On April 27, the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing to discuss bolstering the surface transportation construction workforce. The committee heard from several witnesses about the challenges that they are facing in the wake of workforce shortages, skills gaps and supply chain challenges.
Shoshana Lew, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), testified about the importance of local labor hiring practices on transportation projects.
“CDOT contracted with the Community College of Denver’s Center for Workforce Initiatives in 2016 to advise CDOT on an appropriate goal and to prioritize programmatic recommendations,” Lew said.
The recommendations included the following:
- Identify and recruit for positions that would attract a broad candidate pool and provide transferable career pathways, such as laborers, equipment operators, commercial drivers, on-the-job trainees, administrative assistants and accounting clerks.
- Establish a sole workforce convener that would coordinate community intake hubs, standardize assessment and referrals and track training and placement outcomes.
- Align multiple training programs to create a pipeline system capable of preparing a wide range of students, job seekers, and workers, and ensuring existing or new training is included on the Colorado’s Eligible Training Provider List.
Tunya Smith, director of the Office of Civil Rights for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, noted that North Carolina is facing several challenges to growing the construction workforce.
“...the average age of North Carolina construction trades workers is approximately 50 years old. The impact of the expected labor shortage is amplified by the fact that many potential workers find construction trades unattractive and challenging to enter. Now more than ever, programs that target and prepare non-traditional populations and laborers are needed.”
Kari Karst, president and CEO of BX Civil & Construction in South Dakota, added that the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA) provides sustainable work opportunities for transportation contractors, heavy contractors, building contractors and utility contractors, but is not without challenges. “This historic level of funding in our infrastructure when combined with recovering from a global pandemic, addressing a supply chain crisis, and implementing new federal requirements that were a part of the IIJA will create challenges for those of us tasked with rebuilding our infrastructure. Making reforms to higher education policy by making high-quality, shorter-term education and training programs eligible for federal Pell Grants would help reverse the skills gap, correct education funding inequities, and provide job training and credentialing opportunities that are in high demand,” Karst said.
“Congress must also increase Perkins CTE funding. The Perkins program is the biggest federal funding source to high schools and post-secondary vocational training programs in the country. Despite modest funding increases in recent years, the level and need of funding still has not kept up with inflation and rising demand.”
Kelly Kupcak, executive director of Oregon Tradeswomen, drew attention to the underrepresentation of women and people of color in the construction and transportation sectors.
“[These are] fields that provide good wages, benefits, and opportunities for a life-long career. Without intentional efforts to improve and support access to such publicly funded jobs, women, particularly women of color, are unlikely to benefit from these historic levels of investment. Nationally, women represent only 4 percent of construction apprentices. Infrastructure jobs also remain highly segregated for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) as well.”
You can watch the full hearing at the link above.
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