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Eligible Training Providers (ETPs) are organizations that offer training programs. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds the ETP programs. 

Local Workforce Development Boards (Boards) need a way to fund training for Adult and Dislocated Worker program participants. They use Individual Training Accounts (ITAs) to do this. 

The Statewide Eligible Training Providers List (ETPL) is a public list that includes the programs Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) approved for ITA funding. 

Being on the statewide ETPL does not guarantee that a Board will refer any student to the program. It also does not promise that a program will receive any funds.

Services

Learn how to apply, find providers and more.

They manage the application process for training providers in their Board area. They also provide guidance on program eligibility and help with submitting program information. Besides that, they handle updates for existing ETPs.

Contact information is on the ETP Coordinator List.

The application process is as follows:

  1. The provider submits provider, campus and program information to the Board. The location of the main campus determines this. 
  2. The Board reviews the information and may require updates.
  3. The Board submits provider/program information to TWC (pending student-level data).
  4. TWC reviews the information and may require updates.
  5. TWC sends Student Data Report (SDR) to the provider.
  6. The provider submits completed SDR to TWC.
  7. TWC reviews the information.
  8. TWC includes the provider’s programs on the statewide ETPL.

This process usually takes between two to six weeks. The time it takes depends on the amount of information provided. It also depends on the accuracy of the information

Some occupational training programs may be eligible for the statewide ETPL. This includes programs provided by: 

  • Institutions of higher education
  • Career schools
  • Apprenticeship sponsors
  • Community-based organizations

Such training providers must be identified by Chapter 62 of the Texas Education Code. 

Also, these training providers must have the appropriate licenses. They must meet exemption criteria set forth in Chapter 132 of the Texas Education Code. 

Training providers must show proof of partnerships with local businesses for their programs. Their programs should prepare students for jobs on the statewide Target Occupations List. 

To be listed on the statewide ETPL, WIOA mandates that all ETPs provide verifiable performance data for all students in their programs. This requirement does not include Registered Apprenticeships. The data is collected through SDRs distributed to providers by TWC. For new programs, submission of SDRs is required before they can be on the statewide ETPL. This helps ensure that training programs are effective and benefit the students.

Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) sponsors apply through a separate process, shown below.

Registered Apprenticeship is a special job training program run by businesses. Apprentices get paid while they learn on the job, where they gain valuable work experience. 

This provides immediate access to employment at sustainable wages and advancement along a career path.

These programs undergo the US Department of Labor’s (DOL) application and vetting process. Because of that, they are automatically eligible to be on the statewide ETPL. RAPs are not required to submit student-level data or meet other state or local criteria to be on the statewide ETPL. Boards must consider all RAPs on the statewide ETPL to be connected to local target occupations.

Sponsors (providers) of RAPs should contact TWC's ETP help desk to ask to be included on the statewide ETPL. TWC requires the following information. This information may be provided using the Initial Registered Apprenticeship Program Tool: 

  • Name and address of RAP sponsor (provider)
  • Name and address of instruction site (if different from sponsor)
  • Method and duration of instruction
  • Occupations included in the RAP
  • Number of apprentices
  • Cost of instruction (only if sponsor does not provide related instruction portion of the RAP)
  • RAPs are on the statewide ETPL—and available to students throughout Texas—until the sponsor requests removal or the program is no longer DOL-approved.

 Initial Registered Apprenticeship Program Tool

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law. This law keeps students' educational records and information private. FERPA requires schools to get permission from the student or their parent before sharing certain information. This information is personally identifiable information (PII). But sometimes there might be specific exceptions.

In 2016, the DOL and the US Department of Education issued joint guidance. The guidance was on FERPA's "audit and evaluation exception" about WIOA's ETPs and programs. TWC uses this exception to collect student information for evaluating program performance. They share this info with the public in a combined form, as required by WIOA, on the statewide ETPL. 

DOL's Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA) issued Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 07-16 on August 23, 2016.

WIOA requires Boards to target high-growth, high-demand and emerging occupations. This requirement is specific to each workforce area. To be on the statewide ETPL, ETPs must align with an occupation included on the state’s Target Occupations List. This requirement does not include Registered Apprenticeships. Each Board maintains its own list of local target occupations. The statewide list includes occupations approved by one or more Boards. 

Generally, for WIOA-eligible students to receive training funds for a program, except Registered Apprenticeships, that program must be one or the other of the following:

  • On the Board’s target occupations list
  • On such a list in an area that the student is willing to commute to or move to.

The “WIOA Guidelines for Adults, Dislocated Workers, and Youth” is an important document for Boards. It has criteria and documentation sources for establishing WIOA Title I program eligibility for adults, dislocated workers and youth. The guidelines provide information about who is eligible for training services. They also offer general details about other training programs within the WIOA program. 

WIOA Guidelines for Adults, Dislocated Workers, and Youth (Effective August 10, 2023)

Every year, eligible programs must submit an SDR to stay on the statewide ETPL. 

Statewide ETPL Performance Report 

Authority & Funding

Our program's authority comes from Texas Administrative Code, Title 40, Part 20, Chapter 840 and is also governed by Chapter 842.