Posting Language
Title
Authorize negotiation and execution of eleven agreements with eleven agencies to provide workforce readiness services to include adult basic education, high school equivalency preparation, English for speakers of other languages, digital literacy, and job training, for a 12-month term through March 30, 2025, and four extension options, each in an amount not to exceed $3,695,079, for a total agreement amount not to exceed $18,475,395 divided among the agencies.
De
Lead Department
Austin Public Health.
Fiscal Note
Funding in the amount of $1,847,540 is available in the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Austin Public Health Department Operating Budget. Funding for the remaining terms is contingent upon available funding in future budgets.
For More Information:
Adrienne Sturrup, Director, 512-972-5010; Laura LaFuente, Assistant Director, 512-972-5077; Ashlee Kraus, Acting Social Services Agreements Administration Manager, 512-972-5044; Juanita Jackson, Business Process Consultant, (512) 972-6163.
Additional Backup Information:
This action will authorize negotiation and execution of eleven agreements with eleven social service agencies for a 12-month term beginning on April 1, 2024.
The awarded agencies for the workforce readiness issue area will provide low-cost, high-quality adult basic education (ABE), high school equivalency (HSE), English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), and vocational training; wrap around support services to foster increased sustainability and self-sufficiency; integrated education and training to meet students where they are and provide training in their language; and move Austinites into jobs that earn at least $15 per hour.
The agencies below were awarded agreements to provide these services and were scored as follows:
|
Agency |
Score |
Amount |
|
Goodwill |
87 |
$762,218 |
|
Todos Juntos |
84.5 |
$198,128 |
|
Youth and Family Alliance |
83.9 |
$956,610 |
|
Latinitas |
82.9 |
$100,000 |
|
Austin Voices for Youth and Education |
82.6 |
$120,000 |
|
AISD |
80.9 |
$283,200 |
|
Easter Seals |
80.1 |
$265,600 |
|
Skillpoint Alliance |
77 |
$150,000 |
|
Literacy Coalition of Central Texas |
75.9 |
$708,612 |
|
Jail to Jobs |
71.8 |
$90,000 |
|
The Arc |
70.9 |
$60,711 |
Goodwill Industries of Central Texas d/b/a Goodwill Centex will provide career advancing work opportunities that provide sustainable wages allowing individuals and families to thrive through services, including assessment/intake, case management, resource navigation, career readiness training, job placement, digital literacy and empowerment training, support services, occupational skills training, job coaching, financial literacy training, and job retention support.
Todos Juntos Learning Center will provide inclusive, low-barrier Adult Education to immigrants and refugees through ESOL classes and their job skills training program, Adelante Juntos, which provides vocational training and places program participants in competitively paid internships. Services also include child care for class participants and case management with individualized guidance in job searching, writing resumes, enrolling in General Educational Development (GED) programs, enrolling in higher education courses, translating special documents (e.g. certificates and diplomas), and more.
Youth and Family Alliance d/b/a Lifeworks will provide job placement and professional development services that helps young adults ages 18 to 26 secure meaningful employment and advance in their careers. Services are tailored for young adults facing significant barriers to securing and maintaining competitive employment, including a mental health diagnosis, a history of systems involvement (e.g., foster care, justice system), housing instability, and/or young adults who have not completed high school.
Latinitas Inc. d/b/a Latinitas, will provide two digital literacy programs - Padres Digitales and Google Certificates. Padres Digitales is an adult technology literacy program teaching basic computer skills through in-person workshops at Title I middle and elementary schools in the Austing Independent School District and Del Valle independent School District. The Google Certificate program includes courses such as Data Analytics and Program Management; using applications such as Gmail; and lessons such as negotiating a salary, asking for a reference, and interviewing skills.
Austin Voices for Youth and Education will provide adult education and workforce readiness services to assist the unemployed and underemployed to join the prospering Austin economy, increase family stability that will result in more success for youth in school, and build sustainable partnerships between schools and community that benefit all stakeholders.
Austin Independent School District d/b/a Austin ISD will provide ESOL courses to improve participants’ skills for work, school, or daily communication and conversation, focusing on the four pillars of reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
Easter Seals - Central Texas, Inc. will provide workforce readiness for autistic adults through career training, job placement, and wrap-around services. This initiative is tailored to meet the unique needs of autistic adults and aims to empower them by enhancing their social skills and well-being, facilitating informed career choices, and equipping them with essential skills and formative workplace experiences for successful employment.
Skillpoint Alliance will provide services to prepare individuals for employment in four to six weeks through vocational training in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (or HVAC), plumbing, electrical, and manufacturing, job placement support, and an employer mentorship program.
Literacy Coalition of Central Texas will provide classes in ESOL, ABE, HSE/GED, digital literacy, workforce advancement; and wraparound services, to provide clients with the skills and training they need to succeed in the workforce and support their goals of economic prosperity, security, and self-sufficiency.
Jail to Jobs d/b/a Nineveh Ministries will provide a mentorship-based employment program to eliminate the barriers to employment that formerly incarcerated individuals face upon release. Services include vocational training, job placement, and wrap around services,
The Arc of the Capital Area d/b/a Arc of the Capital Area will provide services to guide individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities towards meaningful integration into competitive employment opportunities through services related to vocational development, interview preparedness, resume refinement, and overall professional readiness.
The agreements were awarded through Request for Proposal (RFP) 2023-007, Workforce Readiness, by analyzing community needs data and data from a survey distributed by Austin Public Health in English, Arabic, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, and Vietnamese and was closed on March 31, 2023. There were 72 responses received from the survey in English and Spanish. The most urgent needs identified by respondents were wrap around services, career training (vocational classes), computer classes, and HSE/GED classes.
Austin Public Health sent solicitations to over 800 vendors and received fifteen proposals. Of those proposals, eleven are recommended for award, each for a 12-month term and up to four 12-month extension options. The RFP evaluation process set criteria for uniform review of all applications by a separate and independent panel. An evaluation panel comprised of individuals with education and expertise in the given issue area rated each application. Evaluators agreed on the strengths and weaknesses of each application, and each application received a resultant score based on this process. The criteria for evaluation included the following: fiscal and administrative capacity, experience, and cultural competence/racial equity; program design and performance metrics; data-informed program management; and cost effectiveness.