	Background

Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grants are competitive grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) to support career training programs that can be completed in two years or less. Statute specifies that TAACCCT-funded programs should target workers who have been adversely affected by international trade and are eligible for the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers (TAAW) program. The program is administered by the Department of Labor (DOL). TAACCCT was created as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA; P.L. 111-5 ) and is codified as part of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended. The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 ( P.L. As required by statute, at least 0.5% of total funds for grants (approximately $2.25 million) must be allocated to institutions in each state. Allowable Uses of Funds

Allowable uses of TAACCCT funds are the development, improvement, and expansion of education and career training programs. Duration of Grants

The most recent SGA specified that grants are for a 48-month period of performance. Grantees must develop and offer programs within the first 36 months and spend the final 12 months gathering information and reporting outcome data. Grant Application Requirements and Award Criteria

Statute establishes basic requirements for grant proposals and general criteria for choosing grantees. Statute further specifies that, when awarding grants, DOL will consider
the merits of the proposal to develop, offer, or improve training programs to be made available to TAAW-eligible workers; the employment opportunities available to workers who complete a program that is developed, offered, or improved by TAACCCT funding; and the prior and anticipated demand for training programs by TAAW-eligible workers served by the applying institution as well as the capacity of existing programs to meet anticipated demand. 5. 111-152 ). This act provided $500 million in mandatory funding for TAACCCT in each of the four years from FY2011 through FY2014 (see Table 1 ). Funding levels in FY2013 and FY2014 were reduced under sequestration. Application and Award Activity

The first SGA for TAACCCT funding was issued by DOL in January 2011 and closed in April 2011. The second SGA was issued in February 2012 and closed May 24, 2012. The third SGA was issued in April 2013. DOL announced the grantees September 18, 2013. The fourth SGA was issued in April 2014. This SGA represents the final round of TAACCCT grants under the funding provided under HCERA.
Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grants are competitive grants to institutions of higher education to support the development, offering, and improvement of career training programs that can be completed in two years or less. The program targets workers who have been adversely affected by international trade, though non-trade-affected workers may also participate in TAACCCT-funded programs.
TAACCCT is administered by the Department of Labor (DOL). It was created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA; P.L. 111-5) and is authorized under the Trade Act of 1974, as amended. The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (HCERA, P.L. 111-152) provided $500 million per fiscal year in mandatory appropriations for TAACCCT for FY2011 through FY2014. In FY2013 and FY2014, the funding for the program was reduced to $474.5 million and $464 million, respectively, due to sequestration. Funds equal to at least 0.5% of the total annual funding for grants must be awarded to institutions in each state.
TAACCCT grantees may use funds to design, develop, and offer career training programs. Allowable uses of funds include personnel as well as materials and other expenses related to content development and delivery. Under the most recent solicitation for grant applications (SGA), TAACCCT grants provide a 48-month period of performance. This period includes 36 months for the design, development, and delivery of a training program and 12 months for data gathering and evaluation.
Statute requires that grant applications include a description of the proposed project and how it will serve trade-affected workers. Statute further specifies that grants will be judged on the merit of the proposed project and the local employment prospects for individuals who would complete the proposed program. SGAs have specified an expanded set of criteria for program grants to operationalize the aims of the TAACCCT program.
The first SGA was issued in January 2011 and grantees were announced in September 2011. The second SGA was issued in February 2012 and grantees were announced in September 2012. The third SGA was issued in April 2013 and grantees were announced in September 2013. The fourth SGA, representing the final round of grants under the HCERA funding, was issued in April 2014.