Deadline: 11 January 2019
The Office of Global Educational Programs of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State have announced an open competition for the Community College Initiative (CCI) Program.
ECA is seeking proposal submissions for one cooperative agreement to design, implement, and oversee the CCI Program. The CCI Program provides international participants from underserved and underrepresented communities with an intensive academic-year long program at accredited U.S. community colleges, focused on building technical and professional skills while deepening participants’ understanding of the United States, its people and values.
The Community College Initiative (CCI) Program promotes American competitiveness and economic prosperity, advances American influence, and contributes to the development of 21st century skills on U.S. community college campuses by increasing job skills, reducing skills gaps, developing soft skills, and strengthening employability.
Goals
The program goals are to:
- Equip exchange participants with professional and technical skills in fields of study that will help them as workforce leaders to meet important needs in their underserved communities;
- Expand opportunities for underrepresented, underserved youth, especially women, in the developing world;
- Build mutual understanding, tolerance, and respect through sharing cultures and values;
- Foster relationships among underserved youth from different ethnic, religious, and national groups, including U.S. peers;
- Empower participants from underrepresented and underserved groups to engage in addressing issues of economic and/or social concern in their local communities upon their return home; and
- Promote internationalization efforts on U.S. community college campuses and better prepare U.S. students for successful futures in a global marketplace.
Objectives
- The objectives of the program for participants are to:
- Demonstrate increased knowledge and professional skills in their chosen field of study;
- Demonstrate increased confidence and ability in their personal, professional, and leadership skills and enhance employability;
- Demonstrate improvement in their level of proficiency in English that will serve as a springboard to opportunity;
- Demonstrate a better understanding of community engagement as practiced within their multinational campus cohorts and in their host communities in the United States;
- Demonstrate a better understanding of the values, society, institutions, and culture of the United States; and
- Demonstrate the mindset of a difference-maker with a commitment to sharing what they have learned with others and making a contribution to their local communities upon return home.
- The objectives of the program for community colleges are to:
- Increase institutional capacity to host international students, especially those from underrepresented countries and communities, thereby improving institutional support systems, student experiences, and ultimately the capacity to recruit international degree-seeking students;
- Increase institutional capacity to facilitate greater engagement among and between international students and U.S. students, staff, and faculty and build mutual understanding, tolerance, and respect through sharing of cultures and values;
- Internationalize on-campus opportunities for U.S. students to gain international awareness, global competencies and ultimately to increase the global understanding, job skills, and mobility of U.S. community college students .
Funding Information
- Award Ceiling: $5,275,000
- Award Floor: $5,275,000
Eligibility Criteria
Applications may be submitted by U.S. public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3).
How to Apply
Applicants can download the application package via given website.
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/2B5sGBj