United States: Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Grant Program

Deadline: 17-Nov-23

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is pleased to announce the Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Grant Program.

Goals and Objectives

Through this grant program, EPA is soliciting applications from eligible applicants to assist in the development and utilization of innovative activities relating to workforce development and career opportunities in the water utility sector, which may include:
- expanding the use and availability of activities and resources that relate to the recruitment, including the promotion of diversity within that recruitment, of individuals to careers in the drinking water and wastewater utility sector, including storm water;
- expanding the availability of training opportunities for:
  - individuals entering the water and wastewater utility sector; and
  - individuals seeking to advance careers within the water and wastewater utility sector;
- expanding the use and availability of activities and strategies, including the development of innovative activities and strategies, that relate to the maintenance and retention of a sustainable workforce in the water and wastewater utility sector; and
- expanding the availability of workforce development and training that enables drinking water and wastewater utility workers to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other air pollutants to benefit disadvantaged communities.

Project Areas

Project Area 1: Targeted internship, apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and postsecondary bridge programs for skilled water utility trades.
- Under Project Area 1, EPA is soliciting applications to expand public awareness about job opportunities in the drinking water and wastewater utility sector, and address the workforce needs of drinking water and wastewater utilities. This may be achieved by developing and implementing, for example, but not limited to, targeted1 internship, apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and post-secondary bridge programs for priority water utility trades through:
  - On-the-job training, including registered apprenticeships;
  - Skills development;
  - Test preparation, including developing test materials for skilled trade apprenticeships;
  - Advance training in the water utility sector relating to construction, utility operations treatment and distribution, green infrastructure, customer service, maintenance, and engineering; or
  - Other supportive services and participant support costs (e.g., apprenticeship stipend and training materials, reasonable costs for transportation, childcare subsidies) to facilitate post-secondary success.
Project Area 2: Education programs designed for elementary, secondary, and higher education students.
- Under Project Area 2, EPA is soliciting applications to expand student awareness about the job opportunities in the drinking water and wastewater utility sector and to address the workforce needs of drinking water and wastewater utilities by developing education programs designed for elementary, secondary, and higher education students and provide training opportunities for secondary and higher education students that:
  - Inform students about the value of water and water infrastructure and the role of drinking water and wastewater utilities in their communities;
  - Increase student awareness of career opportunities in the water sector, and increase student exposure to water utility careers through various work-based learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom;
  - Connect students to career pathways related to water utilities;
  - Provide hands-on contextualized learning opportunities;
  - Offer dual enrollment credit for post-secondary education and training programs;
  - Create a direct connection to water utility and industry employers; and/or
  - Build integrated learning laboratories in secondary educational institutions.
Project Area 3: Regional industry and workforce development collaborations to address water utility employment needs and coordinate candidate development, particularly in areas of high unemployment or for water utilities with a high proportion of retirement eligible employees.
- Under Project Area 3, EPA is soliciting applications to expand public awareness about job opportunities in the water sector and address the workforce needs of utilities by establishing regional industry and workforce development collaborations that will address drinking water and wastewater utility recruitment and retention issues.
- Applications should describe water utility employment needs and provide information on if and how candidate development will occur in areas with high unemployment or for water utilities with high proportion of retirement eligible employees in the water utility community. States are beginning to encounter critical staffing shortages in areas of high unemployment and where water utilities have a high proportion of retirement eligible employees or forceable workforce vacancies.
- Under this activity, applications should demonstrate a proposed approach to further the goal of building a stronger and more effective water utility workforce through collaboration opportunities with school systems, technical colleges, universities, labor organizations, community-based organizations, and other utilities.
Project Area 4: Leadership development, occupational training, mentoring, or cross-training programs that ensure incumbent drinking water and wastewater utility workers are prepared for higher level supervisory or management-level positions.
- Under Project Area 4, EPA is soliciting applications to expand public awareness about senior, supervisory, and leadership job opportunities in the drinking water and wastewater utility sector, and address the workforce needs of water utilities through leadership development, occupational training, mentoring, or cross-training programs that prepare incumbent drinking water and wastewater utility workers for supervisory or management-level positions. This is intended to support retention and advancement of water utility workforce employees through skills development opportunities, including opportunities to support communities potentially underrepresented in water sector leadership roles.
Project Area 5: Education and training programs, including internship or apprenticeship programs, designed for decentralized water workers (i.e., private well and/or septic system service professionals) to support public health outcomes for communities that rely on private wells for drinking water or decentralized systems for adequate treatment and disposal of wastewater.
- Under Project Area 5, EPA is soliciting applications to expand public awareness about job opportunities in the decentralized drinking water (i.e., private wells) and/ or wastewater (i.e., septic systems) sectors, and address the workforce needs of the decentralized water workforce (such as inspectors, O&M providers, designers, installers, etc.) through supporting public health outcomes of communities that rely on these systems. This may be achieved by developing and implementing, for example, but not limited to, education and training programs at higher education institutions, or internship/apprenticeship programs that prioritize decentralized water skilled trades through:
  - New training program(s) at higher education institutions (i.e., community colleges);
  - Growth of existing training program(s) at higher education institutions;
  - On-the-job training, including registered apprenticeships;
  - Skills development;
  - Test preparation for state level licensing requirements;
  - Advanced training in the decentralized water sector relating to site evaluation, design, installation, inspection/monitoring, and operations/maintenance of systems; or,
  - Other supportive services and participant support costs (e.g., apprenticeship stipend and training materials, reasonable costs for transportation, childcare subsidies) to facilitate growth potential of decentralized water workers.
Project Area 6: Leadership development, occupational training, mentoring, workforce development and/or cross training programs that enable drinking water and wastewater utility workers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants to benefit disadvantaged communities.
- The awards under this Project Area will be funded by Clean Air Act. Under this Project Area, EPA is soliciting applications to address the workforce needs of water utilities through leadership development, occupational training, mentoring, workforce development, and/or cross-training programs that enable drinking water and wastewater utility workers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants in ways that benefit disadvantaged communities as defined below. As water and wastewater facilities integrate improved energy management and technologies into their daily operations and long-term planning, workforce development and training programs are needed to improve the knowledge in implementing such practices.

