Trade Adjustment Assistance Community
College and Career Training Grants
Benjamin Collins
Analyst in Labor Policy
August 15, 2012
The House Ways and Means Committee is making available this version of this Congressional Research Service
(CRS) report, with the cover date shown, for inclusion in its 2012 Green Book website. CRS works exclusively
for the United States Congress, providing policy and legal analysis to Committees and Members of both the
House and Senate, regardless of party affiliation.
Congressional Research Service
R42661
CRS Report for Congress
Pr
epared for Members and Committees of Congress
Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants
Summary
Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grants are
competitive grants to institutions of higher education for the development and delivery of career
training programs that can be completed in two years or less. The program targets and gives
enrollment preference to workers who have been adversely affected by international trade, though
non-trade-affected workers may also participate in TAACCCT-funded programs.
TAACCCT is administered by the Department of Labor (DOL). It was created by the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA; P.L. 111-5) and is authorized under the Trade
Act of 1974, as amended. The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (HCERA,
P.L. 111-152) provided $500 million per fiscal year in mandatory appropriations for TAACCCT
for FY2011 through FY2014. During this time, funds equal to at least 0.5% of the total annual
appropriation must be awarded to institutions in each state.
TAACCCT grants may be used to design, develop, and deliver career training programs.
Allowable uses of funds include personnel as well as materials and other expenses related to
content delivery. Under the most recent solicitation for grant applications (SGA), TAACCCT
grants provide a 48-month period of performance. This period includes 36 months for the design,
development, and delivery of a training program and 12 months for data gathering and evaluation.
Statute requires that grant applications include a description of the proposed project and how it
will serve trade-affected workers. Statute further specifies that grants will be judged on the merit
of the proposed project and the local employment prospects for individuals who would complete
the proposed program.
SGAs have expanded upon statutory criteria. In some cases, the SGAs have elaborated on
statutory provisions, and in other cases they have introduced largely new requirements for grant
applications. The first SGA was issued in January 2011 and grantees were announced in
September of that year. The second SGA was issued in February 2012. As of August 15, 2012, the
deadline for applications has passed but grantees have not been announced.
Congressional Research Service
Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants
Contents
Background...................................................................................................................................... 1
Program Description........................................................................................................................ 1
Target Population and Purpose of the Program ......................................................................... 1
Eligible Institutional Structures ................................................................................................. 2
Allowable Uses of Funds........................................................................................................... 2
Duration of Grants..................................................................................................................... 3
Grant Applications Requirements and Award Criteria..................................................................... 3
Statutory Requirements ............................................................................................................. 3
Additional Requirements........................................................................................................... 4
Reporting and Evaluation .......................................................................................................... 5
Legislative and Funding Histories ................................................................................................... 5
Legislative History .................................................................................................................... 5
Funding History......................................................................................................................... 6
Recent Activities.............................................................................................................................. 6
Tables
Table 1. Authorization Levels and Appropriations for the Community College and Career
Training Grant Program: FY2009-FY2014 .................................................................................. 6
Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................... 7
Congressional Research Service
Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants
Background
Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grants are
competitive grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) to support career training programs
that can be completed in two years or less. Statute specifies that TAACCCT-funded programs
should target workers who have been adversely affected by international trade and are eligible for
the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers (TAAW) program. TAAW offers subsidized training
and other supports for displaced workers who have lost their jobs due to foreign trade.1 While the
TAACCCT program targets and gives preference to TAAW-eligible workers, other adults may
also be served by programs with TAACCCT funding.2 The program is administered by the
Department of Labor (DOL).
TAACCCT was created as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA;
P.L. 111-5) and is authorized by the Trade Act of 1974, as amended.3 It is funded through
mandatory appropriations at $500 million per fiscal year from FY2011 through FY2014.
Additional details are in the “Legislative and Funding Histories” section at the end of this report.
