Since 2021, the United States has seen historic investments in infrastructure, digital equity, and economic development that will have significant implications for the U.S. workforce and labor market. The combined investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), Inflation Reduction Act, and CHIPS and Science Act (CHIPS) are estimated to support nearly three million jobs per year over the lifespan of the laws. The success of these investments, however, hinges on a new generation of workers having access to the education, skills training, and economic supports they need to access good jobs and careers in this booming sector.

These workers will inevitably and necessarily include many parents, whose caregiving and family responsibilities play a role in their decision and ability to take advantage of growing infrastructure job opportunities. For these people—referred to here broadly as ‘parents,’ but which include biological and adoptive parents, people caring for grandchildren, siblings, or other family members, and other caregivers—policies, systems, and practices that take their role as family caregivers into consideration in their design and implementation are critical to ensuring their access to the infrastructure jobs available now and those on the horizon.

In addition, ensuring women and mothers, and especially single mothers and Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and Asian and Pacific Islander mothers, have access to these quality infrastructure job opportunities is essential, given the implications of these opportunities for their families’ wellbeing and their children’s chances of success. Women and Black workers are underrepresented in nearly all the sectors that are projected to grow with the BIL, Inflation Reduction Act, and CHIPS investments, particularly among higher-paying sectors. Given the changing demographics of the U.S. workforce, it will be nearly impossible for clean energy and infrastructure employers to find the skilled workforce they need without establishing more inclusive pathways for workers who have traditionally been underrepresented in these industries.

Millions of Parents Stand to Benefit from Opportunities to Build Skills for In-Demand Infrastructure Jobs

Many of the people pursuing skills training that prepares them to fill in-demand infrastructure jobs will be parents. Research from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research finds that, of the nearly thirty-five million people who hold some college credit but no degree, more than a third (a little over twelve million) are parents of at least one child under eighteen living in their household. Single parents—and single mothers in particular—are the least likely to hold college degrees, and most likely to have earned some college credit but no degree. Many of the people who have some college credit but not a degree are Black and Indigenous parents and single mothers.

These parents are primed to benefit from access to affordable, flexible, and supportive education and training opportunities that lead to quality infrastructure jobs. But for them to be able to do so, we must work to remove the structural barriers that have stood in their way in the past and establish student- and family-centered policies and systems.

Ensuring decision makers understand and are considering the needs of parents in policy design and implementation will play a role in how successful we are at meeting the need for a diverse infrastructure workforce and an inclusive economy. NSC’s engagement with workforce education and training program leaders, policy advocates and researchers, and student parents themselves has revealed that parents in skills training experience heightened basic needs insecurity and challenges related to balancing family, work, and school. While this is not unlike the experiences of parents in degree programs, parents pursuing short-term, career-focused programs at community colleges—especially those that are not offered for credit—are often less likely to receive the same supports or services as students pursuing degrees or credit-bearing programs.

Policy and Systems Changes Are Needed to Facilitate Parents’ Entry into Infrastructure Jobs

Changing how our postsecondary system and policies conceive of and treat students who pursue non-degree programs and pathways is a first step to building a more equitable system that embraces parents and others who do not fit the traditional college student mold. In fact, research supports the idea that taking a two-generation approach to designing education and training opportunities for parents and their children can result in better outcomes for both—and for society at large.

NSC’s network, including its Making College Work Student Advisory Council, has emphasized the need for a range of improvements to how our social welfare, postsecondary, and workforce development systems support parents in skills training. These improvements include:

• Increasing access to and the accessibility of public benefits programs for parents in skills training, such as food stamps (SNAP), education and training support through SNAP E&T, cash assistance (TANF), and child care assistance, including raising income cutoffs for eligibility so that parents who advance along their career paths do not lose benefits as a consequence of small wage increases.
• Making child care more affordable and accessible for families, including a diverse array of child care models, so that parents—particularly single mothers—can feasibly take the time and resources needed to invest in skills training.
• Improving the availability of high-quality non-degree programs and career pathways—and financial aid to support their enrollment—that result in credentials that are valued by employers and can open doors to further educational attainment and career advancement.

In addition, our higher education, workforce development, and career and technical education systems must work to actively expose women and people of color to the infrastructure field as a viable career option, despite it being traditionally male and white dominated. NSC’s conversations with experts, advocates, and practitioners emphasize the need for intentional education and career advising/coaching that presents critical information and guidance to women and mothers of color. This guidance would allow them to make informed decisions and consider pathways that may be outside the “norm” but hold promise for their careers and economic mobility.

Policy Levers to Support Parents on Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs

As state workforce and economic development leaders put the influx of federal infrastructure dollars to work in their states and communities, they must consider how to encourage a diverse cross-section of residents to pursue training and careers in infrastructure—many of whom will be parents. NSC will continue to explore and encourage ways that skills training policy change can support greater diversification of the infrastructure workforce through its People Powered Infrastructure campaign, including by prioritizing engagement and support of parents and other caregivers. In addition, check out these resources to help guide advocacy and systems change:

• Building the Future Workforce: A State Playbook to Shape a New Age in Federal Infrastructure Investments
• Tools for Building an Equitable Infrastructure Workforce: Gender Equity Strategies as a Model
• Effective and Inclusive Child Care Solutions: Toolkit for Implementing the CHIPS & Science Act
• Advancing Equity: Strategies to Recruit More Black, Indigenous & People of Color (BIPOC) and Women to Green Skilled Trades/Crafts, and STEM Job Training
• How To Support Good Jobs and Workforce Equity on Federal Infrastructure Projects

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As part of the People Powered Infrastructure campaign, the project’s goal is to increase the number of training and support service programs, with a focus on greater racial and gender workforce diversity. 

With nearly 3 million jobs per year expected to be generated by recent investments in infrastructure, the need for a collaborative effort like this is urgent. Moreover, while 69% of those jobs will be available to workers without a bachelor’s degree, there’s an anticipated labor shortage of 1.1 million workers who, without training and other workforce investments, will lack the skills to fill these jobs. 

“Ensuring equitable access to infrastructure and clean energy jobs is not just a moral imperative; it’s an economic necessity. By acting now, we can empower millions of workers, particularly women and workers of color, to contribute to our nation’s prosperity,” said Annika Cole, Advocacy Manager at Chicago Jobs Council, a proud partner in this project. 

“We are thrilled to join forces with National Skills Coalition and our fellow partners to tackle the urgent need for workers in infrastructure and clean energy sectors. Together, we can pave the way for a more inclusive and resilient workforce,” said Marcela Díaz, Executive Director at New Mexico-based organization Somos Un Pueblo Unido, joining this vital initiative. 

NSC will assist the Infrastructure Equity Policy Project partners through May 2025 as they work to advance state policies that intentionally increase quality career opportunities for women and people of color. NSC will also work with partners to build coalitions between workforce advocates; racial and gender equity organizations; and environmental, labor, and workers’ rights groups—allowing states to create equitable opportunities for all people to train for good jobs in this growing sector. 

During this project, partners will: 

• Develop policy recommendations and advocacy plans 
• Build allyship and coalitions with other influential stakeholders 
• Amplify the voices of working people and small businesses 
• Engage with and learn from other selected partners 

The partners in the Infrastructure Equity Policy Project include: 

• Capital Workforce Partners (Connecticut) 
• Chicago Jobs Council (Illinois)
• Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute (Indiana)
• North Carolina Budget and Tax Center (North Carolina)
• Somos Un Pueblo Unido (New Mexico) 
• New York Association of Training and Employment (New York)
• Ohio Workforce Coalition (Ohio)
• Partner4Work (Pennsylvania)
• United Ways of Texas (Texas)
• Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County (Washington)
• Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, Inc. (Wisconsin)

Ultimately, NSC hopes that by working with partners in states to increase the number of training and support programs that prepare workers for infrastructure and clean energy jobs—with a strong focus on increasing racial and gender diversity within these programs—states can cultivate a strong, diverse, and multigenerational workforce that’s capable of driving the development and maintenance of our nation’s new and green infrastructure. 

