Adult and Community Learning Services (ACLS)

An Opportunity for Adult Learners – TAACCCT

An Opportunity for Adult Learners to Access Further Education and Training

February 20, 2011 Dear ABE Program Directors, The Department of Labor has recently released a request for proposals called the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants Program (TAACCCT Program) that supports the following priorities:

increase the attainment of degrees, certificates and other industry recognized credentials and better prepare the targeted populations for high wage, high skill employment;
accelerate progress for low skilled and other workers;
improve retention and achievement rates to reduce time to completion;
develop bridges from non-credit to credit certificate and degree programs;
build programs that meet industry needs, including developing career pathways and strengthen online and technology enabled learning.

Eligible applicants are community colleges. In Massachusetts, the community colleges are applying as a consortium and they are involving multiple partners including adult basic education. The education and training offered will be in workforce areas that reflect the strategic economic development/recovery plan and related investments in the Commonwealth. The major employment clusters for this project are envisioned to be:

Life Sciences and Biotechnology
Information Technology
Health Care

Other Clusters may include, but are not limited to:

Clean Energy
Advanced Manufacturing
Financial Services and Entrepreneurship

The target populations are Trade Adjustment Assistance eligible adults, other unemployed adults, WIA eligible adults and low income adults. The proposal will support education and training program that can be completed in two years of less with a goal of preparing students for high wage, high skill jobs. Funding will be used to develop innovative, transformative programs or replicate evidence based strategies. For example, Ohio's stackable certificate program and Washington's I-BEST model have been referenced. It would be very helpful if you would share with me any successful program designs aligned with the proposal's objectives that you have implemented. It is especially helpful, if you have any outcome data that supports student success. Please feel free to email me or call me (781-338-3801) - your experience will help me provide input and ideas as the response to the RFP is developed. Thank you,
Anne Anne Serino, Massachusetts ABE State Director
Department of Elementary & Secondary Education/ACLS

Last Updated: March 1, 2011