SKILLS BLOG

New funding opportunities & webinar: Health Profession Opportunity Grants

By Amanda Bergson-Shilcock, April 10, 2015

Two recent federal announcements provide an opportunity for organizations to invest in the skills of low-income individuals. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently released a new round of grant solicitations under the Health Profession Opportunity Grant (HPOG) program.

Authorized by the Affordable Care Act, HPOG provides education and training to TANF (welfare) recipients and other low-income individuals. Training is provided for occupations in the health care field that pay well and are expected to either experience labor shortages or be in high demand.

The new funding opportunities are:

 
Letters of intent for both opportunities are due on April 29, 2015, and full proposals are due on May 29, 2015.

Previous HPOG grants were made to 32 entities in 23 states. A detailed report on interim outcomes under those grants was issued in September 2014.

HPOG programs are expected to provide innovative approaches to basic skills education, so that lower skilled individuals can enroll in the program and go on to enter and complete post-secondary training. The US Department of Education and Abt Associates are offering a webinar that further explores basic skills issues.

Basic Skills Webinar:  Emerging Instructional Models and Strategies for Adult Basic Learners will be held on Wednesday, April 29, 2015 from 3:00 to 4:00 Eastern Time.

The Department of Education will present findings from an international assessment of basic skills and discuss promising emerging instructional models. Abt Associates will discuss why innovative basic skills strategies are critical to success in healthcare training programs and will highlight key research findings that point toward promising strategies.

Register for the webinar