To make sure you’re keeping up with the latest news on the Infrastructure Equity Policy Project, sign up to the People Powered Infrastructure campaign newsletter. 

The post Infrastructure Equity Policy Project Brings State Partners Together to Produce New Workforce Opportunities appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

An infrastructure workforce challenge 

NSC (National Skills Coalition) recently commissioned a report with BlueGreen Alliance from researchers at Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. The report, Unprecedented Opportunity: Meeting the Workforce Demands of New Clean Energy, Manufacturing, and Infrastructure Investments, identifies an anticipated labor shortage of 1.1 million workers concentrated in construction. This shortage highlights the need to connect workers to training and supports that will provide access to the skills needed to access these good jobs which, on average, pay more than 10% above the U.S. median hourly wage. 

The BUILDS Act: A Key Component of the Solution 

The BUILDS Act which was recently reintroduced in the Senate by Senator Kaine (D-VA) after previous reintroduction in the House last fall by Representatives Bonamici (D-OR) and GT Thompson (R-PA) could help support industry needs and access to workforce training to address the anticipated labor shortage in infrastructure. 

The bipartisan legislation (which stands for “Building U.S Infrastructure by Leveraging Demand for Skills”) would establish a grant program to support industry and sector partnerships and workforce development efforts related to infrastructure. The grants could be used to establish and convene sector partnerships, navigate Registered Apprenticeship registration, connect with education partners, and design curriculum. The grants would also support workers both before and during employment by providing training, attire, tools, services like childcare and transportation meant to support workers during their first six months of employment. Some supports would last more than a year to ensure participants are able to remain in and complete programs. 

At NSC, we often analyze the BUILDS Act through the lens of our People Powered Infrastructure Campaign because it focuses on the infrastructure space, it has broad implications for our work. Establishing and convening industry and sector partnerships, worker training, and supports are components of many of NSC’s legislative recommendations to Congress. These partnerships have a proven track record of identifying and meeting workforce needs across various industries.  

Legislative Prospects and Advocacy 

While BUILDS is unlikely to pass as a standalone bill, there is hope that it will be incorporated into the upcoming reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), currently being negotiated in the Senate. 

During the 2024 Skills Summit, NSC partners met with lawmakers to highlight the critical need to invest in partnerships and supportive services to meet our nation’s workforce needs and highlighted the BUILDS act as part of that advocacy. NSC staff will continue these conversations to ensure that WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) reauthorization meets the needs of workers and employers alike.  

The post How the BUILDS Act can Ease America’s Infrastructure Labor Shortage appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

This group of thought leaders endeavors to play a key role in pushing for meaningful policy change (such as investing in industry-sector partnerships and quality apprenticeships skills training strategies) to support successful clean energy projects and provide economic opportunities for workers in a growing industry.   

“It’s important for public agencies, companies, community colleges, and workforce development stakeholders to come together to envision skills training and registered apprenticeship policies that will not only maximize infrastructure investments and expand benefits, but also create new pathways to good jobs for underrepresented groups including, black and brown workers, women, young people, veterans and re-entry citizens” said Victoria Johnson, Global Equity Director at HDR Engineering, Inc– an employee-owned, professional services firm specializing in architecture, engineering, environmental and construction services. Johnson is also a BLU Executive Committee Member.  

Recent analysis commissioned by NSC, BlueGreen Alliance and conducted by the University of Massachusetts Amherst Political Economy Research Institute shows that the combined investments of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the CHIPS and Science act will create millions of new jobs – but does so without investing enough in education and training to equip workers with these skills.

In the clean energy sector specifically, tax credits passed through the Inflation Reduction Act provide a once-in-a-generation opportunity to grow our clean energy infrastructure. But Congress did not provide new apprenticeship resources to meet the credit’s requirements, and policymakers did not provide significant, dedicated funding for skills training to support this growth. Reaching the clean energy goals of federal investments will require expanding the talent pipeline to bring new workers into the field, especially women, workers of color, and young people. 

Fortunately, as projects begin across the country, states can prioritize skills training investments to support business growth and economic opportunity for workers. The day-long policy discussion focused on identifying state policies that are already working for business leaders – particularly those policies that build and diversify the registered apprenticeship pipeline and those that help local businesses hire apprentices to take advantage of the IRA tax credits. Participants also focused on how industry-sector partnerships between employers, training providers and community colleges, community-based organizations, and labor organizations are critical to meeting the needs of employers and workers alike. These models can inspire legislation in other states and further investment at the federal level.

Following the policy discussion, business leaders met with Congressional and committee staff. It was an important moment for policymakers to hear from the clean energy sector about their skills training challenges and successes. Participants shared their experiences and insights about what federal action is needed to meet the workforce needs of employers. “Bipartisan policies that advance workforce development on-the-job training programs are critical to ensuring that disadvantaged citizens have equitable opportunities for sustainable, good paying green jobs and careers that align with federal initiatives to address the climate crisis,” said Tina White, CEO of TINA’s Green Energy Solutions – a company that sells and installs electric vehicle charging stations.  

Lindsay Blummer is President and CEO of WRTP/Big Step in Milwaukee Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership has programs and services that focus on green construction and clean energy. “Convenings focused on the next iteration of the clean energy economy like this one are imperative for understanding and lifting the voices of all stakeholders,” Blummer says. “We have the opportunity to build a robust and diverse workforce to meet the demands of high road employers and our nation’s need for clean energy. These discussions must continue to include workforce best practices, worker voice and employer engagement as this is an opportunity to create a responsive, diverse, safe, and effective sector for generations.”

BLU plans to use the momentum from this event to build support for federal and state investments in pre-apprenticeships and industry sector partnerships – particularly bringing the business voice to state-level advocacy efforts. 

For photos, check our flickr page.

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Fortunately, in 2022, our country invested roughly $2 trillion in infrastructure through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Chips and Science Act. And thanks to new research from NSC, Blue Green Alliance and the Political Economy Research Institute at UMass Amherst, we know those laws will support nearly 3 million jobs per year over the life span of the laws. That’s 19 million job-years**.  

Nearly 70% of the direct jobs supported by these new laws won’t require a college degree. Rather, they’ll require some kind of skills training – like a certificate, credential, apprenticeship or on-the-job training beyond high school. 

Hiring trained workers for these jobs (and of course the success of planned infrastructure projects) hinges on a new generation of workers having access to the education, skills training, economic supports, and hiring and career advancement opportunities they need to land jobs in the booming infrastructure and clean energy sectors. 

If we are serious about training the next generation of infrastructure workers – as well as ensuring that these investments contribute to an inclusive economy – we need to intentionally open the door to millions of workers who want to train for a new career in infrastructure – particularly women and workers of color. 

That’s why NSC launched our People Powered Infrastructure Campaign – to urge federal and state policymakers to: 

• Expand access to skills training offered through registered apprenticeship programs and workforce programs at community and technical colleges. 
   
• Invest in industry partnerships in the infrastructure field and support their capacity to engage in equity-advancing practices. 
   
• Provide economic support like childcare and transportation to make skills training and career transitions possible.

• Incentivize and support training, hiring, and career advancement of local residents.
    
• Collect data and report on jobs outcomes of federal infrastructure spending with attention to race, gender, and geography.  

