Employment and Training Participants
Employment and training programs are primarily administered by the U.S. Dept. of Labor through The American Job Center network. This network provides universal access to an integrated array of labor exchange services. Find your local American Job Center here. American Job Centers are governed by regional Workforce Development Boards (WDBs; sometimes called Workforce Investment Boards or WIBS). WDBs, in consultation with partners and community service providers, must develop a policy on supportive services for those seeking jobs and training that ensures resource and service coordination in the local area.
Regarding transportation, Sect. 106(c)(1) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act specifies that regional planning must include “(5) coordination of transportation and other supportive services, as appropriate, for the region.” Some programs are also offered through the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services.
Identifying the value of transportation
Begin with the mission of the CCAM-funded agency and ask, “How can transportation access contribute to the success of that mission?” For agencies serving job seekers and trainees, the importance of transportation may be tied to one or more of these value statements, which can serve as starting discussion points:
When employees and trainees have access to transportation. . .
- They are better positioned to build up job experience and income, as well as access training to gain skills that lead to progress in their careers and embark on newer, more fulfilling jobs.
- Their employers benefit by having employees show up consistently and on-time, thus leading to a more reliable workforce, increased productivity, less staff turnover, and reduced training costs.
Program Listing
Below is a detailed description of employment and training programs. Each listing contains what type of transportation support is allowable, a brief program description, and ways for both mobility management professionals and program staff from other agencies to connect.
Table of Contents
Direct Support
Funding for transportation on an individual basis. This includes things like transit passes or gas vouchers.
Direct Service
Program staff provide transportation services directly or can contract for services.
Local Match Eligible
Program’s funds can be used as federal match to FTA transportation grants or other federal programs.
U.S. Dept. of Labor, Employment & Training Administration
Program Description:
H-1B Skills Training Grants fund projects that provide training and related activities to workers to assist them in gaining the skills and competencies needed to obtain or upgrade employment in high-growth industries or economic sectors. These grants are supported by user fees paid by employers seeking high-skilled foreign workers under the H-1B visa program. The training grants aim to prepare Americans for high-skill jobs, reducing dependence on foreign labor.
Distribution of funds:
Provides project grants to states and tribal nations and public and nonprofit institutions/organizations (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals). Grants may be awarded to a partnership of private and public sector entities as defined in the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act (ACWIA). See the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for specific requirements.
Transportation Supports:
Transportation support may be allowed under “related activities.”
Mobility management professionals:
Program staff:
U.S. Dept. of Labor, Veterans' Employment and Training Service
Program Description:
The Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP) provides services to help veterans experiencing or who are at risk of homelessness obtain meaningful employment and to stimulate the development of effective service delivery systems to address the complex problems that they face.
Distribution of funds:
Provides project grants to state/county/city or town governments and public agencies; public and state controlled institutions of higher education; Native American tribal governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit, private, and for-profit institutions of higher education, state and local WDBs; and faith-based organizations.
Transportation Supports:
Projects supported with these funds shall provide for employment and training services and support services directly or through linkages with other service providers; “support services” may include transportation.
Mobility management professionals:
Program staff:
U.S. Dept. of Labor, Employment & Training Administration
Program Description:
Job Corps helps eligible young people ages 16 through 24 complete their high school education, trains them for meaningful careers, and assists them with obtaining employment. At Job Corps, students have access to room and board while they learn skills in specific training areas for up to three years. Job Corps graduates either enter the workforce or an apprenticeship, go on to higher education, or join the military.
Distribution of funds:
Competitively awards funds to operators of job corps centers, including to federal, state, and local agencies; private for-profit and non-profit corporations; Indian tribes and organizations; and area vocational education or residential vocational schools.
Transportation Supports:
In addition to helping students complete their education, obtain career technical skills and gain employment, Job Corps also provides transitional support services, such as help finding employment, housing, child care, and transportation.
Mobility management professionals:
Program staff:
U.S. Dept. of Labor, Employment & Training Administration
Program Description:
To help individuals, and their dependents, who are primarily employed in agricultural and fish farming labor that is characterized by chronic unemployment and underemployment, obtain and retain unsubsidized employment, or stabilize their unsubsidized employment, including upgraded employment in agriculture. Grant organizations provide career services, job training, housing assistance, and other related assistance.
Distribution of funds:
Formula funds awarded competitively to eligible applicants that submit four-year program plans for operating the NFJP in state, substate, and multi-state service areas. Grantees provide career services, training services, youth services, housing assistance and other related assistance. The NFJP is a required one-stop partner. Therefore, local Workforce Development Boards, in the areas of the state where an NFJP operates, must negotiate MOUs with NFJP grantees. Additionally, state monitor advocates are required to negotiate MOUs with NFJP grantees.
Transportation Supports:
Eligible migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their dependents may receive career services, such as an eligibility determination, initial assessment, job placement assistance, comprehensive skills assessment, an individual employment plan, case management, career planning, and workplace readiness. Training services, such as occupational skills training or on-the-job training, and related assistance, such as emergency assistance, allow a farmworker to obtain, retain, or stabilize their unsubsidized employment, including upgraded employment in agriculture.
Mobility management professionals:
Program staff:
U.S. Dept. of Labor, Employment & Training Administration
Program Description:
To support employment and training activities for Indians and Native Americans. In addition, program grantees must make efforts to develop programs that contribute to occupational development, upward mobility, development of new careers, and opportunities for nontraditional employment.
Distribution of funds:
Grant awards range from $1,000 to $5,000,000. Funding is based on a formula which is based on the percentage of low-income and unemployed Native Americans living in a geographic service area. Federally Recognized tribes are typically awarded funds based on their reservation area (land base) but may also apply for “off-reservation” areas.
