January 2024
 Team Updates
The ACP Team was excited to release nine competitive Requests for Proposals (RFPs) since July 2023. The team will be announcing awards for Southeast Asian, WESA, Adult Support Services, Getting to Work, and P2P soon.
- The Drive for Five, released on October 10, 2023, was due Monday December 18th, 2023.
- The Targeted Populations RFP, released on Monday October 30th is due Wednesday January 17th, 2024. We encourage Grantees and any interested organization to visit the site and review all outgoing grants. Questions about this RFP may be directed to Vanessa Roman (vanessa.roman@state.mn.us) until Thursday January 11th. All questions are captured and answered to the FAQs each week on the DEED Competitive Grants and Contracts webpage.
REMINDER: All SFY24-25 Direct Appropriation grants’ quarterly reports are due December 31, 2023. If need assistance completing yours please connect with your Grant Coordinator. If needed, we have posted report instructions here.
Quarterly reports are due the 30th of the month following the end of the quarter or
- October 30
- January 30
- April 30
- July 30
Marketing ACP programs? A reminder to review the ACP Cost Category Guidance for allowable marketing and outreach costs and the disclaimer that must be included on ALL marketing material.
“The State of Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) funded (or funded in part) this training through a grant. The grant recipient created this training. DEED does not endorse this publicity or training or make guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability or ownership of the information herein or elsewhere.”
SFY24-25 Adult Direct Appropriation
The ACP team is working closely with all Adult Direct Appropriation Grantees to finalize the SFY24-25 contracts. We appreciate your patience as we move these through our contracting process.
Thank you all for attending the Adult Career Pathways Direct Appropriations onboarding event and Workforce One training in September. Both have been posted to the ACP web page for reference.
SNAP E&T 50/50
The SNAP E&T project can provide additional, unrestricted funds to your organization when partnered with your ACP Grant. If you serve SNAP recipients within your ACP program(s) and are interested in more information about adding the SNAP E&T 50% Reimbursement program to your organization, please contact Ann Meyers at ann.meyers@state.mn.us.
Workforce One- ACP Programs
As a reminder, all participants enrolled in any SFY22-23 ACP program MUST be appropriately exited from Workforce One (WF1) upon the completion of the grant. As a reminder, past performance is taken into consideration when reviewing and recommending future ACP funding. The team recommends you run the “Grant Information Summary” report to ensure all data is entered correctly.
In order for your organization to capture outcomes for these participants, including participants enrolled in training, completing training, and entering employment all participants must Exit from Workforce One (WF1) within 45 days from the expiration of the grant contract. Be mindful as final Reimbursement Payment Requests (RPRs) are being processed and compared to data within Workforce One.
For our new Grantees in SFY24-25, the ACP team facilitated a Workforce One training session in September and have posted the recording here. If you need further assistance, please connect with your Coordinator
Adult Career Pathways Guides
The ACP Workforce One User Guide has been updated and posted to the ACP home page.
The ACP Operations Guide has been updated and posted to the ACP home page. If you have any suggestions for the guide, please submit those to your Grant Coordinator.
Please contact your Adult Career Pathways Grant Coordinator directly with any questions regarding Adult Career Pathways Programs.
Happy New Year!
It has been a pleasure partnering with you. We look forward to continuing our work together to empower the growth of Minnesota workforce and economy for everyone in 2024. Cheers!
WIOA DW and Adult
- Quarterly Progress Report (QPR) is due Jan. 31st (Oct-Dec 2023). A QPR is required if the grant is active. Please use this updated form that allows for reporting on two funding streams (of similar formula grants but different program years) running simultaneously. For example, WIOA Adult PY22/FY23 and WIOA Adult PY23/FY24.
Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)
Re-entry Pilot Grant
Retaining Employment and Talent after Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN)
- Do you or someone you know have an injury or illness that affects their work? Visit mnretain.com to see if RETAIN could help!
Please email all requests, reports, and technical assistance questions to the Dislocated Worker Federal Adult Programs general email at dwfaprograms.deed@state.mn.us.
Staffing updates
After 33 years of State service, Jaclyn (Jackie) Umlauf is retiring on January 2, 2024. We wish Jackie all the best in the next chapter and thank her for a tremendous career with DEED!
Additionally, Margaret (Meg) Odanga and Thomas Sommer recently started new positions within the Employment and Training Programs division.
Please continue to send all general TAA programmatic and performance questions to TAA’s general email or call the general TAA phone number, 651-259-7543.
Job Search and Relocation Allowances
As December graduates complete their course work, please remind them that customers completing TAA-funded training have 182 days to apply for Job Search Allowance and/or Relocation Allowance. The applications are posted online at https://mn.gov/deed/programs-services/trade-adjustment/forms/.
Federal Mileage Rate in 2024
The IRS announced the federal mileage rate for 2024 is 67 cents per mile for those going to training or Job Search. TAA is updating the bi-weekly transportation forms to reflect this new rate. For customers using Relocation Allowance, the mileage rate is 21 cents per mile in 2024.
Remedial Training
As you develop employment plans with customers, please remember to include any necessary remedial training on the TAA training application. Remedial training could include classes such as GED or English courses. If these trainings are part of an overall larger training plan that includes an occupational credential, TAA should also pay for the remedial training. The remedial training can occur prior to or simultaneously with occupational skills training.
Virtual Informational Sessions on January 26
Minnesota TAA is hosting virtual informational sessions on January 26 for people who may be eligible to apply for TAA benefits under older petitions. The team invites people based on their petition and layoff dates. As always, TAA will refer attendees to enroll in the DW program to access their TAA benefits. Thank you in advance for your work to serve these shared customers, some of whom may have been laid off under a TAA petition years ago. Links to the sessions are at https://www.careerforcemn.com/TAA
Petitions
Petitions can still be filed, but DOL’s investigation is paused until program restoration or reauthorization. Here’s the link to check the status of petitions with U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/tradeact
Filed after July 1, 2022
- Torax Medical, St Paul
- Turck, Inc., Plymouth
- Ball Corp, St Paul
- Nordson Medical, Eagan
- Optum, Hopkins
- United Language Group, Minneapolis
- Sleep Number, Minneapolis
Please email all questions and customer applications to the Trade Adjustment Assistance general email at deed.taa@state.mn.us.
The December 2023 edition of Minnesota Economic Trends includes articles that: examine Minnesota’s migration trends, explore the factors that influence workers’ decisions to stay at or leave a job and identifies industry sectors that have been most and least successful at retaining employees, determine factors associated with health care professionals’ choice to practice in rural Minnesota, take a closer look at generations in the workplace and how that will change in the next 10 years, and explore a new Occupational Requirements Survey tool that paints a clearer picture of day-to-day requirements for hundreds of jobs.
If you have questions about Labor Market Information, please email deed.lmi@state.mn.us.
This newsletter is meant for DEED Grantees, Providers, and Employment Counselors. We want this e-Newsletter to meet your needs! We encourage you to send your comments and suggestions to deed.taa@state.mn.us.
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