H-1B grants announced; new funds available.

On Tuesday, the Department of Labor announced nearly $160 million in awards under the H-1B Technical Skills Training grant program, which supports job training and related activities in industries where employers are using H-1B visas to hire skilled foreign workers. A total of 36 partnerships, representing 20 states and the District of Columbia, will receive funding, with $85 million dedicated for training aimed at long-term unemployed workers, and $70 million being used to support on-the-job training (OJT) activities.

The grants announced this week are the first of two rounds of funding that will be made available under the current Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA), with applications for the second round due by November 17th. The agency has indicated that, due to an increase in H-1B application fees collected this year, an additional $100 million will be made available under the second round for OJT activities.

As with the first round of grants, eligible applicants are public-private partnerships comprised of at least two entities from among the following three categories:

• business-related nonprofit organizations, including trade or industry associations and labor organizations;
• education and training providers, including community colleges and community-based organizations; and
• public workforce system entities (including state and local workforce investment boards) and economic development agencies.

Applicants must partner with at least one employer who will be actively engaged in the project, and ETA is particularly encouraging partnerships that include multiple businesses within the targeted industry cluster.

To view the full grant announcement, please click here.