Metro Denver WIRED Initiative releases second RFP

The Metro Denver WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development) Initiative has issued a request for proposal (RFP) for its Workforce Innovation Grant program.

Up to $4 million will be awarded in January 2008 to fund innovative career education programs that create or enhance employment opportunities in WIRED’s four targeted industries: aerospace, bioscience, energy, and information technology - software. In 2006, the U.S. Department of Labor awarded Metro Denver a four-year, $15 million grant to expand the pipeline of highly skilled workers for the region’s targeted industries.

This grant program is the second round of WIRED’s overall subgrant process. In early 2007, WIRED awarded $3.7 million through the JumpStart program to support 10 local projects among existing education, training, entrepreneurship, and other workforce or industry-specific career development partners. For a list of JumpStart programs, visit www.metrodenver.org/Wired/JumpStart.icm/

“Our goal in this round of grants is to fund innovation -- new programs that involve creative uses of existing resources,” said Ledy Garcia-Eckstein, executive director of the Metro Denver WIRED Initiative. “We are looking for unique strategies that will build our regional workforce pipeline by directly training and placing workers in our four targeted industries.” 
This RFP responds to key research findings about current (and projected) workforce and skills needs in Metro Denver's target industry clusters. The findings reflect those developed by WIRED’s 8 demand- and supply-side panels, in addition to research findings from reports and an industry survey commissioned by WIRED. All research documents and reports are located on the Workforce Innovation Grant RFP Web page.

Workforce Innovation Grant awards will be available to innovative workforce development, entrepreneurship, and other industry-specific employment and training projects in the nine-county WIRED Initiative region, including Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer, and Weld Counties. Applicants must include partnerships between businesses, workforce agencies, and education providers.

The grants are specified for use in two primary areas, job training and capacity building. Potential programs should help workers (including the unemployed) gain skills and competencies to obtain or upgrade their employment in high-growth industries as well as increase the integration of community/technical college activities with the workforce system and the needs of business.

How to apply: For more information, including an application guide, key dates, and budget preparation materials, see www.metrodenver.org/Wired/RFP.icm. For additional information or if you have questions, e-mail WIRED@metrodenver.org.  

About the Metro Denver WIRED Initiative
The Metro Denver WIRED (Workforce in Regional Economic Development) Initiative is a four-year, $15 million regional workforce development grant housed at Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation to develop a pipeline of workers for the nine-county Metro Denver region’s fastest-growing industries, including aerospace, bioscience, energy, and information technology - software. This initiative is partially funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. For more information on the national WIRED program, visit www.doleta.gov.

About the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation
The Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation (Metro Denver EDC) is the region’s leading economic development organization. An affiliate of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Metro Denver EDC was formed to create 100,000 new jobs in the region over five years. To accomplish this mission, the organization spearheaded a fundraising program, raising $13.3 million. The Metro Denver EDC focuses on six areas: national marketing, existing business, mobility, DIA/international air travel, tax reform, and special opportunities. For more information, visit www.metrodenver.org.