The U.S. Department of Labor recently made $80 million available through its Building Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs Grant Program to help workers across a variety of industry sectors access training and develop construction trade skills.
[Above photo by the Oregon DOT]
The agency added that it intends to make a total of approximately $200 million available for this job grant program over multiple competitive rounds of funding.
“The U.S. will need a skilled and diverse workforce … to increase domestic manufacturing, rebuild roads, upgrade transportation systems, provide clean water, provide affordable high-speed internet, and deliver cheaper and cleaner energy,” said Brent Parton, DOL’s acting assistant secretary for employment and training , in a statement.
“This grant program represents a down payment to ensure we have the skilled workforce we need by investing in workforce partnerships that build equitable pathways to good infrastructure careers,” Parton said.
DOL added those grants should enable public and private sector firms to develop or scale workforce training programs to prepare job seekers in advanced manufacturing; information technology; and professional, scientific, and technical service occupations that support renewable energy, transportation, and broadband infrastructure sectors.
That includes occupations in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors; broadband and transmission expansion; advanced manufacturing, particularly bio-manufacturing; and electrical, industrial, and civil engineers and technicians who facilitate the design, construction, modernization, and maintenance of the nation’s infrastructure.
Nonprofits, labor organizations, public and state institutions of higher education, economic, and workforce entities, plus state, county, and local governments may apply for grants ranging from $500,000 to $5 million. Applicants must choose one of the following tracks for this grant program:
- Development track: Establishes local and regional partnerships that will implement new sector-based training programs across infrastructure-related sectors.
- Scaling track: Expands an existing local or regional training partnership model, with demonstrated success in a specific infrastructure-related sector, to the state or national level.
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