Grants for 16 programs address labor shortage in highway construction industry and create high-quality, in-demand jobs.
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced $4.2 million in grants under the Highway Construction Training Program for 16 programs to recruit, train, and place highway construction jobs. Funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Highway Construction Training Program fills critical shortages in highway construction, maintenance, and operations jobs needed to build and maintain the nation’s roads and bridges.
The grants fund activities to train and employ nearly 1,100 jobs across the country. These new programs include training for heavy duty equipment operators, scholarships for pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs, and programs to obtain a commercial driver’s license. These programs support DOT’s priorities to promote jobs for women, veterans and people with disabilities. These programs also include outreach to help hire people who were previously incarcerated, underemployed, or have dropped out of the workforce.
“Investing in our nation’s infrastructure is tantamount to investing in our people. Today’s announcement helps us deliver on the promise of building America’s transportation system by investing in workforce training programs – from operating heavy equipment to obtaining a commercial driver’s license – to bolster the workforce that constructs our nation’s highways,” said Acting Federal Highway Deputy Administrator Gloria M. Shepherd. “FHWA is proud to support expanding opportunities in the transportation industry, especially for underrepresented groups like women who make up less than 15% of this industry.”
The full list of awarded projects is available here. Projects awarded funding include:
Illinois: The Illinois Department of Transportation will receive $288,000 to expand the existing Illinois Highway Construction Careers Training Program, which is currently offered by 10 community colleges in the state. Participants are trained in highway construction-related skills, including mathematics, job site readiness, carpentry, blueprint reading orientation, and forklift operation among other skills. The program will also be expanded to include a Materials Testing Program at South Suburban College in South Holland to recruit and train women, minorities, people with disabilities, veterans, and previously incarcerated individuals to become qualified highway construction professionals. Graduates will receive safety equipment and tools and assistance in applying for apprenticeships and positions with unions and highway contractors in the State.
Missouri: Stephens College, a traditionally women’s college in Columbia, Missouri will receive $300,000 to develop a new highway construction training program covering skills such as carpentry, heavy machinery operation, concrete placement, asphalt laying, and safety protocols, with an emphasis on recruiting women. The project will support apprenticeship programs, facilitate job placements for graduates, and offer mentorship programs to increase the representation of women and underserved individuals in highway construction. Participants will work with predominantly female crews or under the guidance of female journey workers to ensure a positive and inclusive work environment.
Montana: The Salish Kootenai College (SKC), a tribal college of the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation in Pablo, will receive $293,000 to train and place 90 individuals from underrepresented and underemployed backgrounds in highway construction skills. The project will enhance SKC’s existing Highway Construction Training Program by adding climate change and sustainability curriculum components and upgrading equipment and simulators. High school students will be offered early college coursework through an “on-ramp” program.
New York: The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will receive $300,000 for a workforce development initiative for the Kensington Expressway Project in Buffalo. NYSDOT will work with a wide range of partners including, the Buffalo Educational Opportunity Center, the Independent Contractor’s Guild, Carpenters Local Union 276, Cahill Resources, Buffalo and Erie County Workforce Investment Board, and Mohawk Valley Community College. The partners will work together to expand the existing program to provide additional training and employment opportunities to better address the highway industry workforce shortage in western New York. The program will provide opportunities for those residents that will be impacted by the NY State Route 33 Kensington Expressway Project and surrounding projects with an emphasis on recruiting women, minorities, and people with disabilities.
Pennsylvania: Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh will receive $300,000 for a project that will train approximately 50 workers and 100 undergraduate and graduate students in heavy-duty equipment operators, safety managers, data engineers, and project information managers. The project team will work with multiple partners to provide professionals with experiential education and training. In particular, a collaboration with the Constructors Association of Western PA will enhance their “Future Road Builders” program, an interactive computer application that allows individuals to simulate operation of various types of highway construction equipment.
FHWA released a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the HCTP in April 2024 and received 20 applications requesting over $5.7 million – oversubscribing the program by $1.5 million and indicating strong interest in creating and promoting workforce development programs across the nation.
The Highway Construction Training Program originated in 2016 as a pilot program that brought together federal, state and industry partners to establish the Highway Construction Workforce Partnership Pilot Program (HCWP). The HCWP was later renamed the Strategic Workforce Development Initiative (SWD) and selected as a focus program for FHWA’s 2021 and 2022 Every Day Counts (EDC)-6 program and adopted by 32 states. It was also carried over to EDC-7 and adopted by 43 states for 2023 and 2024. The HCWP Pilot and SWD programs demonstrated the importance of providing job training and placement and support services, such as childcare and transportation, to filling highway construction roles. You can view some of the success stories from the Strategic Workforce Development programs here.
The HCTP will continue to build on the lessons learned from the HCWP Pilot and SWD to develop valuable resources for workforce development, including case studies, peer exchange summaries, and webinars.
For more information about FHWA highway construction workforce programs, visit this website.
The post INVESTING IN AMERICA: Biden-Harris Administration Invests $4.2 Million in Education and Job Training Programs to Support the Transportation Workforce first appeared on Informed Infrastructure.