8690 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 32 / Wednesday, February 18, 2015 / Notices 

Signed at Washington, DC, this 9th day of 

February, 2015. 

Lyssa Hall, 

Director of Exemption Determinations, 

Employee Benefits Security Administration, 

U.S. Department of Labor. 

[FR Doc. 2015–03014 Filed 2–17–15; 8:45 am] 

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Employment and Training 

Administration 

Public Listening Session 

AGENCY: Employment and Training 

Administration (ETA), Labor. 

ACTION: Notice of public listening 

session. 

SUMMARY: In preparation for launching 

the Online Skills Academy described in 

the Administration’s ‘‘Ready to Work: 

Job-Driving Training and American 

Opportunity’’ report, the Department of 

Labor (Department), Employment and 

Training Administration is hosting a 

virtual listening session to solicit 

information and public input 

concerning the development of an 

Online Skills Academy. This listening 

session will be hosted in partnership 

with the Department of Education. 

The listening session will provide an 

opportunity for stakeholders to provide 

their comments and suggestions and 

engage in a national dialogue regarding 

the implementation of this priority 

funding. 

Instructions regarding registering for 

and attending the listening session are 

in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

section of this notice. 

DATES:

Listening Session: The virtual 

listening session will be on, Friday, 

February 20, 2015, and will begin at 

2:00 p.m. and is scheduled to end by 

4:00 p.m. 

Registration: You must register to 

attend this virtual listening session. 

ETA will post specific information on 

how to register and participate via the 

Internet on the Online Skills Academy 

Web site at www.doleta.gov/

skillsacademy in advance of the 

listening session. 

Comments: A transcript of all public 

comments will be available. This 

transcript and any written comments 

submitted following the public listening 

session will be posted on the Online 

Skills Academy Web site at 

www.doleta.gov/skillsacademy by 

Friday, February 27, 2015. Written 

comments must be submitted 

electronically to skillsacademy@dol.gov. 

Comments must be received by 5:00 

p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 25, 

2015. 

ADDRESSES: The listening session will 

be conducted virtually via live webcast. 

ETA will post the agenda and logistical 

information on how to participate via 

Internet on the Online Skills Academy 

Web site at http://www.doleta.gov/

skillsacademy in advance of the 

listening session. The session is open to 

the public and the entire proceedings 

will be webcast, recorded, and made 

publicly available. Interested parties 

may participate via webcast only. 

Capacity is not limited but registration 

is required. For information on how to 

register, go to http://www.doleta.gov/

skillsacademy. Registration will be open 

until the listening session begins. In 

addition to attending joining the virtual 

session via webinar, ETA would like to 

solicit comments electronically to 

skillsacademy@dol.gov. Comments must 

be received by 5:00 p.m. ET on 

Wednesday, February 25, 2015. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

In July 2014, Vice President Joe Biden 

released a report on federal job-driven 

training programs, http://

www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/

skills_report_072014_2.pdf. Among 

other things, programs and initiatives 

identified in this report highlight the 

importance of strategies that are 

responsive to employer needs in order 

to effectively place ready-to-work 

Americans in jobs that are available now 

or train them in the skills needed for 

better jobs. The report also highlighted 

future initiatives that expand the tools 

for job seekers to find pathways to better 

jobs. One of these initiatives is the 

Department of Labor’s Online Skills 

Academy, a competition to award up to 

$25 million for partnerships that will 

offer open, online courses of study, 

helping students earn credentials online 

through participating accredited 

institutions, and expanding access to 

curriculum designed to speed the time 

to credit and completion. Building off 

the burgeoning marketplace of free and 

openly-licensed learning resources, 

including the content developed 

through the Trade Adjustment 

Assistance Community College and 

Career Training (TAACCCT) grant 

program, this online skills academy will 

ensure that workers can get the 

education and training they need to 

advance their careers by developing 

skills in-demand by employers through 

courses that are free to access and 

provide a low cost means for earning 

credentials and degrees. This initiative 

will be administered in partnership 

with the Department of Education. 

To plan this competition, the 

Departments of Labor and Education 

will engage stakeholders in a national 

dialogue to learn and understand 

concerns and ideas related to the 

following topics: 

• Technology-enabled and online 

learning, including use of open 

platforms 

• Accelerated career pathways 

leading to industry-recognized 

credentials in in-demand fields 

• Contextualized learning 

• Online and technology enabled 

assessment tools, including 

competency-based and open access 

assessments 

• Use of local labor market 

information and employer engagement 

in identification of in-demand skills and 

credentials 

II. Instructions for Attending the 

Listening Session 

Space for attendance at this virtual 

listening session is not limited; 

however, you must register to attend. 

Information on how to register and 

participate will be posted on the Online 

Skills Academy Web site at http://

www.doleta.gov/skillsacademy in 

advance of the listening session. 

III. Draft Agenda for the February 20, 

2015 Listening Session 

Welcome and Introductions—2:00 p.m. 

ET to 2:20 p.m. ET 

Overview of Online Skills Academy 

Vision and Required Components— 

2:20 p.m. ET to 2:30 p.m. ET 

Open Comment Period—2:30 p.m. ET to 

4:00 p.m. ET 

• Topic #1—Online Education and 

Learning 

• Topic #2—Open Educational 

Resources and Open Platforms 

• Topic #3—Training Unemployed 

Workers and Non-traditional 

Learners 

• Topic #4—Developing Career 

Pathways in High-Demand Sectors 

• Topic #5—Developing Assessments 

The agenda will be strictly followed; 

participants may attend all or part of the 

listening session as relevant. The 

updated agenda will be posted on the 

Online Skills Academy Web site at 

http://www.doleta.gov/skillsacademy in 

advance of the listening session. 

Portia Wu, 

Assistant Secretary for Employment and 

Training, Labor. 

[FR Doc. 2015–03208 Filed 2–17–15; 8:45 am] 

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