Funding Information

Project Area 1: Targeted internships, apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, & postsecondary bridge programs
- Number of Awards Anticipated: 1-4
- Funding Range: $1,500,000- $6,800,000
- Anticipated Available Funding: $6.8 million
Project Area 2: Education programs designed for elementary, secondary & higher education students
- Number of Awards Anticipated: 1-4
- Funding Range: $250,000 – $1,000,000
- Anticipated Available Funding: $1 million
Project Area 3: Regional industry and workforce development collaborations
- Number of Awards Anticipated: 1-4
- Funding Range: $2500,000 – $1,000,000
- Anticipated Available Funding: $1 million
Project Area 4: Leadership development, occupational training, mentoring, or crosstraining programs
- Number of Awards Anticipated: 1-4
- Funding Range: $250,000 – $1,000,000
- Anticipated Available Funding: $1 million
Project Area 5: Education and training programs, including internship or apprenticeship programs, designed for decentralized water workers
- Number of Awards Anticipated: 1-4
- Funding Range: $250,000 – $1,000,000
- Anticipated Available Funding: $1 million
Project Area 6: Leadership development, occupational training, mentoring, workforce development and/or cross training programs that enable drinking water and wastewater utility workers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants to benefit disadvantaged communities
- Number of Awards Anticipated: 1-2
- Funding Range: $5,000,000- $10,000,000
- Anticipated Available Funding: $10 million

