Displaced Oil and Gas Workers Fund (DOGWF) Grant – California

Deadline: 11/13/2023

Size of the Grant: $12 million

Grant Duration: 33 months

Details: 

The DOGWF 23-24 program grant will address the needs of displaced workers in the oil and gas sector. This initiative aims to support these workers in transitioning into sectors that match their skills and expertise and offer comparable wages The mission extends beyond singular sectors, with a commitment to securing stable, well-compensated, and gratifying roles for these workers across diverse industries.

The DOGWF grant is designed to support awardees in leading initiatives that align with the objectives of assisting workers affected by the transition away from the oil and gas industry. The primary focus of the grant is to guide these workers into high-quality, careers, defined as “good jobs” by the Aspen Institute’s Good Jobs Champions Group.

Goals

The DOGWF Grant is committed to facilitating a just and sustainable shift for workers displaced from the oil and gas industry. The primary focus of this initiative is to enhance the prospects of these individuals by offering targeted education, training, and re-employment opportunities. The allocation of grant funds is strategically designed to amplify these opportunities for the affected workers, with the following key objectives:

• Workforce and Economic Development
  • Encourage the development of California’s skilled workforce through support for demand-driven skills.
  • Assist employers in meeting workforce needs by placing skilled workers transitioning from the oil and gas sector into vacancies.
  • Increase the employment rate of displaced workers in high-quality jobs.
  • Facilitate the transition of workers to new high-quality jobs following job loss and dislocation.
  • Recognize and respond to industry trends influenced by gas emission reduction policies and consumer behavior.
  • Align training and re-employment strategies with the needs of the regional labor market as well as individual worker needs.
• Equitable Transition 
  • Support displaced oil and gas industry workers’ transition into high quality employment that limit or eliminate potential reductions in earnings.
  • Enhance displaced oil and gas industry workers’ ability to utilize their unique and high level transferrable skills in new employment opportunities.
  • Ensure an equitable transition for displaced oil and gas industry workers, particularly those hailing from marginalized communities or facing significant employment barriers, by limiting the impact of lost wages.
  • Create or facilitate access to education and training opportunities that bridge the gap between displaced oil and gas industry workers’ existing skill sets and skills needed for employment in new industries. Training opportunities should acknowledge and utilize the high level of pre-existing skills and aim to minimize the duration of additional training needed to accelerate re-employment.
  • Support and promote credentialing initiatives to bolster the employability of displaced workers in new sectors.
  • Remove hurdles preventing displaced workers from obtaining sustainable, high-quality jobs in new sectors, that limit any loss in wages.
  • Increase the rate at which displaced workers are placed in high-quality jobs with sustainable wages comparable to their prior employment.
  • Prioritize long-term economic stability, mobility, and security for displaced workers through targeted initiatives and support structures.
• Partnerships and Collaboration
  • Foster partnerships with educational institutions, unions, industry leaders, and community organizations to provide comprehensive support for displaced workers.
  • Collaborate with industry partners to identify emerging job trends and align training programs accordingly.
  • Engage with community organizations to provide holistic support services, including mental health resources, financial planning, and housing assistance.
  • Engage with displacing employers, where possible, to facilitate transition to new employment, and to document or certify any existing skillsets of displaced workers.
  • Engage with employers in industry sectors that are likely to have demand for skills like those in the oil and gas industry, potentially including but not limited to green energy, utilities, transportation, manufacturing, and construction.

Funding Information

A total of $36.5 million in General Fund dollars are available through this Solicitation for Proposals (SFP). The EDD anticipates funding approximately three to five awards, with individual grant amounts ranging from a minimum of $2 million to a maximum of $12 million.

Period of Performance

The Period of Performance (POP) for projects funded under this SFP will be up to 33 months with an anticipated start date of June 2024.

Target Region

The grant targets three specific counties with particularly high concentrations of displaced or soon-to-be displaced workers:

• Kern County, (2a) Contra Costa County, and (2b) Los Angeles County. Priority scoring will be given to applicants with proposed service area in three targeted counties, Contra Costa County, Los Angeles County, and Kern County due to its unique vulnerability to the industry’s phase-out, given worker density and the number of workers employed in the industry. Workers in counties other than those specifically targeted by the grant can be deemed eligible to receive services in instances where a need for DOGWF support can be substantiated.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants Applications will be accepted from the following entities:

• Public and private non-profit organizations
• Local Workforce Development Areas
• Education and training providers
• Community-based organizations (CBOs) and faith-based organizations
• Labor organizations

Participants

• The DOGWF Program grant services are primarily designed to support two groups: Core Workers, who are directly engaged in oil or gas extraction and refinement, and Core Adjacent Workers, who are in occupations that exist in the oil and gas industry but also have potential in other industries. For example, pipefitters and welders may face a moderate degree of difficulty transitioning to comparable work in other industries.
• The main objective of the program is to assist workers who are currently facing displacement or are at imminent risk of displacement.
• In addition, it should be noted that the EDD reserves the right to extend eligibility to other impacted workers based on worker dislocation trends. This approach ensures that while the initial focus is on Core and Core Adjacent Workers, the program retains the flexibility to expand its support to other jobs within the Gas and Oil industry such as: Clerical Workers, Executives, Engineers, Senior Managers, and Gas Station Attendants if layoffs for these groups become significant or if other groups of workers become significantly impacted. This flexibility ensures that the grant funds can be directed where they are most needed, even as circumstances change.

For more information, visit LWDA.