Thanks in part to our coalition’s steady advocacy – including the influence of NSC and Business Leaders United’s expert industry recovery panels (and the perspectives we offered to the Biden Administration and Congress) these historic, once-in-a-generation infrastructure investments present many opportunities to invest in skills training and workforce – but those training-specific investments won’t be realized without our advocacy.  Policymakers have a lot of work left to do to truly support people powered infrastructure and drive an inclusive economy – and that’s what our campaign will be focused on through 2024. 

Implementing infrastructure and clean energy investments in the states 

In the states, NSC is turning our attention to assisting state coalitions and state network partners to influence implementation of the law through policy and advocacy campaigns and technical assistance. At the end of last year, we released Building the Future Workforce – a playbook for state policymakers, governors, advocates and state agency leaders who want to cultivate a strong, diverse, multigenerational infrastructure workforce. The playbook will be a north star for our planned assistance to state partners. It offers six recommendations and four case studies that illustrate how state policymakers can connect more working people to quality infrastructure and clean energy jobs and create benefits for residents, businesses, and communities that rely on the implementation and maintenance of critical infrastructure.  

Our Business Leaders United for Workforce Partnerships campaign plans to leverage business voices in support of equitable skills training policies in the states, particularly to expand and diversify the clean energy workforce. For example, the Inflation Reduction Act includes several tax credits to incentivize and finance clean energy projects, but employers must meet apprenticeship requirements to maximize the value of the credits. In April, BLU leaders will be hosting clean energy employers and a range of stakeholders to examine how states can expand apprenticeships and other investments in inclusive skills training to meet the demand for a skilled and diverse workforce in this growing industry.   

Influencing federal policymakers 

NSC is also focused on implementation at the federal level and plans to bring the expertise of our coalition partners to policymakers at four key agencies – the departments of Energy, Transportation, Commerce and Labor to inform and guide implementation of the federal infrastructure laws through the regulatory process. We’ll be reaching out to our coalition with opportunities for comment and other occasions for advocacy. 

On Capitol Hill this year, we’ll be following the progress of the BUILDS Act, bipartisan legislation introduced in the House by Representatives Bonamici (D-OR) and Thompson (R-PA) (There’s a companion bill in the Senate by Senator Kaine (D-VA)).  The BUILDS Act would provide workers with skills needed to fill infrastructure jobs by creating new grants for industry partnerships in the infrastructure sector. The bill includes funding for support services like childcare and transportation to help workers to complete the program. Passing the BUILDS Act would be a step toward meeting our nation’s infrastructure workforce needs. This year, we’ll be advocating for BUILDS or for its language to be included in WIOA authorization. 

We’ll also be closely following the appropriations process and the reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).  While investments from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Chips and Science Act included some workforce development programs, the laws were not accompanied by the robust package of investments that NSC coalition partners advocated for.  NSC will be looking for opportunities for our coalition to influence the annual appropriations process and WIOA reauthorization conversations to ensure that the workforce system can support the infrastructure jobs being created. And we’ll be urging against proposed cuts to non-defense discretionary spending that would impact the workforce system’s ability to support training and supportive services for individuals trying to access infrastructure careers.  

Join our Campaign for People Powered Infrastructure! 

Throughout 2024, we’ll be calling upon our network – workforce advocates and business leaders alike – to weigh in on implementation and legislation – including meeting in person with legislators on Capitol Hill at the 2024 Skills Summit. You can register for the Summit to learn more about upcoming skills legislation and share your expertise with federal policymakers and their staff. 

If you haven’t joined our People Powered Infrastructure Campaign yet – sign our petition today and stay tuned for opportunities to shape investments in local, state, and federal skills training policy that will build an inclusive infrastructure workforce. 

** A job-year is one person working at one job for one year.  

The post Shaping Infrastructure Investments: People Powered Infrastructure Campaign Update appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

The participants took part in a full day of legislative meetings, including interactions with legislators from their home state – but also with key committee staff from the Health Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (which oversees workforce and education in the Senate), as well as the House Education and Workforce Committee. Their message to all of these policymakers was clear: Congress must support worker and employer needs by investing in our workforce system – including funding for skills training, supportive services, and sector partnerships.  

Participants included:  

• Sarah Alden, General Counsel, Hastings Fiber Glass Products, Inc.  
• Jolie Bernard, Principal Owner & Chief Strategist, The Bernard Group LLC 
• Patricia Carty, President & CEO, The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester  
• Billie Cook, Director of Human Resources, Colonna’s Shipyard, Inc.  
• Betsy Hassan, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CPPS, Director, Nursing Education & Professional Development, The University of Vermont Medical Center 
• Scott Kelley, Director of Production and Workforce Development, QED Systems, Inc.  
• Shana Lewis, SHRM-SCP, Vice President Talent Acquisition and Workforce Development Programs, Trinity Health 
• Chris Marshall, CEO, Las Vegas Mechanical Mark Robinson, Manager, External Affairs, Southwestern Electric Power Company 
• Karen Schoch, SHRM-SCP, Chief Human Resources Officer, Catholic Charities of New Hampshire 

Ensuring skills training is on the appropriations agenda.  

It was a critical time for Congress to hear from business leaders about the importance of investing in workforce programs. Legislators are currently considering annual funding legislation and debating 2024 appropriations and it’s more important than ever to ensure that funding for skills training is on the appropriations agenda. Unfortunately, for more than two decades, Congress has steadily cut investments in critical workforce programs. As a result, our workforce system has been unable to meet demand from employers and workers. These businesses asked Congress to reverse course and end the workforce cuts. Instead, they’re calling for Congress to begin to address the skills mismatch, create a more equitable economy, meet employer needs, and support workers throughout their careers through sufficient investments in workforce programs through the 2024 appropriations process. 

The need to establish, expand, and invest in industry sector partnerships. 

Industry-driven sector partnerships unite key workforce stakeholders such as businesses, training providers, community colleges, and labor unions and ensure that industry needs drive training programs. They also assist workers – particularly those from communities and demographics that have historically faced barriers to accessing training for good jobs. Small and mid-sized businesses often have limited resources to develop internal training programs, so they draw particular benefit from sector partnerships. While sector partnerships are a required strategy under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), they have faced funding challenges within an already underfunded workforce system.    

Fly-in participants gave their elected officials a refresher on sector partnerships – what they are, why they’re important, how different stakeholders work together. And they shared real-world stories about the sector partnerships they created or participated in with their business. They called on their representatives to provide dedicated funding for the establishment and expansion of industry sector partnerships and the training and education programs related to those partnerships. 

“Investments in skills training and sector partnerships are critical for the Tidewater region in Virginia and the Maritime Industry,” said Scott Kelly, Director of Production and Workforce Development at QED Systems, Inc. “Our company heavily invests in training, and this investment has made a huge difference in the quality of our craftsmen and our products, which builds a dedicated workforce. Skilled trades are at the highest demand in decades and skilled labor demands are only going to grow, and our growing sector partnership will help to train workers and market the great jobs in our industry.”   

“Any investment in the education of our future employees is a net increase to the safety of our industry and our ability to provide excellent service to our customers,” said Mark Robinson, Manager External Affairs at Southwestern Electric Power Company. “Skills based training is a crucial tool in the tool belts of our future line workers and sector partnerships are of particular importance in the electric industry because we provide mutual assistance in times of emergency restoration. Continuing skills-based education is vital to knowing that a responding utility company has the same standards of safety and excellence while restoring power to communities.” 

