This guest blog entry was contributed by Tim Jemal, CEO of Jemal Public Affairs.
The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced that it will award approximately $100 million in grant funding, divided among 30 to 40 recipients, to support education and training in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) industries. The grant funding comes from user fees paid by employers to hire workers in the H-1B visa category. According to the Seattle Times, since 2001, nearly $1 billion from H1-B fees have been distributed by the Labor Department to train the U.S. workforce. The STEM Pathways grant will represent a significant change in the administration of these fees in that it will redirect funds from the existing workforce – those unemployed and/or looking to change careers – to a competitive grant that addresses the future workforce.
The Youth CareerConnect grant program is intended to increase high school students’ preparedness for post-secondary education and employability in high-growth, H-1B industries and occupations such as the technology sector. The Department of Labor believes that these education and training programs will help employers reduce their dependency on skilled foreign professionals working in the U.S. on a temporary basis using an H-1B visa.
The grant funding presents an opportunity for TECNA and TechVoice members to partner with a local school district or workforce investment board (WIB) that is likely to be the lead applicant seeking this grant funding. Grant applicants are required to include at least one employer or consortium of employers for each selected high-growth industry or occupation. A consortium of employers could be a local or state technology trade association.
The role of the employer partner in the grant includes the following activities:
- Providing resources to support education and training, such as equipment, facilities, instructors, funding, apprenticeships and other work-based learning opportunities.
- Facilitating externships and other forms of professional training for teachers and faculty, such as opportunities for employers to mentor school staff.
- Providing field trips to the employers’ places of business, participating in speaking engagements at high schools to describe jobs in specific industries and offering job shadowing opportunities for students.
- Providing project-based learning opportunities through paid or unpaid internships.
We encourage TECNA and TechVoice partners to contact your local school district or WIB to inquire as to whether they will be submitting an application and discuss potential ways to collaborate on the grant. The grant application deadline is Jan. 27.
Please contact Gretchen Koch at gkoch@comptia.org should you have any further questions regarding this grant opportunity.
