FY 2021 American Rescue Plan Act Good Jobs Challenge

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Through this American Rescue Plan Act Good Jobs Challenge Notice of Funding Opportunity (ARPA Good Jobs Challenge NOFO), EDA aims to assist communities and regions impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has caused, and continues to cause, economic injury to U.S. communities and regions in devastating and unprecedented ways. This ARPA Good Jobs Challenge NOFO is designed to help get Americans back to work by developing and strengthening regional systems to develop and execute sectoral partnerships that will lead to well-paying jobs. The goal of regional workforce training systems is to create and implement effective employer-driven training programs that will connect the existing and emerging skills needs of employers with workers and will help workers find and keep quality jobs and advance along their chosen career path. Regional workforce training systems and sectoral partnerships funded under this NOFO should connect employers in an industry with key regional stakeholders, including state and local governmental entities, economic development organizations, workforce development boards, employer-facing organizations, education and training providers, community‑based organizations (CBOs), worker-serving organizations (WSOs), and/or labor unions. The system or partnership should be led by a System Lead Entity or Backbone Organization, respectively, serving as an intermediary that has convening power in the region and the capacity to coordinate all necessary stakeholders. EDA also encourages systems and partnerships to address populations with labor market barriers such as persons with disabilities, at-risk youth, individuals in recovery, individuals with past criminal records including justice‑impacted and reentry participants, and veterans. EDA anticipates making approximately 25 to 50 awards under this ARPA Jobs Training NOFO and scaling awards as appropriate to the proposed geographic, industry, and worker role coverage of a given regional system.

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