Boosting workforce training opportunities and wraparound services for workers 

Participants also emphasized the need for Congress to bolster investments in workforce programs including supporting career and technical education, adult education, and WIOA which should be inclusive of digital skills training, incumbent worker training / upskilling, and career services. This funding is pivotal because it enables more people to access training programs that lead to good jobs while allowing businesses to find skilled workers for in-demand positions. In addition, funding wraparound services like childcare, transportation, and career support is essential for completion and long-term success. Federal investments in these services help ensure the burden of paying for the total cost of training does not fall solely on employers or on workers. 

In terms of specific policy changes – participants asked Congress to expand Pell Grant eligibility to short-term, high-quality training programs that help workers access skills training and help businesses hire. Pell Grants offer financial support for postsecondary education beyond high school, but existing regulations prevent their use for short-term training. Quality short-term programs lead to in-demand credentials and offer flexible educational and skills training opportunities for people looking to upskill or reskill while working or caring for their families. By linking these certificates and credentials to industry demand, expanding Pell Grant access can qualify a more diverse workforce for job opportunities and business hiring needs, which lead to postsecondary credentials. 

They also asked that the provisions of the 21st Century Skills Act be included in the reauthorization of WIOA.  The 21st Century Skills Act would create Skills Training Grants that provide up to $10,000 to individuals with low- and moderate-incomes for training services, wrap around supports, and career services. Skills Training Grants would allow more workers, including those who may not be eligible for Pell grants, to receive skills training tied to industry-demand.  

Laying the groundwork or future investment 

BLU’s goal was to remind Congress about the importance of sector partnerships and workforce investments as policymakers gear up for the appropriations debate to ensure that skills training takes its rightful place on their agenda as we head into 2024 and the second year of the 118th Congress. BLU looks forward to working with our network, the administration, and Congressional champions to advance skills training policy, solve the nation’s skills mismatch, and build the workforce that businesses need to grow and thrive.  

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In a remarkable display of commitment to digital inclusion, more than 70 corporate partners – from Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, and chambers of commerce – from across the country have partnered with National Skills Coalition (NSC) and Business Leaders United (BLU) to release a set of guiding principles aimed at closing the digital divide. This initiative coincides with Digital Inclusion Week and underscores the pivotal role of digital skill development in achieving digital inclusion. 

When people think about the digital divide, the image that comes to mind is of people who don’t have access to computers and devices – and of people and communities that have limited access to the internet. But there’s also a digital skill divide.  The digital skill divide is the gulf between people who have access to digital skills and those who don’t. 

Earlier this year, an analysis by NSC and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta painted a sobering picture of the digital skill divide, finding that a staggering 92% of jobs now require digital skills, but only two-thirds of the workforce has had an opportunity to build basic digital competencies. This glaring disparity in access to skills disproportionately affects workers of color, low-income people, veterans, and rural residents, thanks to a legacy of structural inequalities and underinvestment. 

The principles note the importance of access to broadband and high-quality devices. But, critically, the sign-on also lays out three principles for digital adoption, including: 

• A digital skill foundation for all so that every person has the opportunity to develop basic digital problem-solving skills.   

• Upskilling for every worker in every workplace to empower workers with industry- and occupation-specific digital skills to adapt and advance in their careers.  

• Rapid reskilling for rapid re-employment when workers lose their jobs due to economic disruption and need to train for a new industry.  

A critical time for digital skill advocacy  

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic began, policymakers, businesses, and workforce advocates were raising the alarm about the digital skill divide. The pandemic really exacerbated the problem: a decade of planned technological change swept through every industry and every workplace in less than a year. Businesses and workers are still catching up. 

And, as technology continues to evolve, it becomes more and more apparent how the digital skill divide prevents equal participation in many parts of American life – from civic engagement and participation in democracy, access to information, and financial inclusion to people’s ability to access educational opportunities, get good jobs, and advance in a career.  

“The rapid pace of technological change in the workplace requires investments in digital skills training so that employers can grow and succeed,” said MJ Ryan, BLU member and Vice President for Workforce Development & Economic Opportunity, Human Resources at Mass General Brigham. “At Mass General Brigham, we hope that elected officials will use these principles as a roadmap for centering digital resilience in our nation’s workforce and education policies.” 

The bipartisan infrastructure law (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) that passed in 2021 included landmark investments in digital inclusion through the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program and the $2.75 billion Digital Equity Act (DE Act). The legislation provides formula funding and competitive grants to invest in a broad range of digital inclusion activities, including supporting individuals’ adoption and use of broadband internet, digital devices, and digital skills. Significantly, the BEAD program also invests in training and upskilling the workforce needed to install and support new broadband infrastructure. 

“New, once-in-a-generation federal investments through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, along with investments and partnerships across the corporate sector, present an opportunity to close the digital skill divide,” said Rachel Unruh, NSC Chief of External Affairs. “These principles provide a roadmap for how public and private investments can be deployed to create economic opportunity. We’re grateful to all our corporate partners for their leadership and vision.” 

Fortunately, research shows that public investments in closing the digital skill divide would have major payoffs for workers, businesses, and the economy at large – including increased wages for workers and reduced turnover costs for businesses. 

This legislation was an important first step toward closing the digital skill divide, but more investment is needed. Read our recent blog to learn about proposed legislation that NSC is pushing for in Congress, and how states are leading implementation of digital equity investments.  

Private sector working to advance digital equity 

These once-in-a-generation federal investments are a real opportunity to close the digital divide, especially when taken along with efforts across the private sector.  Here are examples of how some of the signatories are making strides in digital inclusion that both complement current federal investments and inspire future efforts: 

• AT&T is collaborating with the New York City Housing Authority’s Youth Tech Corps to help bring technology projects to NYCHA developments throughout the five boroughs. The yearlong pilot program helps students learn technology, leadership, communication and client service skills. The initiative is just one example of how the company’s Digital Navigators Program connects with community orgs to reach those who need access to digital literacy skills the most.
  
  
• Business Council of New York endeavors to understand the needs of employers and workers seeking employment by collaborating with the New York State Department of Labor to collect workforce data via annual workforce development survey. They use the data to help workers be better prepared for the jobs of today and tomorrow through digital literacy initiatives, to change career centers to better assist workers, and helping businesses find and retain workers.
• Comcast’s Project UP is a comprehensive initiative to advance digital equity and help build a future of unlimited possibilities. This $1 billion initiative includes all of the programs and community partnerships across Comcast, NBCUniversal, and Sky that connect people to the Internet, advance economic mobility, and open doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers, and creators.
• Equinix and the Equinix foundation are working to address inequitable access to technology and connectivity that has impacted historically Black colleges and universities. In collaboration with Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee and #BlackTechFutures Research Institute, Equinix is helping to advance digital inclusion by addressing funding for IT infrastructure and research, tech education, and bridging the gap in racial tech disparities.

• Grey Snow Communications is a 100% tribally owned enterprise owned by the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska. The company provides broadband fiber optic infrastructure construction training in three program areas: Aerial Construction, Underground Construction, and Fiber Splicing through it’s Grey Snow Fiber Academy.The programs offer clients and students the opportunity to join the growing broadband industry.
   
• Microsoft has launched the  AI Skills Initiative which aims to help people and communities around the world learn how to harness the power of AI while completing AI skills training in response to employer needs.
   
• Optimax is the largest manufacturer of precision optics in the country. The company collaborates with Finger Lakes Community college to provide rural training opportunities through BRIDGES Rural. BRIDGES Rural builds the capacity of rural community colleges to respond to regional labor markets and enables economic agility for learners and communities.
   
• Tina’s Green Energy Solutions sells and installs electric vehicle charging stations. The company trains 18 – 24-year-olds in underserved communities so they have the technological skills needed to install and maintain electric vehicle charging stations. The company participates in the White House’s Justice 40 initiative.
   

