The Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL) is accepting applications for the Education Workforce Innovation Network (EWIN) Education-Workforce Partnership Planning Grants. These planning grants are intended to create an implementation plan for additional, yet necessary career education services (career awareness, career exploration, career preparation, and career training) for target populations currently underserved in this area.
The overall goal of EWIN is to strategically support regions across Indiana in reaching the goal of 60 percent postsecondary attainment in a way that aligns with workforce needs. EWIN has historically provided technical assistance in the processes of coalition building, sector partnership development, and pathways systems across the state of Indiana. Currently, EWIN is well positioned to meet the ever-changing education-workforce needs of schools, employers, and communities. Therefore, the Education-Workforce Partnership Planning Grants serve a variety of purposes to allow grantees autonomy to develop local solutions for specific career-service needs within a target population.
Applicants should review available local/regional education and workforce data to identify a specific population who lacks necessary career services such as career awareness, career exploration, career preparation, or career training. The target population could be as broad or as specific as the need in the data demonstrates. Data analysis could include review of various subgroup's opportunities for exploration in non traditional career paths. Once a target population is identified, the applicant should research promising practices that address the issue, and then develop potential opportunities for this target population. These may be locally developed or modeled after national best practices.
The Education-Workforce Partnership Planning Grant awardees will use the grant period to
- Establish a project core team and advisory team using the guidelines below.
- Conduct research of promising innovative education-workforce models.
- Engage with other awardees to share and grow together during EWIN-led networking meetings.
- Participate in and learn from customized, ongoing EWIN support.
- Attend in and out-of state site visits organized by EWIN.
- Lead the design of an implementation plan with EWIN support.
None is available.
Planning activities include the research on innovative models of education/workforce alignment and creation of an implementation plan. Funds may be applied to travel to promising practice sites (in-state and nationally; exact sites do not need to be indicated in application), travel to in-state networking meetings with other grant participants, meeting costs, subscriptions to data resources (example: National Student Clearinghouse), and staff time (which can include stipends for partners). Funds may not be used for student transportation, to hire contractors or fund staff positions.