The statutory provisions of TAACCCT are somewhat general. DOL has not established
regulations related to the program, so the department’s solicitation for grant applications (SGA)
clarifies many details. To present the most up-to-date information possible, this report will focus
on program elements and applicant requirements as they are conveyed in the most recent SGA,
issued in February 2012.4
Program Description
Target Population and Purpose of the Program
Statute authorizes grants for “developing, offering, or improving educational or career training
programs” for TAAW-eligible workers.5 The SGA elaborates on this purpose, establishing three
objectives: (1) increasing the attainment of employment-related credentials, (2) developing and
implementing innovative training curricula, and (3) improving employment outcomes. The SGA
also notes that while the purpose of the program is to meet the training needs of TAAW-eligible
workers, it expects that “a wide range of individuals will benefit from the TAACCCT program.”
1 For more information on the TAAW program, see CRS Report R42012, Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers, by
Benjamin Collins.
2 Under the Jobs for Veterans Act (P.L. 107-288), veterans or qualified veteran spouses receive preference in any
employment or training program funded in whole or in part by DOL. As such, qualified veteran applicants receive
priority of service over TAAW-certified workers for TAACCCT-funded programs.
3 Full text of TAACCCT statutes are at 19 U.S.C. 2371-2372.
4 The most recent SGA (SGA/DFA PY 11-08) is available on the DOL website at http://www.doleta.gov/taaccct/
applicantinfo.cfm. Some provisions of the most recent SGA may differ from the prior SGA (SGA/DFA PY 10-03),
which was issued in April 2011 and is available on the same website.
5 See 19 U.S.C. 2371(a)(1).
Congressional Research Service
1
Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants
DOL emphasizes that TAACCCT funding should be used to develop new programs and
materially improve existing ones. The SGA notes that “successful applicants will propose projects
that expand and improve their ability to deliver education and training programs and achieve
improved education and employment outcomes, rather than simply offering their existing courses
to more workers and other students.”
Eligible Institutional Structures
To be eligible to apply for TAACCCT funding, a qualified IHE must propose developing or
improving a career training program that can be completed in two years or less. Qualified IHEs
include public, private not-for-profit, and private for-profit institutions.6
IHEs may apply for TAACCCT funding as an individual institution or as a member of a multi-
school consortium. The SGA describes a consortium as “two or more eligible institutions that will
work together to develop programs that will impact individuals across a region, State, industry
sector or cluster of related industries, and leverage their collective experience to expand and
improve their ability to deliver education and career training programs.” Each consortium
application must specify a lead institution that will have fiscal and administrative responsibility
over the grant.
Institutions in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other U.S. territories are
eligible to apply for TAACCCT grants. Since the TAAW program is limited to workers in the 50
states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, DOL has noted that U.S. territories other than
Puerto Rico may be at a disadvantage in the application process because they do not have TAAW-
eligible workers and therefore will not be able to meet all of the SGA’s criteria.
The 2012 SGA specified that single grantees and lead institutions in successful consortium
applications under the 2011 SGA were not eligible for additional grants. These institutions could,
however, be supporting members of consortium applicants.
The SGA states the intention of awarding approximately $150 million of FY2012’s $500 million
through 52 grants of between $2.5 million and $3.0 million to a single institution in each of the 50
states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The remaining funds (approximately $350
million) are intended for larger awards to consortium applicants. In the SGA, DOL expressed
particular interest in consortia that are geographically dispersed but associated with a single
sector or industry.
Allowable Uses of Funds
Allowable uses for TAACCCT funds are the development and offering or improvement of
education and career training programs. This may include both personnel and non-personnel
costs.7 Grant funds may be used to hire and train staff that will develop or deliver new curricula
or other program components. Funds may also be used for personnel who work directly to
support goals of the grant such as job placement and tracking of program data. Allowable non-
6 TAACCCT follows the definition of IHEs established in Section 102 of the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1002).
7 For a complete discussion of allowable activities, see Section I.E of the SGA.
Congressional Research Service
2
Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants
personnel costs include purchasing classroom supplies or technological investments that directly
support grant activities. Funds may also be used to lease classroom space.
Non-allowable activities include any kind of payment to training participants, including using
grant funds for participants’ tuition, fees, or other personal expenditures. In all cases, TAACCCT
funds must supplement and not supplant any other sources that are funding existing activities.
