credential for recruitment, screening, or hir21 ing purposes. 

22 ‘‘(10) TARGETED INDUSTRY CLUSTER.—The 

23 term ‘targeted industry cluster’ means an industry 

24 cluster that has— 


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1 ‘‘(A) economic impact in a local or regional 

2 area, such as advanced manufacturing, clean 

3 energy technology, and health care; 

4 ‘‘(B) immediate workforce development 

5 needs, such as advanced manufacturing, clean 

6 energy, technology, and health care; and 

7 ‘‘(C) documented career opportunities. 

8 ‘‘(c) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—From amounts appro10 priated to carry out this section, the Secretary shall 

11 award, on a competitive basis, grants described in 

12 paragraph (3) to eligible entities to enable the eligi13 ble entities to plan and implement, respectively, the 

14 eligible entities’ strategic objectives in accordance 

15 with subsection (d)(2)(D). 

16 ‘‘(2) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS.—An im18 plementation grant awarded under paragraph 

19 (3)(A) may not exceed a total of $2,500,000 for 

20 a 3-year period. 

21 ‘‘(B) RENEWAL GRANTS.—A renewal grant 

22 awarded under paragraph (3)(C) may not ex23 ceed a total of $1,500,000 for a 3-year period. 

24 ‘‘(3) IMPLEMENTATION AND RENEWAL

25 GRANTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

2 award an implementation grant under this sec3 tion to an eligible entity that has established, or 

4 is in the process of establishing, an industry or 

5 sector partnership. 

6 ‘‘(B) DURATION.—An implementation 

7 grant shall be for a duration of not more than 

8 3 years, and may be renewed in accordance 

9 with subparagraph (C). 

10 ‘‘(C) RENEWAL.—The Secretary may 

11 renew an implementation grant for not more 

12 than 3 years. A renewal of such grant shall be 

13 subject to the requirements of this section, ex14 cept that the Secretary shall— 

15 ‘‘(i) prioritize renewals to eligible enti16 ties that can demonstrate the long-term 

17 sustainability of an industry or sector part18 nership funded under this section; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) require assurances that the eligi20 ble entity will leverage, in accordance with 

21 subparagraph (D)(ii), each year of the 

22 grant period, additional funding sources 

23 for the non-Federal share of the grant 

24 which shall— 


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1 ‘‘(I) be in an amount greater 

2 than— 

3 ‘‘(aa) the non-Federal share 

4 requirement described in sub5 paragraph (D)(i)(III); and 

6 ‘‘(bb) for the second and 

7 third year of the grant period, 

8 the non-Federal share amount 

9 the eligible entity provided for 

10 the preceding year of the grant; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(II) include at least a 50 per13 cent cash match from the State, the 

14 industry cluster, or some combination 

15 thereof, of the eligible entity. 

16 ‘‘(D) FEDERAL AND NON-FEDERAL

17 SHARE.— 

18 ‘‘(i) FEDERAL SHARE.—Except as 

19 provided in subparagraph (C)(ii) and 

20 clause (iii), the Federal share of a grant 

21 under this section shall be— 

22 ‘‘(I) 90 percent of the costs of 

23 the activities described in subsection 

24 (f), in the first year of the grant; 


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1 ‘‘(II) 80 percent of such costs in 

2 the second year of the grant; and 

3 ‘‘(III) 70 percent of such costs in 

4 the third year of the grant. 

5 ‘‘(ii) NON-FEDERAL.—The non-Fed6 eral share of a grant under this section 

7 may be in cash or in-kind, and may come 

8 from State, local, philanthropic, private, or 

9 other sources. 

10 ‘‘(iii) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary 

11 may require the Federal share of a grant 

12 under this section to be 100 percent if an 

13 eligible entity receiving such grant is lo14 cated in a State or local area that is re15 ceiving a national emergency grant under 

16 section 173. 

17 ‘‘(4) FISCAL AGENT.—Each eligible entity re18 ceiving a grant under this section that is an industry 

19 or sector partnership shall designate an entity in the 

20 partnership as the fiscal agent for purposes of this 

21 grant. 

22 ‘‘(5) USE OF GRANT FUNDS DURING GRANT PE23 RIODS.—An eligible entity receiving grant funds 

24 under a grant under this section shall expend grant 


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1 funds or obligate grant funds to be expended by the 

2 last day of the grant period. 