• Walmart is working to provide associates high-quality digital tools and the skills to use them, saying digital skills are core to the company’s strategy to serve customers today and in the future. The company has equipped all store associates with smartphones so they can access all the latest digital tools quickly and easily. The me@walmart app is at the forefront of those tools. Associates can clock in, manage their schedules, complete training courses and access a holistic suite of their benefits, all within the app. 
   

“We’re proud to join NSC, BLU, and other corporate leaders in signing these principles,” said Dalila Wilson-Scott, EVP and Chief Diversity Officer of Comcast Corporation and President of the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation. “In addition to making direct investments in proven strategies like digital navigators, Comcast wants to help make sure that more local and national leaders are aware of and take advantage of public sector digital equity funds to invest in the skill development programs that are critical to closing our country’s digital divide.” 

Digital inclusion is a key component to a truly inclusive economy 

To close the digital divide and realize our nation’s full economic potential, people must be empowered to adapt to technology’s constant evolution. Digital inclusion isn’t just about having access to the internet and devices; it’s about all people having access to the skills and knowledge to navigate and thrive in the digital age. 

Furthermore, equitable access to digital skills is a key component to building a truly inclusive economy - one where workers and businesses who are most impacted by economic shifts, as well as workers who face structural barriers of discrimination or lack of opportunity, are empowered to equitably participate in — and benefit from — a growing economy. 

 Click here to explore the full list of principles and signatories. 

As part of National Digital Inclusion Week, National Skills Coalition and Business Leaders United are hosting a Fireside Chat with Comcast’s Dalila Wilson-Scott. She will join NSC CEO Andy Van Kleunen and a panel of thought leaders for a dynamic conversation about how private sector leaders – from small local firms to Fortune 500s – are collaborating with community partners to close the digital skill divide and drive a more equitable, inclusive economy.

The post Corporate Partners Unite to Bridge the Digital Divide appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

The employers are members of Business Leaders United for Workforce Partnerships, and the effort was part of National Skills Coalition’s People Powered Infrastructure Campaign – a campaign urging lawmakers to invest in training the next generation of infrastructure workers – to fill the jobs created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and other legislation. 

NSC and BLU were instrumental in advocating for the passage of a range of laws that will invest billions of dollars in infrastructure projects, including the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA),  the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program and the the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) – it’s the one year anniversary of President Biden signing the act into law today.  

NSC and BLU networks are now working to bring the on-the-ground expertise of our advocates and business leaders to inform the implementation of those laws by federal agencies in order to achieve a diverse, multi-generational infrastructure workforce. 

Participants included: 

• Joseph Lillyblad, Director of Education & Workforce, Georgia Power 
• Christopher Girdwood, CEO, Detroit Region Aerotropolis Development Corporation (Michigan) 
• Kevin Johnson, CEO, NexGen Interactive LLC (Ohio) 
• David Brown, CIO, NexGen Interactive LLC (Ohio) 
• Patrick Maher, COO, Casella Construction (Vermont) 
• Jason Mann, Business Development Specialist, Howard Companies (Indiana) 

To join Business Leaders United and advocate for skills training on behalf of small and medium businesses – please visit our site to sign up or contact Jeran Culina.

Industry partnerships bring together local businesses, community colleges, training providers, community organizations, and unions and worker organizations to develop industry-specific workforce strategies and provide training that supports local and regional demand. They’re instrumental in supporting workers’ access to in-demand skills and businesses’ ability to inform and support the training that workers receive. 

Employers brought their sector partnership success stories to the meetings – telling policymakers about how well-resourced sector partnerships lead to greater worker retention, wages, and stronger industry engagement with our public workforce and education systems. They also talked about the barriers they faced in creating sector partnerships, and how policymakers can help ensure that talent enters the infrastructure field. They urged policymakers to dedicate resources to develop and expand sector partnerships – including as a key tool to expand access to good jobs for underrepresented populations in the growing infrastructure sector. 

“Meaningful sector partnerships require resources to make them happen – and most businesses simply don’t have the capacity to be constantly searching for funding,” said Jason Mann a Business Development Specialist at Howard Companies (an asphalt paving company located in Indianapolis, Indiana). “That’s why the opportunity to talk to policymakers about investments that support sector partnerships is so critical – it’s one way federal and state governments can be a real partner to business, build out the workforce and support critical sectors of the economy.”  

Employers also urged policymakers to support data collection that helps business align their needs with future opportunities. Data collection and analysis is critical to understanding how federal resources are being used to support workforce development. For example, it’s helpful for businesses (and potential workers) to understand how many jobs will be created, what kind of training is being offered, and if the training provided and jobs created are benefiting underrepresented populations.  Currently, businesses, workers, students, and the general public don’t have access to data that will tell them what future jobs will be, the demand for them, and what skills are needed to fill them. 

It’s a critical time to engage lawmakers on training for infrastructure fields 

In 2021, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act – a law intended to address the deteriorating state of our nation’s infrastructure by bolstering the capacity of the infrastructure sector and equipping workers with the necessary skills, training, and resources to get jobs in the infrastructure sector. Along with key programs and pieces of legislation such as the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, massive investments are already spurring projects and creating hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country to rebuild our nation’s roads and bridges, expand broadband, upgrade public transit, utilities, and clean energy systems among other projects. The success of planned infrastructure projects hinges on a new generation of workers having access to the education, skills training, and economic supports they need to access good jobs and careers in this booming sector. 

If our country is serious about being competitive in a global economy and training the next generation of workers, as well as ensuring that federal investments contribute to an inclusive economy, we need to intentionally open the door to millions of workers who want to train for a new career in infrastructure – particularly workers of color, women, and immigrants. These workers have long been underrepresented in quality careers in infrastructure fields and were also disproportionately working in industries impacted by the COVID-19 recession. 

Furthermore, if we want a trained workforce capable of meeting the increased demands of infrastructure projects, state policymakers, advocates, unions, employers, training providers, community-based organizations, and community and technical colleges will need to work together to ensure that these resources are used wisely and equitably to build a diverse, multigenerational workforce trained to power our infrastructure for the next decade and beyond.

The post Policymakers hear why supporting partnerships & skills training are critical to US infrastructure goals appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

Three Days of Advocacy and Influence 

More than 430 people from 36 states came together at the Skills Summit to talk about the current opportunities in Washington to scale and sustain best practices through public policy. Thanks to their on-the-ground expertise, they know the difference between a best practice that helps 20 people build digital resilience in the face of constantly changing workplace technologies – and a sustained, scaled best practice that helps 200,000 people – is public policy. We know the difference between an industry partnership that grows a racially and gender inclusive infrastructure workforce in one community – and industry partnerships driving that change in 1,000 communities – is public policy. And we know that dismantling structural inequality and growing a truly inclusive workforce requires a lot of levers and one of those levers is public policy. 

After two days of content-packed plenaries and dynamic concurrent sessions, attendees joined others from their states to meet with their Senators and Representatives on Capitol Hill to advocate for skills training policy. In total, the Skills Summit generated more than 150 hill visits in addition to five meetings with Biden Administration officials from the U.S. Departments of Labor, Commerce, Education, and Agriculture. 

Click here for comprehensive information & content from the 2023 Summit. 

“The Skills Summit helped us keep a finger on the pulse of federal workforce policies while ensuring our congressional delegation hears examples of how these policies impact real, everyday Tennesseans. We walked away with a deeper understanding of how our statewide coalition can be a partner with policymakers in ensuring workforce policies expand individual economic mobility while meeting our state’s workforce needs.”

