The PA Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) has created this grant opportunity to select a service provider to assist the department with the creation and administration of a capacity-building program that provides workforce development (WD) and human resources (HR) support to small- and mid-sized farms and agribusinesses.
Donor Name: Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry
State: Pennsylvania
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 12/02/2024
Size of the Grant: Not Available
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
The overarching purpose of this grant is to help PA farms and agribusinesses avoid future closure and layoffs by assisting them in recruiting the workforce needed to stably maintain operations and building an administrative foundation for future success, while also providing job opportunities for dislocated workers. The amount of funding available will ultimately be determined based upon the needs of the awarded project subject to the amount of available funds. L&I is seeking innovative applications that build upon the applicant’s subject matter expertise and knowledge of the agricultural sector.
Grant Period
- Period of Performance Start Date: June 1, 2025.
- Period of Performance Contract End Date: May 31, 2027.
Required Activities
The required activities outlined below are intended to frame the types of services and/or activities that would be necessary for successful program delivery. The following activities are to be completed in consultation with lay-off aversion specialists and business services representatives from the PA Bureau of Workforce Partnerships and Operations (BWPO) and subject-matter experts from the PA Department of Agriculture. In addition, the grantee will have the ability to subcontract some project activities to appropriate service providers or partners when deemed necessary to expand the geographic reach of their proposal and/or to meet the needs of specific commodity markets. Activities that should be addressed include:
- PA Workforce Development Stakeholder Training: As part of its continuous improvement efforts, L&I is interested in learning more from subject matter experts (SMEs) about the workforce needs of the state’s agribusinesses to stimulate innovative program development and alleviate barriers that may exist to receiving services. Therefore, we are seeking a service provider with strong ties to the state’s agricultural industry and significant agricultural experience and expertise that can develop and deliver an agricultural workforce development training program for workforce development stakeholders from across the Commonwealth, including, but not limited to, local workforce development board (LWDB), L&I, and PA CareerLink® leadership and personnel.
- Outreach and Recruitment: Develop and implement a statewide program that identifies 1,000 small- to mid-sized farms and agribusinesses that would benefit from using Commonwealth workforce development services as an early intervention strategy to avoid potential closure and layoffs.
- PA CareerLink® Awareness Training: According to a recent survey, only 40% of farms and agribusinesses reported accessing the services provided by their local PA CareerLink® (L&I, 2021). Describe your plan for developing and delivering a PA CareerLink® Awareness Training Program for all 1,000 organizations that will be identified in Task B.
- Technical Assistance (TA) Consulting: Describe your plan for identifying a subgroup of 100 farms or agribusinesses (from the original 1,000 identified above) who may benefit from receiving additional Technical Assistance (TA) Consulting. A total of 10,000 hours of TA Consulting may be delivered during the project’s two-year performance period; with each farm or agribusiness in this subgroup receiving an average of 100 hours of individualized consulting. Please also describe your plan for assessing the consulting needs of farms and agribusinesses, as well as for delivering follow-up technical assistance to those entities.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants include service providers with significant agricultural experience and expertise, as well as strong ties to the state’s agricultural industry. Applicants should be a trusted member of the agricultural community in Pennsylvania (e.g., a recognized Ag convener, stakeholder, or expert) with the capability of bringing together farms, agribusiness, education, community, and workforce partners (including, but not limited to local workforce development boards, L&I, and PA CareerLink® leadership and personnel) to achieve the overall project goals as defined by this NGA. An organization can submit only one application.
Additionally, the applicant must demonstrate:
- The ability to coordinate, manage, and implement the design of the project; develop and implement the project budget; implement a strategy to collect, analyze, and report performance outcomes; and coordinate and evaluate the activities of the project.
- A familiarity with the Pennsylvania Workforce Development System.
- The ability to translate workforce development system, human resource law/practices, and technical information into plain language; and can effectively apply those issues to a farm’s or agribusiness’ unique circumstances.
- The ability to effectively engage with farm and agribusiness owners at their location(s) and assist them in using workforce development resources and tools.
- Familiarity with human resource practices that impact small- to mid-sized businesses with specific skill or knowledge regarding specific needs of farms and agribusinesses.
- The capability of monitoring and administering the fiscal components of the NGA.
- The capability of submitting the required reporting elements at the required intervals as documented in the NGA.
- The capacity to work with an evaluator.
For more information, visit L&I.
