14120.
(a) Upon the appropriation of funds for the purposes of this article, the board shall administer the Online Jobs and Economic Support Resource Grant Program pursuant to this article and shall award grants for the purpose of supporting
funding inclusive, cross-jurisdictional, and innovative online platforms that support job and earnings opportunities and economic recovery
employment and earning opportunities with a strong focus on underserved and economically challenged communities.(b) The goals of the program are to achieve all of the following:
(1)Support Californians impacted by job loss due to COVID-19 and shorten the overall average period of unemployment statewide.
(2)Provide pathways to rapid
redeployment of workers to needed industries and reskilling of workers to help offset the impact of worker displacement.
(3)Uplift Californians and aid in the economic recovery of the state and increase the economic mobility of workers in the lower one-third of earners.
(1) Reduce digital infrastructure gaps in employment and training services for individuals who face barriers to employment.
(2) Enhance the ability of public and nonprofit entities to meet the needs of individuals who face barriers to employment by funding the technologies that will allow these entities to help their
clients to bridge the digital divide.
(3) Support workforce and employment programs that provide whole-person approaches to upward mobility, including the provision of wraparound services to reduce barriers to employment or earning opportunities.
(c) Before awarding grants pursuant to this article, the board shall develop and adopt guidelines and policies for the program, including, but not limited to:
(1) A competitive award process, including rating and ranking criteria consistent with the requirements of subdivisions (c) and (d) of Section 14121.
(2) An application that meets the requirements of Section 14122.
(3) Funds shall only be awarded to applicants that meet the requirements of
subdivision (a) of Section 14121.
(4) Conditions and requirements for drawing down grant funds that shall be included in a written grant agreement between the board and a selected grant recipient.
(5) Reporting of milestones and outcomes based upon the application and discussions with the board that shall be included in a written grant agreement between the board and a selected grant recipient.
(6) A dispute resolution process.
(d) (1) The board shall issue a request for proposals to award grant funds within 120 days after funding has been appropriated for the purposes of this article.
(e) Grants made pursuant to this article shall be evaluated using criteria
consistent with the guidelines adopted by the board pursuant to this article.
14121.
An eligible applicant shall be either meet the following criteria:(a) (1) Be legally formed as a
for-profit, nonprofit, cooperative, public benefit corporation, or local government, that meets the other requirements of this article. government.
(b)An eligible applicant shall have all of the following:
(1)A robust, targeted outreach plan to ensure amplification of, and access to, the online platform by communities hardest hit by job loss amidst the pandemic, including minorities and economically disadvantaged Californians.
(2)Experience serving underrepresented and underserved populations.
(3)The ability to collaborate with stakeholders and partners across California, including, but not limited to, regional workforce boards, appropriate state agencies, and statewide training providers.
(4)The ability to maintain an online platform that shall,
at a minimum:
(A)Contain search functions to connect users with all of the following:
(i)Economic opportunities, prioritizing high-road, high-quality jobs.
(ii)Training programs that offer the ability to develop new skills and to expand on existing skills.
(iii)Support services including free or reduced-cost services for medical care, food, shelter, and childcare.
(B)Be capable of serving a region or the entire state.
(C)Comply with applicable California privacy laws, as identified by the office.
(D)Be provided at no charge to intended clients.
(2) If the applicant is a for-profit entity, it shall apply in partnership with a nonprofit, cooperative, public benefit corporation, or local government.
(b) Individually, or in partnership with other entities that will be contributing toward the implementation of the application, demonstrate experience in each of the following areas:
(1) Serving underresourced populations and individuals with employment barriers, as defined in Section 14005.
(2) Collaborating with stakeholders including, but not limited to, regional workforce boards, appropriate state agencies, and statewide training partners.
(3) Maintaining or constructing online platforms or digital infrastructure.
(c) Applications shall be ranked based upon the following criteria:
(1) Whether the application is designed to meet the goals of the grant.
(2) The potential impact to underresourced populations and individuals with employment barriers.
(3) The extent of collaboration with governmental and nongovernmental partners.
(4) The responsiveness of the proposal to evolving workforce and societal needs.
(d) Priority shall be given to applicants who demonstrate existing engagement with populations identified in subdivision (d) of Section 14122 either individually or with partners.
14122.
The application shall include all of the following:(a) A proposal narrative that includes all of the following:
(1) The specific purpose and goals of the grant.
(2) The roles and responsibilities of the applicant and its partners, if any.
(3) The outreach strategy that will be
used to connect with underresourced populations and individuals with employment barriers.