3 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION PROCESS.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IDENTIFICATION OF A TARGETED INDUS5 TRY CLUSTER.—In order to qualify for a grant 

6 under this section, an eligible entity shall identify a 

7 targeted industry cluster that could benefit from 

8 such grant by— 

9 ‘‘(A) working with businesses, industry as10 sociations and organizations, labor organiza11 tions, State boards, local boards, economic de12 velopment agencies, and other organizations 

13 that the eligible entity determines necessary, to 

14 identify an appropriate targeted industry clus15 ter based on criteria that include, at a min16 imum— 

17 ‘‘(i) data showing the competitiveness 

18 of the industry cluster; 

19 ‘‘(ii) the importance of the industry 

20 cluster to the economic development of the 

21 area served by the eligible entity, including 

22 estimation of jobs created or preserved; 

23 ‘‘(iii) the identification of supply and 

24 distribution chains within the industry 

25 cluster; and 


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1 ‘‘(iv) research studies on industry 

2 clusters; and 

3 ‘‘(B) working with appropriate employment 

4 agencies, workforce investment boards, eco5 nomic development agencies, community organi6 zations, and other organizations that the eligi7 ble entity determines necessary to ensure that 

8 the targeted industry cluster identified under 

9 subparagraph (A) should be targeted for invest10 ment, based primarily on the following criteria: 

11 ‘‘(i) Demonstrated demand for job 

12 growth potential. 

13 ‘‘(ii) Employment base. 

14 ‘‘(iii) Wages and benefits. 

15 ‘‘(iv) Demonstrated importance of the 

16 targeted industry cluster to the area’s 

17 economy. 

18 ‘‘(v) Workforce development needs. 

19 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity desiring 

20 to receive a grant under this section shall submit an 

21 application to the Secretary at such time, in such 

22 manner, and containing such information as the Sec23 retary may require. An application submitted under 

24 this paragraph shall contain, at a minimum, the fol25 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(A) A description of the eligible entity, 

2 evidence of the eligible entity’s capacity to carry 

3 out activities in support of the strategic objec4 tives identified in the application under sub5 paragraph (D), and a description of the ex6 pected participation and responsibilities of each 

7 of the mandatory partners described in sub8 section (b)(8)(A). 

9 ‘‘(B) A description of the targeted industry 

10 cluster for which the eligible entity intends to 

11 carry out activities through a grant under this 

12 section, and a description of how such targeted 

13 industry cluster was identified in accordance 

14 with paragraph (1). 

15 ‘‘(C) A description of the workers that will 

16 be targeted or recruited by the partnership, in17 cluding an analysis of the existing labor market, 

18 a description of potential barriers to employ19 ment for targeted workers, and a description of 

20 strategies that will be employed to help workers 

21 overcome such barriers. 

22 ‘‘(D) A description of the strategic objec23 tives that the eligible entity intends to carry out 

24 for the targeted industry cluster, which objec25 tives shall include— 


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1 ‘‘(i) recruiting key stakeholders in the 

2 targeted industry cluster, such as multiple 

3 businesses and employers, labor organiza4 tions, local boards, and education and 

5 training providers, and regularly convening 

6 the stakeholders in a collaborative struc7 ture that supports the sharing of informa8 tion, ideas, and challenges common to the 

9 targeted industry cluster; 

10 ‘‘(ii) identifying the training needs of 

11 multiple businesses, especially skill gaps 

12 critical to competitiveness and innovation 

13 to the targeted industry cluster; 

14 ‘‘(iii) facilitating economies of scale by 

15 aggregating training and education needs 

16 of multiple employers; 

17 ‘‘(iv) helping postsecondary edu18 cational institutions, training institutions, 

19 apprenticeship programs, and all other 

20 training programs authorized under this 

21 Act, align curricula, entrance require22 ments, and programs to industry demand 

23 and nationally portable, industry-recog24 nized credentials (or, if not available for 

25 the targeted industry, other credentials, as 


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1 determined appropriate by the Secretary), 

2 particularly for higher skill, high-priority 

3 occupations validated by the industry; 

4 ‘‘(v) ensuring that the State agency 

5 carrying out the State program under the 

6 Wagner-Peyser Act (29 U.S.C. 49 et seq.), 

7 including staff of the agency that provide 

8 services under such Act, shall inform re9 cipients of unemployment insurance of the 