– Stephanie Coleman, Chief Talent Development Officer, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
and Co-Lead for the TN Business Leaders United (BLU)-SkillSPAN Coalition

 “The summit was very helpful in preparing us for our trip to Capitol Hill, where we made our presentations to the Louisiana Congressional delegation. Hopefully, our collective messages resonated, and legislation that will help the citizens of Louisiana gain employment in high-skill, high-wage, in-demand occupations will be enacted into law.”

– Kathy Weaver, Director, Carl Perkins & Hilton Career Pathways,
Delgado Community College

Robust Content, Expert Speakers 

The opening plenary, Realizing the Promise of Infrastructure Jobs, took a hard look at where we are more than a year after the passage of major infrastructure investments. The panelists- Broderick Johnson, Executive Vice President, Public Policy & Executive Vice President Digital Equity at Comcast; Representative Andy Levin, Distinguished Senior Fellow at Center for American Progress; Stephanie Martinez-Ruckman, Legislative Director for Human Development at the National League of Cities, and Melissa Wells, Special Assistant to the President at North America’s Building Trade Unions assessed whether we’re truly on the way to meeting the equity imperative for these investments laid out by the Biden administration. The plenary also included a look back at conversations NSC’s CEO Andy Van Kleunen had with cabinet secretaries and White House leadership about this imperative over the last year and a look forward with leaders from the stakeholder groups that are essential partners in building an inclusive infrastructure workforce – business, labor, nonprofit, and public sectors. 

Click here for more about NSC’s People-Powered Infrastructure Campaign. 

Nicole Barcliff, Senior Policy Director at Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Allison Dembeck. Vice President of Education and Labor Advocacy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Eric Rodriguez, Senior Vice President, Policy and Advocacy at Unidos US all work in Government Affairs roles in their respective organizations and are in routine conversation with members of Congress and their staff on Capitol Hill. They shared their insider knowledge of the advocacy environment in Washington during the View from Inside the Beltway: Advocating for Inclusive Skills Training plenary. The discussion shared the realities of Congress’ capacity to advance policies this year, the impact of new leadership in the House on setting a Congressional agenda, and whether bipartisanship is even possible in the year before a Presidential election. Attendees also heard remarks from several members of Congress who championed skills training as a bipartisan issue and drove home the importance of our shared advocacy.  

“Attending the Skill Summit is a must. Whether you are a government agency, nonprofit service provider, or advocate, you walk away with substantive knowledge of the current landscape of the various intersections and coordinated efforts that is the ecosystem of workforce development. You gain tools to work and grow and serve your clients and community to make an impact. And you “take it to the Hill,” where you get to use your voice to share critical needs and concerns with our lawmakers. I was so pleased with every aspect of this conference – from the speakers, to the staff, to the access to a network of stellar people – all to improve workforce development.”

– Guadalupe A. Velasquez, Managing Director,
Welcoming City / US Together Inc.  

A plenary moderated by Paul Fain, journalist at The Job (a newsletter about connections between education and the American workforce) aimed to highlight what states have done to make quality postsecondary credentials affordable and how to advocate for similar changes at the federal level. The panel featured Indivar Dutta-Gupta, President & Executive Director at the Center for Law and Social Policy; Dr. Anne Kress, President of Northern Virginia Community College; Jennifer Stiddard, Senior Fellow at National Skills Coalition and Dr. Jermaine F. Williams, President of Montgomery College. Panelists uplifted adult learners, situating them at the forefront of discussions on how to improve our postsecondary education and training policy.

Click here for more information about NSC’s Making College Work Campaign. 

Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers joined the mainstage plenary to talk about her perspective on the fight for Good Jobs and why public investments in education and training matter for working people and students. The conversation with NSC Chief Strategy Officer, Brooke DeRenzis focused on Career and Technical Education. Weingarten spoke about the takeaways she took with her from her time teaching that are still true today: partnerships are key, people need access to training, and those costs should not fall to students alone. 

Weingarten kicked off the plenary entitled Skills Training in the Fight for Good Jobs and an Inclusive Economy.  She was followed by a panel that brought together people from the workforce development field with people who work in the economic and racial justice space: Tameshia Bridges Mansfield, Vice President, Workforce and Regional Economies at Jobs for the Future; Angela Hanks, Chief of Programs, at Demos; and Abby Snay, Deputy Secretary for the Future of Work at the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency.

Angela Hanks issued a call-to-action – imploring skills training organizations, worker rights organizations, unions, and community organizations to partner to make the most of implementation saying, “These organizations need each other. There’s money for workforce development, but there’s no guarantee that the jobs created with this funding will be good jobs. That is a task for everyone in this room – and the way that we do that is through partnerships.” She urged advocates to hold public officials accountable for how they disperse funds and to work to ensure that jobs created are good jobs – and that communities of color, women, and others can benefit from investments. “This does not feel optional,” she said.  

“This is a huge opportunity to make this unprecedented level of investment actually move the needle for communities of color and for people who have been historically marginalized. We must come together.”  

 “Attending the Skills Summit 2023 for the first time was a unique opportunity to engage with other professionals in the field and to learn about the latest bills and innovations in workforce development. I was particularly impressed by the diversity of perspectives and experiences represented at the Summit and the depth of knowledge and expertise of the speakers (especially Jennifer Stiddard of NSC). I left the Summit with a renewed sense of energy and purpose in my work. I feel empowered by the experience of advocating at the Capitol. The experience of advocating for this issue has not only deepened my understanding of the challenges we face to truly help our nation thrive but also strengthened my commitment to working toward solutions that promote workforce development and social equity.” 

– Chuchay Stark, Coordinator,
Saratoga County Department of Workforce Development 

The Summit Featured video stories from two working students. Khaija Faulk from New Orleans, Louisiana who graduated from the New Orleans Career Center trained for a credential that led to a job as a healthcare support instructor – a job that allows her support herself while she goes to nursing school. Attendees also heard from Miguel Hernandez from Fresno, California who by attending coding classes at Bitwise Industries, earned a certificate that helped him land a job doing email marketing.  

Click here to hear the video greetings from Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Senator Mike Braun (R-IN), Congresswoman Lisa Blunt-Rochester (D-DE) and Senator Tammy Baldwin. 

“When I began my journey in digital equity, I did not immediately realize the complexity of the digital divide. I thought my job was to connect people with devices and affordable broadband. I remember being pointed to NSC, and meeting Amanda Bergson-Shilcock and seeing what an amazing resource was available for me. My Goodwill colleagues and I were immersed in the national work of the importance of digital skills and heard from other leaders and connected with practitioners as we all are stewards of our generations new “New Deal.” I feel energized to bring back the knowledge to continue to bridge the digital divide in Washington State.” 

– Nancy Chang, Director of Digital Navigation Services,
Goodwill of the Olympics and Ranier Region 

On the third day of the Summit, as most attendees were paying advocacy visits to their Senators and Representatives, NSC hosted a Digital Skills at Work legislative briefing on Capitol Hill to highlight for Congressional staff, workforce advocates, and members of the press the importance of creating opportunities for workers to advance their digital skills on the job, and when they lose their job.

The briefing featured remarks from Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), who previewed new legislation he is working on in partnership with NSC that would amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to provide key digital skills training opportunities for workers and students.

Robert Guzman, Chief of External Affairs of ScaleLit (formerly Chicago Citywide Literacy Coalition); Constance Green, State Coordinator for WIOA Adult & Dislocated Worker Programs at Virginia’s Community Colleges System; and Marisol Tapia Hopper, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Funding, Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County (and WA SkillSPAN lead) provided remarks via a panel moderated by NSC Government Affairs staff member Caroline Treschitta, for why the communities they serve need access to digital skills training to improve local and state economies, and get workers into good career paths.

