Pathways to Careers: Community Colleges for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities Demonstration Project

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Summary: The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL or Department), Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) announces the availability of approximately $2,083,300 to fund two cooperative agreements to conduct pilot projects. Under this initiative, funding will be awarded through a competitive process to two eligible institutions to research, develop, test, and, in coordination with DOL, evaluate innovative systems models for providing inclusive integrated education and career development services to youth and young adults with disabilities, including those with significant disabilities. Eligible participants will be between the ages of 14 and 24. This award will be for a 60-month period of performance and will fund the first 12-month budget period. ODEP, in its discretion, may make available continuation awards for additional 12 month budget periods through the end of the period of performance. To be considered for an award, an applicant for the grant must: 1) Be an eligible institution of higher education, as defined by section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, that provide(s) education and career training programs that can be completed in two years or less, and 2) Be a recipient of funding through the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant program. The primary intent of the TAACCCT grants is to build and expand the capacity of community colleges to meet the educational and career retraining needs of workers who have lost their jobs or are threatened with job loss as a result of foreign trade eligible for services under the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act (TAA), and other workers seeking skilled training for jobs in demand. The current Pathways to Careers grant initiative is not limited to workers who have lost their jobs or who are threatened with job loss as a result of foreign trade. However, DOL is seeking to leverage and build upon the TAACCCT program grantees’ recent experiences in developing infrastructure, including curriculum, needed to expand and improve education and career development training programs. Grantees will conduct pilot projects to develop and test new inclusive education and career training strategies to help ensure that youth and young adults with disabilities acquire the skills, degrees, and credentials needed for high wage, high skill employment.

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