Career and Technical Education Program

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation administers the Career and Technical Education Program as part of a broader statewide workforce development initiative established under the Commonwealth Workforce Transformation Program. This initiative was launched to address persistent workforce shortages in the heavy highway industry, including roles such as construction trades, inspection, materials testing, and transportation design. The program is designed to strengthen the pipeline of skilled workers by incentivizing Pennsylvania educational institutions to expand or create training curricula aligned with industry needs. The program provides reimbursement-based grant funding to eligible Pennsylvania educational institutions to support the development or expansion of technical training programs directly related to the heavy highway industry. The total available funding for the program is 12 million dollars, with individual awards of up to 500000 dollars per applicant. Funding is fully federally supported and does not require a matching contribution. Additionally, supportive services funding of up to 10000 dollars per student is available separately to reduce participation barriers. Allowable uses of funds include curriculum development, training delivery, internships, outreach, and workforce development activities, while costs such as pre-award expenses, entertainment, and unsupported overhead are not eligible. Eligible applicants include public, private, and cyber schools, career and technical centers, youth development centers, and institutions of higher education located in Pennsylvania or serving Pennsylvania students. Applicants must coordinate with industry partners and provide at least one letter of commitment demonstrating collaboration with employers, unions, or workforce organizations. Projects must serve a minimum number of students and include work-based learning components such as internships, apprenticeships, or job shadowing. Applicants may propose to expand existing programs, develop new curriculum, or implement fully work-based learning models. The application process requires submission through PennDOT’s Enterprise eGrants system. Applicants must first create a Keystone Login account to access the system. Required application materials include a project summary, a detailed narrative addressing program need, curriculum design, partnerships, outcomes, and sustainability, as well as a line-item budget and justification. Additional required documentation includes letters of support and federal compliance forms. Applications must demonstrate alignment with labor market demand and include measurable outcomes related to workforce placement and training completion. Applications are evaluated based on several criteria, including design and management plan, impact and sustainability, stakeholder engagement, readiness and timeline, and performance outcomes. Each category is scored, with emphasis placed on workforce alignment, partnership strength, and the ability to deliver measurable results. PennDOT also considers geographic distribution and overall program balance when making awards, and reserves the right to negotiate scope or make partial awards. The application window opens on July 7, 2026 and closes on September 1, 2026 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. Questions must be submitted via email by July 30, 2026, with responses posted on August 10, 2026. The anticipated period of performance runs through September 30, 2029, following execution of grant agreements. Applicants are required to comply with all federal and state requirements, including reporting, monitoring, and documentation standards. Program implementation is expected to support long-term workforce development outcomes and create sustainable training pathways across Pennsylvania.

Emphasize strong industry partnerships measurable workforce outcomes and alignment with labor market demand; clearly define student impact and work based learning components; include detailed and realistic implementation timeline