Dr. Alma Salazar Bridge Builder Award 

Bishara Addison, Director of Job Preparation at the Fund for Our Economic Future, was named as the 2023 recipient of the Dr. Alma Salazar Bridge Builder Award. The award is given to a member of NSC’s network who exemplifies Dr. Salazar’s commitment to bringing together uncommon allies in support of inclusive skills policy.  

​​During 2022, Bishara exemplified the spirit of the Dr. Alma Salazar award, by bringing together a diverse group of partners, including economic developers, employers, education and training providers, and researchers to drive forward an equitable workforce.  

“Dr. Alma Salazar demonstrated the value of relationships in driving systems change,” Addison said. “What an incredible honor it is to receive an award from an organization that brings together the brightest minds and fiercest advocates across sectors to ensue policies at the federal and state level that promote pathways for economic and social mobility for all.  Dr. Alma Salazar was known for being a warrior for those that don’t always have a voice, a collaborator, an ecosystem translator, and as the name of this award states – a bridge builder. As I continue in my career as an advocate for systems change — so that individual outcomes are no longer determined by race or place — I hope that I’m held accountable for embodying the beautiful spirit of Dr. Alma Salazar and inspire others to continue her work.” 

“As individual leaders, we may have an impact regionally, yet as NSC members advocating for workforce skills training and education, we can collaborate on a larger scale to inform and influence the decisions made in Washington. NSC provides the space for us to learn from each other about best practices and advocacy strategies supporting workforce skill training driving economic prosperity for workers and businesses.” 

– Noemí Custodia-Lora, Ph.D. Vice President of Lawrence Campus & Community Relations,
Northern Essex Community College  

Check out photos of the event on our Flickr Page.  

Some of our favorite tweets from the event are below – you can follow the rest of the conversation on twitter here #NSCSummit2023. 

The post Equity on the Agenda: Growing a truly inclusive workforce at the 2023 Skills Summit appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

Investing in people means training a diverse, multi-generational workforce to power our infrastructure over the next decade and beyond. It intentionally opens the doors to millions of workers who want a new career in infrastructure, particularly workers of color, women, and immigrants. These workers have long been underrepresented in quality careers in infrastructure fields and were also disproportionately working in in industries impacted by the COVID-19 recession   

Employers in the infrastructure sector have been looking for ways to broaden their talent pipeline, as they experience the challenge of an aging, retiring workforce. The federal infrastructure investments have only heightened the demand for trained workers. And the success of planned infrastructure projects hinges on a new generation of workers having access to the education, skills training, and economic supports they need to access good jobs and careers in this booming sector.  

That’s why, since these bills were first being debated in Congress, National Skills Coalition’s People Powered Infrastructure Campaign has been asking local, state, and federal policymakers to:
 

• Expand equitable access to skills training offered through registered apprenticeship programs and workforce programs at community and technical colleges so that more people of color, women, and young people can access new jobs in the infrastructure field.  
• Invest in industry partnerships in the infrastructure field and support their capacity to engage in equity-advancing practices. Industry partnerships have the potential to expand access to quality infrastructure careers for women, people of color and others who, historically, have not had access to these careers. Since industry partnerships intentionally broker training, hiring, and advancement opportunities between workers and employers within a particular sector, they can be used to disrupt occupational segregation if they are equity focused.  
• Provide economic supports to make skills training and career transitions possible. Economic supports can fill resource gaps caused by structural racial and gender inequities and exacerbated by pandemic-related job loss. For instance, investments in affordable, accessible, high-quality childcare will be essential if we want women to be part of the 21st century infrastructure workforce. These economic supports are particularly important for workers who are entering an apprenticeship or a first job in the field and have not yet realized the full earnings potential of an infrastructure career. 

• Incentivize and support training, hiring, and career advancement of local residents. The IIJA is intended to invest in local communities – including those that have been under-resourced – so that everyone has access to rails and roads, clean water, high-speed internet, clean energy, and climate resilient infrastructure. We can bring even more benefit to local communities by incentivizing training, hiring, and career advancement of people who live in the communities where infrastructure projects are takin place for newly created infrastructure jobs. 
• Collect data and report on jobs outcomes of federal infrastructure spending with attention to race, gender, and geography. Collecting data allows us to track the progress of efforts toward building an inclusive infrastructure workforce, federal agencies can mandate data collection on who is trained and hired through federal infrastructure spending, disaggregated by race/ethnicity, gender, geography, and other factors. When we have good data, we can use it to hold our policymakers accountable to an equitable infrastructure workforce. 

What’s happening with these laws now? 

The infrastructure law is currently in the second year of a five-year funding process. The law includes significant investments in physical infrastructure, expands the ways in which funding can be used for workforce development, prioritizes access to good infrastructure jobs for women, people of color, immigrants, and other populations in the infrastructure workforce, and makes hiring from local communities easier.  

Similarly, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) makes investments in and provides tax credits for clean energy infrastructure including encouraging spending on related workforce and training initiatives. The IRA also includes incentives for private companies to use registered apprentices and pay a prevailing wage. The IRA was signed into law in August of 2022 which means that many programs created and amended by the law are still being rolled out.  

Much of the funding available under both the bipartisan Infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act is subject to the Biden Administration’s Justice 40 Initiative. Justice 40 is intended to ensure that 40% of federal investments in climate change and clean energy flow to what they describe as “disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution.”  

Both the infrastructure law and the IRA include provisions that align closely with NSC goals. With the laws in place, most of our coalition’s focus this year will be on implementation by federal agencies and work at the state and local level where the money will be spent.  

The administration has done a good job of ensuring that workforce is embedded in grant opportunities by prioritizing applications that include plans to provide training and economic supports and create opportunities for women, people of color, immigrants and other populations that historically haven’t had to access infrastructure jobs. Unfortunately, many state and local agencies that will receive federal infrastructure funds, (for example, transportation and public works agencies) do not have expertise in or strong connections to workforce development partners. This makes it all the more important for state and local workforce and community leaders to be at the table, informing infrastructure plans.  

That’s why NSC is working with federal agency staff to push for resources and tools that can drive partnerships between workforce leaders and state and local agencies. For example, last year, NSC partnered with the Federal Highway Administration on a webinar highlighting workforce partners in the transportation infrastructure space, and we continue to work with federal agencies on initiatives that will lift up models for success.  

We know that more can be done to help develop these connections on the ground – so NSC and BLU will continue to work in partnership with our state coalition partners to facilitate the connections needed for state-based organizations and agencies to fully leverage the opportunities within the infrastructure law.  

 Outlook in the States 

This year, many SkillSPAN coalitions and BLU state affiliates will work to influence how states implement and spend infrastructure investments on the state level. This may include:  

• Expanding state apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs,   
• Allocating federal infrastructure or pre-existing state or federal funds to invest in industry partnerships in infrastructure fields,   
• Changing existing state policy levers to expand access to economic supports like childcare and transportation so that more residents can train for infrastructure careers,  
• Building incentivizes for training and hiring of local residents into state project procurement processes, and/or  
• Funding and developing systems that collect and report data disaggregated by race, gender or geography on the jobs created by federal infrastructure spending  

NSC will support these efforts with a playbook designed to help develop new connections between state workforce advocates and the state agencies tasked with implementing the laws so that state agencies can draw on the workforce development expertise of our coalition, and so workforce advocates can shape state infrastructure investments and plans to include training.  

One example of a SkillSPAN coalition already primed to influence the implementation of federal infrastructure investments at the state level is Wisconsin SkillSPAN led by WRTP/BIG STEP. SkillSPAN members in Wisconsin were tapped by the Governor’s office to serve as advocates for federal infrastructure funds that support apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs. Vice President Kamala Harris also visited WRTP/BIG STEP to tour the skills training facility and discuss the importance of direct use of federal workforce funds to support large-scale community-based infrastructure projects. WRTP/BIG STEP recently hosted a discussion on preparing WI’s workforce for clean energy economy and good environmental infrastructure jobs, including through pre-apprenticeship and other efforts to diversify the apprenticeship pipeline. 

