Each year, under the Perkins statute, Congress authorizes nearly $12 million to the Tribally Controlled Postsecondary Career and Technical Institutions Program (TCPCTIP). This funding is designated for tribally controlled postsecondary career and technical institutions that do not receive assistance under the Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities Assistance Act or the Navajo Community College Act to provide basic support for the education and training of Indian students.
Complaint Resolution Procedure for the Tribally Controlled Postsecondary Career and Technical Institutions Program (TCPCTIP)
(1) Under the complaint resolution procedure established by the U.S. Department of Education (“ED, the Department”)pursuant to Section 117(g) of the Carl Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (“the Act”), as amended by the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Public Law 115-224) (Perkins V or the Act), a Tribally Controlled Postsecondary Career and Technical Institutions Program (TCPCTIP) may file a complaint with the Assistant Secretary for Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) (“Assistant Secretary”) seeking an administrative review of a grant determination or calculation made under Section 117 of the Act regarding any prospective grant award to that institution, including for:
(a) A determination regarding the institution’s eligibility to apply for a grant under Section 117 of the Act.
(b) A determination arising from the “Indian student count” information and data that the institution has provided to OCTAE.
(c) A determination of the allowability of proposed project spending that the institution has identified in its application, including its proposed budget.
(d) The calculation of the institution’s grant amount.
(2) A Section 117(g) complaint requesting administrative review must—
(a) Be submitted in writing and either: (i) mailed to the Assistant Secretary for Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-7100; or (ii) emailed to the Assistant Secretary for OCTAE at cte.ed.gov, with the subject line: “TCPCTIP complaint,” within ten days of the applicant being notified by OCTAE of the decision in question;
(b) Include a clear and concise statement of the factual and legal basis upon which the complaint is based as well as any calculations supporting the complaint, any supporting documentation or evidence, and a statement of the relief sought, arising from the complaint; and
(c) Be signed by the TCPCTIP’s authorized official.
(3) During the administrative review of any Section 117(g) complaint, OCTAE may request additional information from the institution that has submitted the complaint or conduct other proceedings, as appropriate, for a fair and complete review of the complaint.
(4) The Assistant Secretary will send the complainant a letter of final determination that will include the legal and factual grounds for the Assistant Secretary’s determination.
In September 2020, the Department awarded two grants ranging from $2,300,000 to $7,100,000. These awards are for the second year of a five-year funding cycle. Funds for years three through five are subject to the availability of funds and whether a grantee meets the requirements of 34 CFR 75.253 (Continuation of multi-year project after the first budget period).
The grantees are:
TCPCTIP Project Abstracts, October 2019 (DOCX, 25 KB)
The Navajo Technical University (NTU) is a tribal university that is chartered by the Navajo Nation under the Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities Assistance Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-471) [As amended through P.L. 110-315, Enacted August 14, 2008] but that does not receive funding under that law.
NTU has one major campus in Crownpoint, New Mexico and four instructional sites, two in New Mexico and two sites in Arizona. The Navajo tribal membership is over 300,000 citizens, of which approximately 181,000 live inside the Nation’s borders. The Navajo Nation is located in three states: New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah.
NTU Career and Technical Education (CTE) Project is designed to continue NTU’s tradition of career and technical postsecondary education, providing funding for education, as well as for support services. NTU CTE certificates and degrees integrate rigorous and challenging academic/career instruction, while continuing to emphasize national specialty accreditation and certification standards. The project also proposes to expand the early college program using advanced placement strategies with Navajo-serving high schools to encourage participation in postsecondary career and technical education.
The Pathways project is another element that is designed to encourage students to aim high as they consider career goals and work academically toward high skill, high wage employment opportunities. Several elements in the project are focused on providing services to Navajo students that will lead to skills, attributes, knowledge, and values necessary to gain employment and building capacity for independent living.
Activities such as the Maker's Fair, Research Days, and Skills USA are offered to engage students more deeply in the skills they need for employment, and the tutoring/mentoring/counseling aspects of the project as they work toward earning certificates and/or degrees in a variety of Career and Technical Education programs. NTU offers its students training in a myriad of CTE programs such as:
- Welding
- Construction Technology;
- Industrial Maintenance;
- Culinary Arts;
- Pre-Engineering; and
- Computer Science
NTU currently has a student enrollment of 1,571, which includes students enrolled in its main Crownpoint campus and the four training sites of Bond Wilson, Chinle, Teec Nos Pos, and Zuni.
The United Tribes Technical College (UTTC), the second oldest Tribal College/University in the United States, is located outside of Bismarck, North Dakota. UTTC was started as a training center in 1969 and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The College is owned and operated by the five Tribal Nations, located wholly or in part of North Dakota, including Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, the Spirit Lake Nation, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa.
UTTC has been continuously accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) since 1982 and awards certificates, associates and baccalaureate degrees. In addition to HLC accreditation, UTTC’s Automotive Technology program has been certified by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) since 2013, which qualifies graduates to take the nationally approved Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) examination. UTTC is also certified as an Accredited Test Facility of the American Welding Society (AWS), one of only two in the state of North Dakota and the first in the country at a Tribal College.
UTTC has identified the following four goals to be accomplished through its FY 2019 Tribally Controlled Postsecondary Career and Technical Institutions Program (TCPCTIP) project:
- Goal 1: To offer high quality CTE programs of study designed to prepare students for further education and careers in high-skill, high-wage, or high-demand industry sectors or occupations that meet local and regional workforce needs.
- Goal 2: To promote student success through enhanced UTTC Student Support Services.
- Goal 3: To promote increased rates of student persistence and academic success.
- Goal 4: To increase student certificate, diploma, and degree completion rates.
UTTC proposes to offer Career and Technical Education (CTE) training for 900 Native American and Alaska Native students in the following programs:
- Welding and Heavy Equipment Operations
- Culinary Arts and Nutrition Program
- Automotive Technology
- Criminal Justice
- Business Administration
- Pre-Engineering
- Environmental Science & Research
- Elementary Education