10 job and training opportunities that may re11 sult from the implementation of this grant; 

12 ‘‘(vi) informing and collaborating with 

13 organizations such as youth councils, busi14 ness-education partnerships, apprenticeship 

15 programs, secondary schools, and postsec16 ondary educational institutions, and with 

17 parents and career counselors, for the pur18 pose of addressing the challenges of con19 necting disadvantaged adults as defined in 

20 section 132(b)(1)(B)(v) and disadvantaged 

21 youth as defined in section 127(b) to ca22 reers; 

23 ‘‘(vii) helping companies identify, and 

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1 zational and human resource challenges, 

2 such as— 

3 ‘‘(I) recruiting new workers; 

4 ‘‘(II) implementing effective 

5 workplace practices; 

6 ‘‘(III) retraining dislocated and 

7 incumbent workers; 

8 ‘‘(IV) implementing a high-per9 formance work organization; 

10 ‘‘(V) recruiting and retaining 

11 women in nontraditional occupations; 

12 ‘‘(VI) adopting new technologies; 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(VII) fostering experiential and 

15 contextualized on-the-job learning; 

16 ‘‘(viii) developing and strengthening 

17 career ladders within and across compa18 nies, in order to enable dislocated, incum19 bent and entry-level workers to improve 

20 skills and advance to higher-wage jobs; 

21 ‘‘(ix) improving job quality through 

22 improving wages, benefits, and working 

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1 tential employees from a diverse job seeker 

2 base, including individuals with barriers to 

3 employment (such as job seekers who are 

4 low income, youth, older workers, and indi5 viduals who have completed a term of im6 prisonment), by identifying such barriers 

7 through analysis of the existing labor mar8 ket and implementing strategies to help 

9 such workers overcome such barriers; and 

10 ‘‘(xi) strengthening connections 

11 among businesses in the targeted industry 

12 cluster, leading to cooperation beyond 

13 workforce issues that will improve competi14 tiveness and job quality, such as joint pur15 chasing, market research, or centers for 

16 technology and innovation. 

17 ‘‘(E) A description of the nationally port18 able, industry-recognized credentials or, if not 

19 available, other credentials, related to the tar20 geted industry cluster that the eligible entity 

21 proposes to support, develop, or use as a per22 formance measure, in order to carry out the 

23 strategic objectives described in subparagraph 

24 (D). 


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1 ‘‘(F) A description of the manner in which 

2 the eligible entity intends to make sustainable 

3 progress toward the strategic objectives. 

4 ‘‘(G) Performance measures for measuring 

5 progress toward the strategic objectives. Such 

6 performance measures— 

7 ‘‘(i) may consider the benefits pro8 vided by the grant activities funded under 

9 this section for workers employed in the 

10 targeted industry cluster, disaggregated by 

11 gender and race, such as— 

12 ‘‘(I) the number of workers re13 ceiving nationally portable, industry14 recognized credentials (or, if not avail15 able for the targeted industry, other 

16 credentials) described in the applica17 tion under subparagraph (E); 

18 ‘‘(II) the number of workers with 

19 increased wages, the percentage of 

20 workers with increased wages, and the 

21 average wage increase; and 

22 ‘‘(III) for dislocated or non23 incumbent workers, the number of 

24 workers placed in sector-related jobs; 

25 and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) may consider the benefits pro2 vided by the grant activities funded under 

3 this section for firms and industries in the 

4 targeted industry cluster, such as— 

5 ‘‘(I) the creation or updating of 

6 an industry plan to meet current and 

7 future workforce demand; 

8 ‘‘(II) the creation or updating of 

9 published industry-wide skill stand10 ards or career pathways; 

11 ‘‘(III) the creation or updating of 

12 nationally portable, industry-recog13 nized credentials, or where there is 

14 not such a credential, the creation or 

15 updating of a training curriculum that 

16 can lead to the development of such a 

17 credential; 

18 ‘‘(IV) the number of firms, and 

19 the percentage of the local industry, 

20 participating in the industry or sector 

21 partnership; and 

22 ‘‘(V) the number of firms, and 

23 the percentage of the local industry, 

24 receiving workers or services through 

25 the grant funded under this section. 


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1 ‘‘(H) A timeline for achieving progress to2 ward the strategic objectives. 

