This week, President Biden unveiled the details of his $2 trillion infrastructure-related “American Jobs Plan,” which aims to create millions of jobs and spur the economy while rebuilding a substantial portion of our nation’s infrastructure. The plan would span eight years and spending would equal around 1% of the U.S. GDP per year, to be offset by changes to the tax code, particularly for corporations.
The proposal would provide wide-ranging investments across areas traditionally seen as part of the infrastructure conversation, as well as others, ranging from research and development, roads and bridges to modernizing the electric grid.
Education and workforce development were also a significant part of the proposal. First, it proposal would provide $100 billion, through a combination of direct grants and bonds, for K-12 school construction and modernization. It also provides substantial investments in EV technology, which would seek to electrify 20% of our nation’s school bus fleet and calls for $45 billion to eliminate lead pipes and service lines In America, which would reduce lead exposure in 400,000 schools and childcare facilities. $12 billion is also allocated for investments in community college infrastructure, including both facilities and technology. An additional $100 billion is allocated to broadband expansion and could help close the digital divide for students.
This proposal also calls for considerable investments into our nation’s workforce development systems. President Biden is requesting $100 billion for proven workforce development programs targeted at underserved groups and getting our students on paths to careers before they graduate from high school. According to the fact sheet released by the White House, the American Jobs Plan seeks to divide this funding into three main areas, one of which specifically mentions CTE. These three components of the plan are excerpted below:
- Pair job creation efforts with next generation training programs. President Biden is calling on Congress to invest in evidence-based approaches to supporting workers. This includes wraparound services, income supports, counseling, and case management, paired with high-quality training and effective partnerships between educational institutions, unions, and employers. Specifically, he is calling for a $40 billion investment in a new Dislocated Workers Program and sector-based training. This funding will ensure comprehensive services for workers, who have lost jobs through no fault of their own, to gain new skills and to get career services they need with in-demand jobs. Sector-based training programs will be focused on growing, high demand sectors such as clean energy, manufacturing, and caregiving, helping workers of all kinds to find good-quality jobs in an ever-changing economy.
- Target workforce development opportunities in underserved communities. Structural racism and persistent economic inequities have undermined opportunity for millions of workers. All of the investments in workforce training will prioritize underserved communities and communities hit hard by a transforming economy. President Biden also will call upon Congress to ensure that new jobs created in clean energy, manufacturing, and infrastructure are open and accessible to women and people of color. President Biden is calling on Congress to also specifically target funding to workers facing some of the greatest challenges, with a $12 billion. This includes $5 billion over eight years in support of evidence-based community violence prevention programs. He is calling on Congress to invest in job training for formerly incarcerated individuals and justice-involved youth and in improving public safety. He also is calling on Congress to tackle long-term unemployment and underemployment through a new subsidized jobs program. And, he is calling on Congress to eliminate sub-minimum wage provisions in section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act and expand access to competitive, integrated employment opportunities and fair wages for workers with disabilities.
- Build the capacity of the existing workforce development and worker protection systems. The United States has underinvested in the workforce development system for decades. In fact, we currently spend just one-fifth of the average that other advanced economies spend on workforce and labor market programs. This lack of investment impacts all of us: better educated workers create spillover effects for other workers and lack of employment has negative social impacts on communities. President Biden is calling on Congress to invest a combined $48 billion in American workforce development infrastructure and worker protection. This includes registered apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships, creating one to two million new registered apprenticeships slots, and strengthening the pipeline for more women and people of color to access these opportunities through successful pre-apprenticeship programs such as the Women in Apprenticeships in Non-Traditional Occupations. This will ensure these underserved groups have greater access to new infrastructure jobs. These investments include the creation of career pathway programs in middle and high schools, prioritizing increased access to computer science and high-quality career and technical programs that connect underrepresented students to STEM and in-demand sectors through partnerships with both institutions of higher education and employers. The President’s plan also will support community college partnerships that build capacity to deliver job training programs based on in-demand skills. His plan will better tailor services to workers’ job seeking and career development needs through investments in Expanded Career Services and the Title II adult literacy program. The President’s plan includes funding to strengthen the capacity of our labor enforcement agencies to protect against discrimination, protect wages and benefits, enforce health and safety safeguards, strengthen health care and pensions plans, and promote union organizing and collective bargaining.
To learn more, click here to read the fact sheet released by the White House. Please continue to monitor ACTE’s Policy Watch Blog for more information as this proposal continues to make its way through Congress!
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