RFP No. NW 145-09-03:

West Central Job Partnership (WCJP) issues this Request For Proposal (RFP) to solicit innovative workforce development programs for: adults, dislocated workers, and older youth participants to operate under the provisions of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA); and eligible participants referred by the County Assistance Offices to operate under the provisions of the Employment And Retention Network (EARN) program funded by the Department of Public Welfare’s Bureau of Employment & Training Program (BETP).  The aim is to receive a wide variety of innovative proposals that best meet the needs of the target populations (referenced above) in the community at large. 

This RFP solicits proposals designed for the successful bidder to provide a variety of services and activities at the PA CareerLink® locations in Lawrence and Mercer Counties.  Eligible participants will be scheduled by their WCJP case managers to attend various activities designed to provide: increased literacy and numeracy levels; instruction that leads to taking and passing the GED; an increase in job readiness skills which leads to the ACT recognized WorkKeys® certification and employment; and skills training that leads to locally recognized credential, state or national accreditation.  All activities will be geared toward the expected outcomes of: placement of eligible participants into post-secondary education and training to learn new occupational skills; and/or placement directly into employment with family sustaining wages.

The local Workforce Investment Area consists of Lawrence County and Mercer County, Pennsylvania.  The geographical area to be served by the proposed project must include all of at least one of these two counties.  The contractor may elect to serve eligible individuals residing in one county only or may elect to serve eligible individuals residing in both counties. 

The contractor will be expected to provide services to eligible individuals who are 16 years of age or older and meet the local, state, and federal WIA Adult, Dislocated Worker and Older Youth eligibility definitions. The goal is to provide workforce investment activities that increase the employment, retention, earning, and occupational skill attainment of job seeking customers.  All activities should be designed to assist eligible individuals improve their marketability to reenter employment as quickly as possible. Additionally this proposal will improve the flexibility of the publicly funded workforce system.

The contractor will be expected to have staff present at the CareerLink®(s) from 8:30 am until 4:30 pm unless approved otherwise in writing by WJCP.  All activities must be open entry/open exit and must be available on a year-round basis.

Providers wanting more information on the Request For Proposal (RFP) specifications should go to the following website www.wcjp.org. If you do not have internet access please contact Debra Donahue (ddonahue@wcjp.org), Program Director, West Central Job Partnership, 44 South Beaver Street, New Castle, PA 16101 in writing to receive the entire RFP packet. Please specify by RFP Number the proposal packet you are requesting. Deadline to submit proposals is close of business on April 23 , 2010.

 

West Central Job Partnership, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, and all programs administered or operated by West Central Job Partnership, Inc. are equal opportunity programs. Auxiliary aids and services are available, upon request, to individuals with disabilities, and interpretation services are available, at no charge, for individuals who lack proficiency in English language skills.

RFP No. NW 145-09-02:

West Central Job Partnership (WCJP) issues this Request For Proposal (RFP) to solicit innovative workforce development programs for younger in-school youth to operate under the provisions of the Workforce Investment Act.  The aim is to receive a wide variety of innovative proposals that best meet the needs of the younger in-school youth in the community at large.  This RFP solicits proposals designed to reduce the number of youths, within the targeted population group, that drop out of school by guiding and assisting them in making informed choices during their high school years.

Most secondary school dropouts have a little or no significant work history and have not developed any marketable occupational skills.  Many lack career awareness or direction and have not developed the interpersonal skills needed to gain and hold employment.  Many of these individuals are unable to compute or solve problems, read, write, or speak English at a level necessary to function on the job. All too frequently, these individuals will become unemployed, sometimes for a lengthy period of time, and dependent upon public assistance or other forms of subsidization or will become underemployed, with little hope for long-term employment or advancement.

Specifically the proposed project should engage in-school youth ages 16 – 21 enrolled in eleventh and twelfth grades in opportunities that result in educational gains, occupational skills attainment, work readiness, work experience, enrolled in post-secondary education, military or employment.

There are two distinct program components to be operated for younger youth that all potential bidders need to include in their proposals:  1. In School Youth Program (ISY) and 2. Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP).  All bidders must be willing to operate both program components to be considered for approval.  Both program components will operate under one contract from July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011 with options for a second and third year extension based on satisfactory performance and availability of funding. 

Providers wanting more information on the Request For Proposal (RFP) specifications should go to the following website www.wcjp.org. If you do not have internet access please contact Debra Donahue (ddonahue@wcjp.org), Program Director, West Central Job Partnership, 44 South Beaver Street, New Castle, PA 16101 in writing to receive the entire RFP packet. Please specify by RFP Number the proposal packet you are requesting. Deadline to submit proposals is close of business on April 23 , 2010.

 

West Central Job Partnership, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, and all programs administered or operated by West Central Job Partnership, Inc. are equal opportunity programs. Auxiliary aids and services are available, upon request, to individuals with disabilities, and interpretation services are available, at no charge, for individuals who lack proficiency in English language skills.