3 ‘‘(I) In the case of an eligible entity desir4 ing an implementation grant under this section, 

5 an assurance that the eligible entity will lever6 age other funding sources, in addition to the 

7 amount required for the non-Federal share 

8 under subsection (c)(3)(D), to provide training 

9 or supportive services to workers under the 

10 grant program. Such additional funding sources 

11 may include— 

12 ‘‘(i) funding under this title used for 

13 such training and supportive services; 

14 ‘‘(ii) funding under the Adult Edu15 cation and Family Literacy Act of 1998 

16 (20 U.S.C. 9201 et seq.); 

17 ‘‘(iii) economic development funding; 

18 ‘‘(iv) employer contributions to train19 ing initiatives; or 

20 ‘‘(v) providing employees with em21 ployee release time for such training or 

22 supportive services. 

23 ‘‘(e) AWARD BASIS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—The Sec2 retary shall award grants under this section in a 

3 manner to ensure geographic diversity. 

4 ‘‘(2) PRIORITIES.—In awarding grants under 

5 this section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligi6 ble entities that— 

7 ‘‘(A) work with employers within a tar8 geted industry cluster to retain and expand em9 ployment in high wage, high growth areas; 

10 ‘‘(B) focus on helping workers move to11 ward economic self-sufficiency and ensuring the 

12 workers have access to adequate supportive 

13 services; 

14 ‘‘(C) address the needs of firms with lim15 ited human resources or in-house training ca16 pacity, including small- and medium-sized 

17 firms; and 

18 ‘‘(D) coordinate with entities carrying out 

19 State and local workforce investment, economic 

20 development, and education activities. 

21 ‘‘(f) ACTIVITIES.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity receiving 

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1 cluding planning activities if applicable, described in 

2 the entity’s application in a manner that— 

3 ‘‘(A) integrates services and funding 

4 sources in a way that enhances the effectiveness 

5 of the activities; and 

6 ‘‘(B) uses grant funds awarded under this 

7 section efficiently. 

8 ‘‘(2) PLANNING ACTIVITIES.—Planning activi9 ties may only be carried out by an eligible entity re10 ceiving an implementation grant under this section 

11 during the first year of the grant period with not 

12 more than $250,000 of the grant funds. 

13 ‘‘(3) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—An eligible enti14 ty may retain a portion of a grant awarded under 

15 this section for a fiscal year to carry out the admin16 istration of this section in an amount not to exceed 

17 5 percent of the grant amount. 

18 ‘‘(g) EVALUATION AND PROGRESS REPORTS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) ANNUAL ACTIVITY REPORT AND EVALUA20 TION.—Not later than 1 year after receiving a grant 

21 under this section, and annually thereafter, an eligi22 ble entity shall— 

23 ‘‘(A) report to the Secretary, and to the 

24 Governor of the State that the eligible entity 


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1 serves, on the activities funded pursuant to a 

2 grant under this section; and 

3 ‘‘(B) evaluate the progress the eligible enti4 ty has made toward the strategic objectives 

5 identified in the application under subsection 

6 (d)(2)(D), and measure the progress using the 

7 performance measures identified in the applica8 tion under subsection (d)(2)(G). 

9 ‘‘(2) REPORT TO THE SECRETARY.—An eligible 

10 entity receiving a grant under this section shall sub11 mit to the Secretary a report containing the results 

12 of the evaluation described in subparagraph (B) at 

13 such time and in such manner as the Secretary may 

14 require. 

15 ‘‘(h) ADMINISTRATION BY THE SECRETARY.— 

16 ‘‘(1) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—The Secretary 

17 may retain not more than 10 percent of the funds 

18 appropriated to carry out this section for each fiscal 

19 year to administer this section. 

20 ‘‘(2) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND OVER21 SIGHT.—The Secretary shall provide technical assist22 ance and oversight to assist the eligible entities in 

23 applying for and administering grants awarded 

24 under this section. The Secretary shall also provide 

25 technical assistance to eligible entities in the form of 


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1 conferences and through the collection and dissemi2 nation of information on best practices. The Sec3 retary may award a grant or contract to one or more 

4 national or State organizations to provide technical 

5 assistance to foster the planning, formation, and im6 plementation of industry cluster partnerships. 