Duration of Grants
The most recent SGA specified that grants are for a 48-month period of performance. Grantees
must develop and offer programs within the first 36 months and spend the final 12 months
gathering information and reporting outcome data.
TAACCCT applications must address their ability to continue their programs beyond the initial
federally funded period of performance.
Grant Applications Requirements and
Award Criteria
Statute establishes basic requirements for grant proposals and general criteria for choosing
grantees. The law also specifies that DOL will promulgate guidelines for the submission of grant
proposals. These guidelines have been issued through SGAs and both clarify and expand upon the
requirements established in statute.
Statutory Requirements
Statute specifies that grant proposals must describe8
• the proposed project and how it will develop, offer, or improve a training
program;
• how the project will meet the needs of TAAW-certified workers in the
community;
• any previous experience the applicant has in providing training to TAAW-eligible
workers (a lack of experience does not disqualify an applicant);
• outreach the applicant has conducted in the community to identify unmet training
needs that will likely result in employment outcomes; and
• outreach to local employers who demonstrate a commitment to hiring individuals
who partake in the proposed training.
8 See 19 U.S.C. 2371(c)(4)-(5).
Congressional Research Service
3
Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants
Statute further specifies that, when awarding grants, DOL will consider9
• the merits of the proposal to develop, offer, or improve training programs to be
made available to TAAW-eligible workers;
• the employment opportunities available to workers who complete a program that
is developed, offered, or improved by TAACCCT funding; and
• the prior and anticipated demand for training programs by TAAW-eligible
workers served by the applying institution as well as the capacity of existing
programs to meet anticipated demand.
Additional Requirements
In addition to the requirements in law, the SGA also requires applicants to demonstrate that their
proposed projects contain certain core elements. In some cases, these core elements build upon
statutory provisions. In other cases, they introduce new components.
The SGA establishes five core elements of TAACCCT projects:10
• Evidence-based design. Proposed programs must demonstrably improve
educational and employment outcomes. Applicants replicating existing strategies
should provide evidence of effectiveness. Applicants proposing new strategies
should cite “preliminary research findings, related research findings, and/or
reasonable hypotheses to support the design of the program.”
• Stacked and latticed credentials. Applicants should demonstrate how participants
will earn industry-recognized credentials that can be “stacked” (e.g., multiple
certificate programs leading to a degree) as well as “latticed” (e.g., credentials
that serve as prerequisites to training in a related field.)
• Online and technology-enabled learning. The SGA suggests that technology-
intensive programs provide participant flexibility and that successful technology-
intensive programs can be easily scaled up to reach more students. TAACCCT
proposals must consist of courses that are conducted online, in hybrid (combining
traditional and online coursework), or otherwise incorporate technology.
• Transferability and articulation. Applicants must describe plans to establish
transferability and transitions between institutions and develop at least one
articulation agreement with a four-year institution.
• Strategic alignment. Proposed programs must coordinate with other workforce
development stakeholders, including
• at least one employer, though DOL expressed a preference for multiple
employers and/or sector partnerships;
• public workforce systems, including One-Stop Career Centers and workforce
investment boards (WIBs);11 and
9 See 19 U.S.C. 2371(d).
10 For complete descriptions, see Section I.B of SGA.
11 One-Stop Career Centers are local entities that provide employment services and connect workers with training
(continued...)
Congressional Research Service
4
Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants
• other educational institutions to help decrease duplication, share information,
and standardize credentials.
Reporting and Evaluation
Statute requires DOL to report annually to the Senate Committee on Finance and the House
Committee on Ways and Means about each grant awarded and the impact of each award on
TAAW-eligible workers.12 According to the Ways and Means Committee, the most recent report
was delivered in February 2012.13
The SGA establishes reporting and evaluation requirements for individual grantees. Each grantee
must track program participation, completion, and subsequent employment outcomes. In addition
to reporting their data to DOL, grantees are expected to use program data to facilitate “continuous
improvement” in their programs. Institutions that propose to supplement program data with
outcome data for students who are not involved in TAACCCT-funded activities (i.e., students
involved in other programs; not a control group) will receive additional consideration in the
funding process.
