Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants Program

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In an increasingly competitive global economy, America’s economic strength depends on the education and skills of its workers. The nation needs workers with the education and skills to succeed in fast- growing, high-wage occupations. The TAACCCT program provides capacity-building grants to spur innovation and the development of model training programs at America’s community colleges and universities. TAACCCT-funded programs will prepare participants for employment in high-wage, high-skill occupations by using innovative and sophisticated strategies that address the unique needs of unemployed or under-employed adults. Throughout the first three rounds of TAACCCT, grantees have transformed the ways they design and deliver courses to adults through accelerated learning strategies, redesigned curricula, and technology-enhanced learning activities. These have included the incorporation of prior learning and knowledge, integrated occupational and academic learning, new educational technology, work-based learning opportunities, and online and distance learning opportunities. The TAACCCT program seeks to increase the number of workers who attain certificates, degrees, and other industry-recognized credentials, helping to meet President Obama’s college graduation goal of increasing the percentage of adults with a post-secondary credential by 2020. The overarching goals of the program are to: (1) increase attainment of degrees, certifications, certificates, diplomas, and other industry-recognized credentials that match the skills needed by employers to better prepare workers eligible for training under the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Workers Program (“TAA-eligible workers”) of chapter 2 of title II of the Trade Act of 1974, 19 U.S.C. 2271-2323, and other adults for high-wage, high-skill employment or re-employment in growth industry sectors; (2) introduce or replicate innovative and effective methods for designing and delivering instruction that address specific industry needs and lead to improved learning, completion, and other outcomes for TAA-eligible workers and other adults; and (3) demonstrate improved employment outcomes.

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