(1)(b)A demonstration
(b) An overview of the capability of the online platform and documentation of how the platform is, or will be, integrated within workforce or economic development activities.
will achieve the purposes identified in subdivision (a), including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(2)A proposal narrative that includes how the platform is, or will be, integrated within the workforce or economic development activities of the applicant or partnering entity.
(3)An explanation of the specific purpose and goals of the grant funds, the roles and responsibilities of the applicant and partners, if any, and a discussion of how funds will be used and success will be measured, the number of individuals who will be served, and the services that will be available to these individuals.
(1) How the platform is, or will be, integrated within, or connected to, local, regional, and statewide workforce or economic development activities.
(2) The extent to which the mechanisms of the online platform do each of the following:
(A) Connect users to employment, entrepreneurship, or other economic opportunities.
(B) Help uses to access training programs that offer the ability to develop new skills and to expand on existing skills.
(C) Help users identify and access support services such as free or reduced-cost services for medical care, food, shelter, transportation, or childcare. These may include, but are not limited to, connection with services provided by state or local agencies,
if any.
(D) Demonstrate the capacity to serve a region or the entire state.
(E) Demonstrate the capacity to work across multiple technology platforms, such as computers, telephones, and tablets.
(F) Collect socioeconomic and demographic data from users.
(G) Comply with applicable California privacy laws.
(4)
(c) Documentation that each partnering entity has agreed to the activities
in the grant proposal.
(5)The
(d) (1) The designation of one or more targeted populations
populations, including underresourced communities and individuals with employment barriers, that will be served by the online platform and proposed methods to reduce barriers to employment or to enhance access to the online platform.
(2) Applicants shall propose at least two methods for reducing barriers to employment or enhancing access to the online platform.
(6)
(e) The designation of a service area, which may include one or more regions, or be statewide. area and an estimated number of individuals who will be served, including an estimated number of individuals identified in the target population described in subdivision (d) who will be served.
(f) A description of how the applicant and its partners included in the application, if any, provide services that align with and address service delivery or technology gaps, and enhance state, regional, and local duplication of state digital infrastructure, services, or community engagement. It is not the intent of the program to duplicate resources.
(7)Evidence of demonstrated experience in working with the proposed target populations, especially if the targeted population has been historically disenfranchised or underserved. This requirement may be demonstrated by the identification of partners in the application.
(8)
(g) A proposed budget. budget, including, but not limited to, the ability to provide access to the online platform at no cost to the user.
(9)
(h) A proposed impact assessment and timeline, including benchmarks, metrics, progress reports
reports, and final deliverables.
(b)Funds awarded pursuant to this article may only be used by a grant recipient for the following expenses:
(1)Design, build,
and testing of an online platform as described in this article.
(2)Outreach to potential providers of economic opportunity, training, or services to ensure sufficient activity on the platform and to create opportunities for underserved and underrepresented communities.
(3)Web hosting services for the platform, fees associated with listing support services on the platform, relevant technical personnel, and payments to external providers, including, but not limited to, messaging providers, that promote access to the platform.
(4)The infrastructure necessary to operate, maintain, and improve the online platform, including, but not limited to, software and hardware.
(5)Support and training for platform users, and production of instructional materials for those users.
14124.
As a condition of receiving grant funds, a grant recipient shall be required to submit an annual report to the office on how it used the issued grant funds, and this report board that shall include all of the following:(a) The use of the grant funds.
(b) Progress made in achieving the commitments made pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 14122 and the subsequent contract agreement on the use of funds.
(a)
(c) The number of individuals who used
accessed the online platform.
(b)
(d) A description of the resources created available to support job and earning opportunities, training sessions, and support services.
(c)
(e) Aggregate demographic data on the program’s users amongst underserved and underrepresented communities, including users from disadvantaged and severely disadvantaged communities. users of the online platform, including users from populations identified in subdivision (d) of Section 14122.
(d)Employment and business development outcomes.
(f) Data from partners, if any, regarding the number of individuals who
connected with services, training, employment opportunities, outreach activities, or other methods of engagement.
(g) Other information related to the implementation of the grant, as determined by the board.
12100.104.14125.
Upon appropriation of funds by the Legislature to the office Online Jobs Account of the Breaking Barriers to Employment Initiative Fund, established pursuant to Section 14037, for the purpose of implementing this article, the office board shall
make grants to qualified applicants consistent with Section 12100.102. The office this article. The board shall post notice of the appropriation on the home page of its internet website and send notice of that appropriation to the Legislative Counsel. Chief Clerk of the Assembly who shall distribute the notice to the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment, the Assembly Committee on Higher Education, and the Assembly on Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy, and to the Chief Clerk of the Senate, who shall distribute the notice to the Senate Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Labor, Public Employment, and
Retirement.