The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Department of Education recently issued nearly $12 million in grant funds to 27 educational institutions in 21 counties across the state through the first round of funding for the PennDOT Career and Technical Education grant program.
[Above photo by PennDOT]
Established in July, this new program seeks to help grow Pennsylvania’s workforce and expand career pathways for young people in the heavy highway construction and maintenance industry.
PennDOT noted that the program’s grants support career pathway education, technical training, industry certification, and on-the-job learning in the highway industry for middle, high school, and college students.
Eligible educational institutions can use this funding to expand or create new education programs geared toward many skilled jobs in the construction industry such as inspector, mechanic, laborer, electrician, stonemason, welder, painter, cost estimator, and surveyor.
[Editor’s note: Many state departments of transportation offer a range initiatives to support growth at all levels of the U.S. transportation workforce, everything from student loan repayment to hands-on heavy equipment training programs.]
“These grants will help schools start or expand programs to expose students to the trades that will continue building Pennsylvania,” said Mike Carroll, PennDOT secretary, in a statement. “We’re proud to support the important work that Pennsylvania’s educational institutions do every day to prepare the next generation for whatever career path they choose.”
This grant program is one result of a July 2023 executive order issued by Governor Josh Shapiro (D) that created the Commonwealth Workforce Transformation Program; job training program that provides workforce development investments to ensure companies, contractors, unions, and others who are working to build Pennsylvania’s infrastructure have the skilled workforce they need.
Concurrently, PennDOT noted it is receiving more applicants to its On-the-Job Training or OJT program following an expansion and streamlining initiative that began in 2025.
The agency noted that in 2023, 137 workers participated in the OJT program, whereas so far in 2026, there have already been 168 active trainees in the program.
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