Each TAACCCT application must also include a budget, design, and implementation plan for a
third-party evaluation of the proposed project. The SGA strongly encourages random-assignment
experimental design, but notes that in certain projects, other evaluation methods may be
acceptable.
Legislative and Funding Histories
Legislative History
TAACCCT was created by the Trade Globalization Adjustment Assistance Act of 2009
(TGAAA), part of the ARRA.14 TAACCCT was in a subsection of TGAAA that created several
programs targeting communities that were adversely affected by international trade.15 The Trade
(...continued)
services. Workforce Investment Boards are local organizations that direct the activities of One-Stops and other local
workforce development activities. One-Stops and WIBs receive federal funding under the Workforce Investment Act of
1998. For more information, see CRS Report R41135, The Workforce Investment Act and the One-Stop Delivery
System, by David H. Bradley
12 See 19 U.S.C. 2371(e).
13 House Committee on Ways and Means, Report on the Legislative and Oversight Activities of the Committee on
Ways and Means, 112th Cong., May 31, 2012, p. 69, available at http://waysandmeans.house.gov/UploadedFiles/
LAOR_112_Mid_Year_2012_Final.pdf, stated that the committee had received the TAACCCT report. The TAACCCT
report itself could not be found on the DOL, House Ways and Means, or Senate Finance Committee websites.
14 Specifically, TGAAA was Subtitle I of Title I of Division B of ARRA. The provisions related to TAACCCT were in
Part III of Subtitle I.
15 The other programs were Trade Adjustment Assistance for Communities, administered by the Department of
Commerce, and the Industry or Sector Partnership Grant Program for Communities Impacted by Trade, administered
by DOL. Details on these repealed programs are available in archived CRS Report R40863, Trade Adjustment
Assistance for Communities: The Law and Its Implementation, by Eugene Boyd and Cassandria Dortch.
Congressional Research Service
5
Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants
Adjustment Assistance Extension Act of 2011 (TAAEA; Title II of P.L. 112-40) repealed all
components of the subsection except TAACCCT.
Funding History
The original statute outlined the provisions of the TAACCCT and authorized $40 million in each
of FY2009 and FY2010 as well as $10 million for the first quarter for FY2011. It also specified
that no institution could receive more than one grant or a grant in excess of $1 million.
No funds were appropriated for TAACCCT until March 30, 2010, when President Obama signed
the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-152). This act provided $500
million in mandatory funding for TAACCCT in each of the four years from FY2011 through
FY2014 (see Table 1). This act also specifies that institutions in each state receive at least 0.5%
of each year’s TAACCCT funding and explicitly supersedes the $1 million limit established by
prior law.16
Table 1. Authorization Levels and Appropriations for the Community College and
Career Training Grant Program: FY2009-FY2014
(in millions of dollars)
Appropriation
Fiscal Year
Authorization Discretionary Mandatory
2009 $40
—
—
2010 40 — —
2011 10a —
$500
2012 — — 500
2013 — — 500
2014 — — 500
Source: Table prepared by CRS based on program statute (19 U.S.C. 2372 et seq.)
a. The $10 million authorization is for the first quarter of FY2011.
Recent Activities
The first SGA for TAACCCT funding was issued by DOL in January 2011 with a closing date of
April 21, 2011. DOL announced the grantees under this SGA on September 27, 2011. Among the
grantees were 17 single institution applicants, 18 single-state consortia, and 5 multi-state
consortia.17 Each state received at least $2.5 million in funding either directly or as their share of
a grant to a multi-state consortium.
The second SGA was issued in February 2012 and closed May 24, 2012. As of August 15, 2012,
grantees under the second SGA have not been announced.
16 See Section 1501 of P.L. 111-152 and 19 U.S.C. 2372. Minimum grants only apply to the 50 states, the District of
Columbia, and Puerto Rico. They do not apply to other territories.
17 Grantees were published by DOL, http://www.doleta.gov/taaccct/pdf/TAACCCT_Maps_DH.pdf.
Congressional Research Service
6
Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants
Acknowledgments
Cassandria Dortch assisted in the development of this report.
Congressional Research Service
7