Transportation Supports:
Funds may be utilized for employment and training programs and services, including classroom training, on-the-job training, training assistance, work experience, youth employment programs, day care, health care, job search, relocation, rent assistance and transportation allowances designed to help eligible participants to obtain employment.
Mobility management professionals:
Program staff:
U.S. Dept. of Labor, Employment & Training Administration
Program Description:
The goal is to develop strategies and partnerships that facilitate successful workforce outcomes for participants. This program includes both reentry grants focused on serving returning adults and youth focused grants aimed at youth involved or at risk of involvement in crime and violence. The objectives of the adult reentry grants include increasing the employment, employment retention, and earnings rate of released individuals while also decreasing their rate of recidivism. The objectives of youth reentry grants include preventing in-school youth from dropping out of school, increasing the employment rate of out-of-school youth, improving the reading and math skills of youth, reducing the involvement of youth in crime and violence, and reducing the recidivism rate of youth.
Distribution of funds:
Provides project-based grant funding, with 100% of these funds set aside for discretionary activities to be distributed almost exclusively through competitive procurements. Eligible applicants are community-based organizations located in, or have a staff presence in the community being served, including school districts, state and local government juvenile justice agencies, tribal entities, and entities carrying out activities under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
Transportation Supports:
Services under the adult reentry grants include assistance in finding employment, mentoring, job training, remedial education, and other comprehensive transitional services. Services under the youth focused grants include a wide array of educational, employment, mentoring, case management, violence reduction, diversion, and record expungement services. Restrictions for specific projects are listed in grant funding announcements.
Mobility management professionals:
Program staff:
U.S. Dept. of Labor, Employment & Training Administration
Program Description:
SCSEP provides training for low-income, unemployed seniors to allow them to gain work experience in a variety of community service activities at nonprofit and public facilities. The facilities benefit by receiving community service hours that allow them to enhance and provide needed services. Participants work an average of 20 hours a week and are paid the highest of federal, state or local minimum wage. Participants must be at least 55, unemployed, and have a family income of no more than 125% of the federal poverty level.
Distribution of funds:
Provides formula-based funding to SCSEP funds are allocated to states and territories, as well as project-based funding awarded competitively to national nonprofit agencies for services across the country.
Transportation Supports:
A portion of the funds may be used to provide participants with additional trainings, such as occupational skills training, on-the-job experience training, etc. (outside of the normal job-training assignments at a host agency) and supportive services, likely including transportation.
Mobility management professionals:
Program staff:
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service
Program Description:
The SNAP E&T program helps SNAP participants gain skills and find work that moves them forward to self-sufficiency. Through SNAP E&T, SNAP participants have access to training and support services to help them enter or move up in the workforce. Each state is required to operate a SNAP E&T program and receives federal funding annually to operate and administer the program. The program is flexible. State agencies can tailor services and supports to the needs of SNAP participants and the communities in which they live. State agencies can, and should partner with other state and federal workforce programs to offer a continuum of services that help low-income Americans work toward self-sufficiency.
Distribution of funds:
SNAP is a Federal program administered by the States. The State or U.S. Territory agency responsible for Federally aided public assistance programs submits requests for funding to USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. each State (or County) SNAP agency has its own process for screening potential SNAP E&T provider partners. Some states have a formal RFP that is released on a schedule, while others have less formal processes, including processes that are ongoing in which new providers can be added at any time of year.
Transportation Supports:
7 CFR 273.7(d)(4) requires State agencies to provide or reimburse the participant for expenses that are reasonably necessary and directly related to participation in the E&T program, including transportation assistance to physical locations for job searches, get to the E&T site, provide access to client-enhancing services (e.g, workplace etiquette training). State agencies have flexibility to determine what services to offer under its job retention component, but may include costs associated with transportation and childcare so that an individual can go to work.
Mobility management professionals:
Program staff:
U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families
Program Description:
To allow eligible Indian Tribes and Alaska Native organizations to operate a program to make work activities available, work-related activities to support job readiness, job placement, and job retention for Native Americans. Native Employment Works (NEW) funding enables recipients to serve their designated service populations through these work activities and supportive services.
Distribution of funds:
Formula grants to service areas and populations as designated by the eligible Indian Tribe or Alaska Native organization.
Transportation Supports:
The Native Employment Works (NEW) Program recipient may provide, pay for or reimburse expenses for supportive services, including but not limited to transportation, child care, traditional or cultural work-related services, and other work or family sufficiency related expenses that the Tribe determines are necessary to enable a client to participate in the program.
Mobility management professionals:
Program staff:
U.S. Dept. of Labor, Employment & Training Administration
Program Description:
YouthBuild is a community-based pre-apprenticeship program that provides job training and educational opportunities for at-risk youth ages 16-24 who have previously dropped out of high school. Youth learn vocational skills in construction, as well as in other in-demand industries, including health care, information technology, and hospitality. Youth also provide community service through the required construction or rehabilitation of affordable housing for low-income or homeless families in their own neighborhoods. Grant funds will be used to equip underserved youth with the education and employment skills necessary to achieve economic self-sufficiency.
Distribution of funds:
Project-based funding provided to public or private nonprofit agencies or organizations, including: community-based organizations; faith-based organizations; community action agencies; state or local housing development agencies; Indian tribes or other agencies primarily serving Indians; community development corporations; state or local youth service or conservation corps; and any other entity eligible to provide education or employment training under a federal program other than YouthBuild.
Transportation Supports:
YouthBuild includes significant support systems, such as a mentoring, assistance with child care and transportation, stipends, work experience, personal counseling services, and participation in community service and civic engagement.