Strategies for Federal Grants

These resources reflect the experience and opinions of CSW and have not been developed with or approved by the Department of Labor. 

Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Program Implementation

Download the TAACCCT Round 3 SGA. Single-institution applications due June 18, 2013; consortium applications due July 3, 2013.

The US Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant program represents a great opportunity for our nation's institutions of higher education to expand and improve their ability to deliver education and career training programs that prepare participants for employment in high-wage, high-skill occupations.

Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW) is a 22-year-old national nonprofit policy organization that helps colleges undertake large-scale institutional alignment aimed at several principles of successful 21st century institutions: holistic employer engagement; widespread use of quality competency-based credentials; and strong student supports, especially career navigation. CSW helps community colleges tackle these changes in service of increased credential attainment and employment.

Grant Development Support

For TAACCCT Round 1, CSW partnered with Complete College America to support more than 10 postsecondary education consortia in their applications. The colleges we supported were awarded 20% of the national award pool. For TAACCCT Round 2, CSW assisted seven postsecondary colleges and consortia in their applications; six of whom earned awards totaling more than $53 million. Additionally, CSW currently works with strategic partners to conduct third-party evaluation for one Round 1 grantee and two Round 2 grantees.

For TAACCCT Round 3, we seek to work as a long-term, strategic partner with colleges and consortia who intend to use this grant program to catalyze institutional transformation. We can support the grant development process by researching and designing strong programs that align reinvention efforts with the intention of the TAACCCT grants, and engaging the right education and employer stakeholders at the right depth to build strategic and diverse partnerships. We also bring a solid background in third-party evaluation and can contribute to the development of performance management and evaluation plans.

Evaluation Services

CSW is well qualified to conduct comprehensive program evaluations that capture and articulate the extent to which your efforts improve outcomes for workers, employers, and communities. Our evaluations include qualitative and quantitative analyses of program activities and impacts. We use a range of methodologies to ascertain the mix of strategies in use across an initiative, the extent to which these are implemented and any significant process challenges, specific accomplishments associated with activities (quantitative and qualitative outcomes), and lessons learned and promising practices resulting from implementation. We also share our findings regularly in ways that help to inform your continuous improvement efforts throughout implementation.

CSW uses a developmental evaluation approach, which allows us to use our evaluation to provide feedback and support developmental decision-making and course corrections throughout implementation. This approach includes the use of performance scorecards, frequent briefs and reports, and other feedback mechanisms to support continuous improvement. In this role, we serve as part of the implementation team, helping to conceptualize, design, and test new approaches in a long-term, ongoing process of continuous improvement, adaptation, and intentional change. This approach takes maximum advantage of the expertise CSW and our partners have in promoting groundbreaking promising practices in workforce education and training.

Resources and Support for TAACCCT Program Implementation

We're offering our resources to help you promote leading edge ideas in your TAACCCT programs. Select the core element that you would like to explore:

We offer support for creating successful TAACCCT programs. Contact Leise Rosman at lrosman@skilledwork.org or 734-769-2900 x252 for further details.

The resources on this page are updated to help organizations who are either applying for or currently implementing a federal grant, especially from the Department of Labor and particularly those related to skills and educational attainment.