7 ‘‘(3) PERFORMANCE MEASURES.—The Sec8 retary shall issue a range of performance measures, 

9 with quantifiable benchmarks, and methodologies 

10 that eligible entities may use to evaluate the effec11 tiveness of each type of activity in making progress 

12 toward the strategic objectives described in sub13 section (d)(2)(D). Such measures shall consider the 

14 benefits of the industry or sector partnership and its 

15 activities for workers, firms, industries, and commu16 nities. 

17 ‘‘(4) DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION.—The 

18 Secretary shall— 

19 ‘‘(A) coordinate the annual review of each 

20 eligible entity receiving a grant under this sec21 tion and produce an overview report that, at a 

22 minimum, includes— 

23 ‘‘(i) the critical learning of each in24 dustry or sector partnership, such as— 


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1 ‘‘(I) the training that was most 

2 effective; 

3 ‘‘(II) the human resource chal4 lenges that were most common; 

5 ‘‘(III) how technology is changing 

6 the targeted industry cluster; and 

7 ‘‘(IV) the changes that may im8 pact the targeted industry cluster over 

9 the next 5 years; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) a description of what eligible en11 tities serving similar targeted industry 

12 clusters consider exemplary practices, such 

13 as— 

14 ‘‘(I) how to work effectively with 

15 postsecondary educational institutions; 

16 ‘‘(II) the use of internships; 

17 ‘‘(III) coordinating with appren18 ticeships and cooperative education 

19 programs; 

20 ‘‘(IV) how to work effectively 

21 with schools providing vocational edu22 cation; 

23 ‘‘(V) how to work effectively with 

24 adult populations, including— 

25 ‘‘(aa) dislocated workers; 


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1 ‘‘(bb) women in nontradi2 tional occupations; and 

3 ‘‘(cc) individuals with bar4 riers to employment, such as job 

5 seekers who— 

6 ‘‘(AA) are economically 

7 disadvantaged; 

8 ‘‘(BB) have limited 

9 English proficiency; 

10 ‘‘(CC) require remedial 

11 education; 

12 ‘‘(DD) are older work13 ers; 

14 ‘‘(EE) are individuals 

15 who have completed a sen16 tence for a criminal offense; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(FF) have other bar19 riers to employment; 

20 ‘‘(VI) employer practices that are 

21 most effective; 

22 ‘‘(VII) the types of training that 

23 are most effective; 


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•HR 1240 IH

1 ‘‘(VIII) other areas where indus2 try or sector partnerships can assist 

3 each other; and 

4 ‘‘(IX) alignment of curricula to 

5 nationally portable, industry-recog6 nized credentials in the sectors where 

7 they are available or, if not available 

8 for the sector, other credentials, as 

9 described in the application under 

10 subsection (d)(2)(E); 

11 ‘‘(B) make resource materials, including all 

12 reports published and all data collected under 

13 this section, available on the Internet; and 

14 ‘‘(C) conduct conferences and seminars 

15 to— 

16 ‘‘(i) disseminate information on best 

17 practices developed by eligible entities re18 ceiving a grant under this section; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) provide information to the com20 munities of eligible entities. 

21 ‘‘(5) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after 

22 the date of enactment of the Strengthening Employ23 ment Clusters to Organize Regional Success Act of 

24 2011, and on an annual basis thereafter, the Sec25 retary shall transmit a report to Congress on the inVerDate Mar 15 2010 04:25 Mar 30, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1240.IH H1240

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•HR 1240 IH

1 dustry or sector partnership grant program estab2 lished by this section. The report shall include a de3 scription of— 

4 ‘‘(A) the eligible entities receiving funding; 

5 ‘‘(B) the activities carried out by the eligi6 ble entities; 

7 ‘‘(C) how the eligible entities were selected 

8 to receive funding under this section; and 

9 ‘‘(D) an assessment of the results achieved 

10 by the grant program including findings from 

11 the annual reviews described in paragraph 

12 (4)(A). 

13 ‘‘(i) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec14 tion shall be construed to permit the reporting or sharing 

15 of personally identifiable information collected or made 

16 available under this section.’’. 

17 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con18 tents in section 1(b) of the Workforce Investment Act of 

19 1998 (20 U.S.C. 9201 note) is amended by inserting after 

20 the item relating to section 171 the following: 

‘‘171A. Industry or sector partnership grant program.’’. 

Æ 


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