Alphabet soup is a metaphor for an abundance of abbreviations or acronyms. In our day to day work world, we usually spout off acronyms as if everyone is familiar or clearly knows what we are talking or writing about. But in reality, it’s often a meaningless bunch of letters which may result in that typical question or look that says, “What does that mean?”
We certainly have been on both sides of the conversation and either way - it can be frustrating.With any organization, there is usually a laundry list of terms and acronyms that represent their communication style. For instance, the Senior Community Services Employment Program and Department of Labor utilize many acronyms such as – SCSEP, DOL, ETA, OAA, FPO, NOO, NOA, DOLETA, WIOA, SPARQ, TEGL, etc. And then we have acronyms for some of our SCSEP grantees such as IID, NCOA, NICOA, A4TD, SSAI, and NOWCC.
Can Alphabet Soup be confusing for some and normal for others? Absolutely!
Also, when writing and using acronyms - write out the full meaning the first time you use it and put the acronym in parentheses.
For us to effectively communicate with our colleagues, partners, and especially with each other, it requires us to learn what’s in the soup mix. So here are some of our frequently used acronyms; so jump in the bowl of Alphabet soup and enjoy!!
DOL and SCSEP Acronyms and Definitions
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ACL – Administration for Community Living
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AJC – American Job Center
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ATSS – Additional Training and Supportive Services
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CoP – Community of Practice
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CSA – Community Service Assignment
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CMS – Case Management System
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CSHRs – Community Service Hours
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DC – Data Collection
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DNPPTA – Division of National Programs, Tools, and Technical Assistance
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DOL – Department of Labor
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DOLETA – Dept. of Labor Employment and Training Administration
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DV – Data Validation
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ED – Equitable Distribution
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EER – Entered Employment Rate
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ETA – Employment and Training Administration
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EWFB – Enrollee Wages and Fringe Benefits
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FOA – Funding Opportunity Announcement
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FPO – Federal Project Officer
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FY – Fiscal Year
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HA – Host Agency
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ICR – Information Collection Request
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IDL – Individual Durational Limit
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IEP – Individual Employment Plan
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IFA – Infrastructure Funding Agreement
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IFR – Interim Final Rule
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LEP – Limited English Proficiency
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MIN – Most In Need
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MOU – Memorandum of Understanding
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NOA – Notice of Award
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NOL – National Office Liaison
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NOO- Notice of Obligation
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OAA – Older Americans Act
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OGM – Office of Grants Management
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OJE – On the Job Experience
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OPC – Other Programmatic Cost
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OSR – Optional Special Requests
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OWB – Older Workers Bulletin
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OWI – Office Workforce Investment
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OWU – Older Worker Unit
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PWFB – Participant Wages and Fringe Benefits
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PY – Program Year
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QNPR – Quarterly Narrative Progress Report
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QPR – Quarterly Performance Report
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SCSEP – Senior Community Services Employment Program
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SL – Service Level
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SPARQ – SCSEP Performance and Results QPR System
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TA – Technical Assistance
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TEGL – Training and Employment Guidance Letter
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TEN – Training and Employment Notice
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WIA – Workforce Investment Act
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WIBS – Workforce Investment Boards
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WIOA – Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
SCSEP National Grantee Acronyms
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A4TD – Associates for Training and Development, Inc.
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ANPPM - Asociacion Nacional Por Personas Mayores
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EW – Experience Works
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IID - Institute for Indian Development
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NAPCA - National Asian Pacific Center on Aging
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NCBA – National Caucus and Center on Black Aged
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NCOA - National Council on Aging, Inc.
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NICOA - National Indian Council on Aging
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NOWCC – National Older Worker Career Center
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NUL – National Urban League
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SSAI – Senior Service America, Inc.
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TWP – The WorkPlace
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Vantage Services – formerly MS – Mature Services
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AARP – American Association of Retired Persons
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ES- Easterseals
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GII – Goodwill Industries International
4/27/2018 1:48 PM by Christine Shelton
One of our National Grantees, SER Jobs for Progress National, Inc. shared the meaning of their acronym, "SER." It stands for Service Employment and Redevelopment. Thank you Raúl Santa!