Outputs

Project Area 1: Targeted internship, apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and post-secondary bridge programs for skilled water utility trades, include, but are not limited to, the following:
- An increased number of participants in existing or new internship, apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, post-secondary bridge programs for skilled water utility trades. An increased number of internships, apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, or postsecondary bridge programs for skilled water utility trades, including programs addressing emerging water workforce needs such as climate adaptation and green/nature-based infrastructure.
- An increased number of available recruitment strategies, materials, and partnerships to inform potential applicants of internship, apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and postsecondary bridge programs for skilled water utility trades.
Project Area 2: Education programs designed for elementary, secondary, and higher education students, include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Establishment of new partnerships with community and technical colleges to provide classroom, online, and/or on the job training experiences for elementary, secondary, or higher education students.
- Development, distribution, and use of age-appropriate educational materials for elementary, secondary, or higher education students to raise awareness about opportunities in the drinking water or wastewater utilities sector
Project Area 3: Regional industry, and workforce development collaborations to address water utility employment needs and coordinate candidate development, particularly in areas of high unemployment or for water utilities with a high proportion of retirement eligible employees, include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Development of a new regional collaboration program or expansion of an existing collaboration program amongst organizations to address regional water workforce needs in areas of high unemployment or for water utilities facing potentially high retirement rates.
- Establishment of new partnerships with community organizations, educational institutions, labor organizations, utilities, or other organizations to address the workforce needs of water utilities.
Project Area 4: Leadership development, occupational training, mentoring, or cross-training programs that ensure incumbent drinking water and wastewater utility workers are prepared for higher level supervisory or management-level positions, include, but are not limited to, the following:
- An increased number of drinking water or wastewater utility workers receiving leadership training and mentoring.
- An increased number of utility programs to train incumbent workers for management positions.
Project Area 5: Education and training programs, including internship or apprenticeship programs, designed for decentralized water workers (i.e., private well and/or septic system service professionals) to support public health outcomes for communities that rely on private wells for drinking water or decentralized systems for adequate treatment and disposal of wastewater, include, but are not limited to, the following:
- An increased number of participants in existing or new education and training programs, including internship or apprenticeship programs designed for skilled decentralized water trades.
- An increased number of existing or new education and training programs, including internship or apprenticeship programs designed for skilled decentralized water trades.
Project Area 6 may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Development of a collaboration program amongst organizations to train the water utility sector workforce in new tools and technologies that can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants.
- Establishment of new partnerships with community organizations, educational institutions, labor organizations, utilities, or other organizations to address the water workforce needs in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants from water and wastewater treatment.

Outcomes

Project Area 1:
- An increased number of individuals that have completed internship, apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and post-secondary bridge programs and been placed in water and wastewater utility jobs.
- An increased number of individuals that have completed internship, apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and post-secondary bridge programs and received industry credentials that qualify them for utility jobs.
Project Area 2:
- Increased student awareness about career opportunities in the water and wastewater sector as documented by program assessments on knowledge acquisition.
- Integration of educational program into school’s science, technology, engineering, and math activities and programs.
Project Area 3:
- Enhanced sustainable regional collaborations that support the long-term water utility workforce needs.
- Increased number of individuals in high areas of unemployment being recruited into the water sector.
Project Area 4:
- An increase in the number of internal promotions.
- An increase in candidate development opportunities that formally qualify incumbents to be considered for management and supervisory positions.
Project Area 5:
- Increased number of individuals that have completed decentralized water education and training programs, including internship or apprenticeship programs, and been placed in decentralized water jobs.
- Increased number of individuals that have completed decentralized water education and training programs, including internship or apprenticeship programs, and been placed in decentralized water jobs.
Project Area 6:
- Enhanced sustainable regional collaborations that support long-term water utility workforce needs and long-term greenhouse gas and other air pollution emission reduction goals.
- Increased number of individuals being recruited into the water sector to address climate change.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Applicants Consistent with Assistance Listing 66.445, eligible applicants for Project Areas 1-5 under this RFA are nonprofit professional or service organizations, nonprofit labor organizations, nonprofit community colleges, institutions of higher education, other nonprofit training, and educational institutions, or public works departments and agencies.
Nonprofit organizations that are not exempt from taxation under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code must submit other forms of documentation of nonprofit status, such as certificates of incorporation as a nonprofit under state or tribal law.
Nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation are not eligible for EPA funding as provided in the Lobbying Disclosure Act, 2 U.S.C. 1611.
For-profit organizations and individuals are not eligible to apply.
EPA may ask applicants to demonstrate that they are eligible for funding under this announcement.
Consistent with Assistance Listing 66.616, eligible applicants for Project Area 6 are a:
- community-based nonprofit organizations (CBO);
- a partnership of CBOs; or
- a partnership between a CBO and Federally recognized Indian Tribe, local government or institution of higher education.
The partnership agreement must specify which member of the partnership will enter into the assistance agreement with EPA for the purposes of 1) accountability for the proper expenditure of Federal funds; 2) performance of the assistance agreement; 3) liability for claims for recovery of unallowable costs incurred under the agreement; and 4) must specify the respective roles in performing the proposed scope of work for the assistance agreement.
At least one CBO in the partnership must receive EPA funding either as a direct recipient or as a sub-recipient. As a policy matter, the partnership agreement must also, at a minimum, specify other roles and responsibilities of each partner, including how the priority environmental and public health issues of the disadvantaged communities proposed to be served by the award are identified, as well as the role of community leaders in the decision making processes and implementation of the proposed projects for funding.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.