Iowa Administrative Code › Agency 261 - Economic Development Authority › Part II - Workforce Development Coordination › Chapter 8 - Workforce Development Fund › Rule 261-8.9 - Innovative Skill Development Activities

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 3, July 24, 2024
(1)
Program purpose.
To
				develop and provide creative training programs that will enhance the skill
				development of Iowa employees or address a workforce development need. Projects
				should concentrate on developing skills in new or emerging businesses or
				industries or address technological skills needed for current or future workers
				to become or remain competitive in the current labor market in existing
				businesses. The department will establish priority innovative skill areas for
				project solicitation annually, prior to the beginning of each fiscal year.
				These priorities will be established based upon the workforce and economic
				development needs of the state. These priority areas will be reflected in the
				request for proposal.
(2)
Eligible applicants.
Eligible applicants include individual
				businesses, consortia of businesses, trade associations, labor organizations
				which represent a majority of the employees to be trained, educational
				institutions, and other public or private not-for-profit organizations which
				represent a majority of the individuals or businesses that will benefit from
				the training.
(3)
Length of
				projects and maximum grant awards.
The department will establish the
				desired project length and maximum grant awards based upon the amount of
				workforce development funds allocated to the program in a fiscal year and upon
				the annual priorities set for this program by the board. These limitations will
				be published in the application packet. Grantees may request extensions to the
				length of a project.
(4)
Allowable activities.
Allowable program activities include
				purchase or development of training curricula and materials; purchase or
				provision of technological equipment and related materials needed for the
				delivery of training; activities needed to support a training program
				including, but not limited to, assessment, recruitment, outreach and
				applications; training site development; activities needed to develop a
				training program including, but not limited to, travel, research and
				development, focus group activities and legal fees; activities designed to
				creatively address a workforce development need identified by a community that,
				if successful, can be easily replicated in other communities; tuition and fee
				reimbursements for students; tutorial and remedial education services;
				counseling services; coordination services; career and technical skill
				assessment testing; adult basic education; job-related training; cost of a
				company, college, or contracted trainer or training services; training-related
				materials, equipment, software, and supplies; lease and rental of training
				facilities and equipment; training-related travel and meals; and contracted or
				professional services. Costs associated with the administration of the project
				(i.e., fiscal and reporting activities, project supervision, and coordination)
				are allowable but are limited to 15 percent of the total program
				budget.
(5)
Application
				procedure.
Application packets will be made available by the
				department. Application packets will outline eligibility criteria, the required
				application inclusions, and points established for evaluation. Applications
				must be submitted to the Iowa Department of Economic Development, Workforce
				Development Coordinator, 200 East Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50309. Only
				the applications of eligible applicants will be considered. Applications may be
				submitted at any time during the year but must be submitted at least 15 days
				prior to the start date of activities for which reimbursement through this
				program is being requested. Applications will be reviewed in the order in which
				they are received.
(6)
Required proposal inclusions.
Required contents of an
				application will be described in the application. Applications must address all
				information requested in the application packet to be considered for award. If
				all requested information is not provided, applications will not be considered
				for funding. Applicants who are denied funding may reapply. Reapplications will
				be treated as new applications.
(7)
Evaluation and rating
				criteria.
The criteria used for scoring the application will include
				the following:
a. Sufficient need for the
				project has been established by participating groups, up to 10
				points.
b. The project will enhance
				the skill development of Iowa's current and potential employees or will address
				a skill development need, up to 10 points.
c. The scope of the project is such that
				there is benefit and the potential for replicability for several businesses,
				industries, communities, or individuals, up to 10 points.
d. The project represents a coordinated,
				collaborative approach to addressing the need or problem identified and
				involves appropriate organizations, up to 10 points.
e. The project is for a new or emerging
				industry that will benefit from the activities under this project or it
				addresses technological skills enhancements that will be realized as a result
				of this project, up to 10 points.
f. Individuals, industries, businesses or
				communities will benefit from this project from a workforce development
				perspective, up to 10 points.
g.
				The project is feasible in terms of the reasonableness of the budget in
				comparison to the expected outcomes, other comparable training, and the demands
				of the individuals, businesses, industries, or communities it will serve, up to
				15 points.
h. The expected outcomes
				will assist the current labor market to become or remain competitive and will
				foster growth in the local and state economy. This may be evidenced by expected
				increases in wages or career opportunities of trainees, or by expected
				competitive advantages to be realized by companies or industries, or by
				projected enhancement of employment opportunities for communities, up to 10
				points.
i. The previous experience
				of the project operator or service provider is sufficient to ensure quality
				programming, up to 5 points.
j.
				Match contributed to the project evidences commitment to the project on behalf
				of the proposer, up to 10 points.
Proposals will be reviewed by two department staff members.
				  As a part of this review, staff will ascertain which community college
				  district(s) the project corresponds to and notify the appropriate community
				  college president from that district of the proposal for purposes of review and
				  comment. Points will be assigned for each evaluation criteria by each of the
				  respective staff and totaled. The two scores will then be averaged. Proposals
				  receiving an average score of at least 70 out of a possible 100 points will be
				  presented to the IDED board for a final funding decision. The IDED board will
				  base a final funding decision upon the project's ability to address the annual
				  priorities previously established by the IDED and board and upon availability
				  of funding.