Outlook in Congress 

Skills advocates and business leaders may have to play defense this year with Congress when it comes to funding workforce priorities, including some related to infrastructure. Some members of Congress are looking to cut budgets for non-defense related programs. Unfortunately, that may include a few workforce-related programs included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that were authorized but not funded. These programs combined are in the tens of millions of dollars compared to the billions that were funded when the bill was signed into law.  

More significantly, annual funding for workforce programs, economic supports, and career and technical education may also face cuts. Advocates know that the workforce system is already unable to keep up with worker and business need and still significantly trails funding levels from 2001 even before adjusting for inflation. Any cuts to these programs would impede bipartisan efforts to build a more diverse infrastructure workforce which is why skills advocates’ voices are more important than ever.  

While the roughly $1 trillion infrastructure law includes many opportunities for workforce programs, the legislation lacks dedicated funding for industry and sector partnerships. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is due to be reauthorized during the 118th Congress. That will be an opportunity to call for a dedicated program to support industry and sector partnerships that intentionally work to advance equity – rather than pulling resources from an already underfunded workforce system. And while all industry and sector partnerships would be included in this program, it would certainly benefit infrastructure partnerships. NSC expects to share our recommendations around WIOA reauthorization later this year, and we’ll be calling upon our network – workforce advocates and business leaders – to lend voices and case examples to help federal policymakers understand the importance of sector partnerships to provide inclusive, accessible, industry-specific training. 

Our coalition will have the opportunity to impact upcoming legislation and implementation of infrastructure legislation at the 2023 Skills Summit. Register for the Summit to learn more about upcoming skills legislation and share your expertise with federal policymakers and their staff.  

And, if you haven’t joined our People Powered Infrastructure Campaign yet – sign our petition today and stay tuned for opportunities to shape investments in local, state, and federal skills training policy that will build an inclusive infrastructure workforce.  

The post Campaign Update: People Powered Infrastructure 2023 appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

Attendees represented training providers, community colleges, unions, businesses, community-based organizations, researchers, advocates, and state agencies – all focused on expanding access to inclusive, high-quality skills training so that people can have a better life, and local businesses can see sustained growth. 

It was a pivotal time to gather. Our country is emerging from the most devastating economic crisis since the Great Depression. During the past couple of years, Congress has made billions of dollars in investments that have given states the opportunity to support and strengthen the workforce through skills training. With the implementation of historic investments on the horizon (and already underway in some cases) it is critical that we prepare advocacy and implementation strategies for these workforce development investments that don’t repeat the mistakes of the past and, instead, promote an inclusive vision of the future. 

The agenda was robust. Advocates discussed and heard from state experts on 

• Strategies for advancing racial equity in our work. 
• Leveraging new federal Digital Equity Act and infrastructure funding. 
• Improving equitable access to postsecondary financial aid and supports. 
• Promoting a transformative, more inclusive workforce system. 
• Elevating worker voices.
• Building career pathways. 
• Using data strategically to build a more inclusive economy. 

The event kicked off with a plenary session that focused on unpacking racial equity and inclusion in workforce development. Clair Minson, Founder & Principal at Sandra Grace LLC and a leading expert on the intersection of racial equity and workforce development gave an inspiring keynote address on the manifestations of systemic and institutional racism in workforce policies, practices, and cultural messaging, along with strategies for dismantling and creating more equitable, inclusive systems. Following her talk, Davante Lewis, Director of Public Affairs and Outreach, Louisiana Budget Project and Kenyatta Lovett, Managing Director for Higher Education, Educate Texas, Communities Foundation of Texas; illustrated what this ongoing work looks like in practice. 

• Read Clair Minson’s recent post on Linked IN: 10 Things Our Field MUST Do If We Want to Realize a Racially Equitable and Just Society

Day two of the forum featured a plenary discussion about advancing job quality and equity through sector partnerships.  Brooke DeRenzis, Chief Strategy Officer at NSC led a discussion with Bishara Addison, Director, Job Preparation, The Fund for Our Economic Future; Robert Espinoza, Executive Vice President of Policy, PHI; Victoria Johnson, Global Equity Director, HDR; and Aleece Smith, Director of Inclusion and Sector Strategies at KentuckianaWorks.  

Most of the content of the forum was driven by thought leaders from NSC’s networks including SkillSPAN and Business Leaders United, many of whom spoke at plenaries or on panels at the Forum including the following: 

• Anna Alvarado, Policy Director, California EDGE Coalition 
• Christopher Dews, Senior Policy Advocate, Job Opportunities Task Force (JOTF) 
• Jessica Fraser, Director, Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute 
• Victoria Johnson, Global Equity Director, HDR 
• Stephanie Keinath, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce 
• Ray Khalfani, Policy Analyst, Worker Justice and Criminal Legal Systems, Georgia Budget and Policy Institute 
• Amanda Klein, Manager of Advocacy and Government Relations, United Way of Southeastern Michigan 
• Melinda Mack, Executive Director, New York Association of Training and Employment Professionals (NYATEP) 
• Chaer Robert, Legislative Director, Colorado Center on Law and Policy 
• Logan Rockefeller Harris, Senior Policy Analyst, North Carolina Budget & Tax Center  
• Dave Stone, Advocacy Officer, United Way of Central Iowa 

“I think advocates left the forum inspired – with new ideas, strategies & tactics for policy development, coalition organizing, communications and mobilization. And I think they’re heading to their home states with a renewed enthusiasm for building equitable policies” said Melissa Johnson, Managing Director of State Strategies at NSC. “I’m confident that participants will work to leverage the collective expertise across states and organizations to expand inclusive, high-quality skills training.” 

Check out photos of the event on our Flickr page and the full event agenda here.

Some of our favorite tweets from the event are below – you can follow the rest of the #SSF22 discussion over on Twitter. 

The post Partnerships, Investments, and Equity Headline Largest-Ever Skills in the States Forum appeared first on National Skills Coalition.

National Skills Coalition and Business Leaders United staff and members joined the president in the East Room of the White House on Wednesday to recognize and celebrate the commitments made by more than 350 organizations since the Infrastructure Talent Pipeline Challenge launched in June. The nationwide call to action inspired employers, unions, education and training providers, states, local governments, Tribes, territories, philanthropic organizations, and other stakeholders to make tangible commitments that support equitable workforce development focused on three critical sectors: broadband, construction, and electrification – including the supply chains that support these sectors.

Photo: President Biden giving Remarks at the Talent Pipeline Challenge event.

A sample of commitments include:

• Increasing recruitment of workers traditionally underrepresented in infrastructure sector
• Expanding apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships, and other kinds of high-quality training
• Providing supportive services like childcare and transportation assistance
• Advancing equitable workforce development for infrastructure jobs
• Philanthropic commitments

It was thanks to our collaborative work and network partners that NSC and BLU were asked to be part of this effort. NSC CEO Andy Van Kleunen was at the kickoff event for the Talent Pipeline Challenge in June and since that time, NSC and BLU recruited nearly 150 organizations to commit to the Talent Pipeline Challenge, several of whom were in attendance  at Wednesday’s event including:

• Tracey Carey, Midwest Urban Strategies.
• Traci Tapani, Co-President, Wyoming Machine, Inc.
• Chris Kerschner, President & CEO, Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce.
• John Buchan, Executive Vice President, Mobile Solutions and Power Solutions, NN, Inc.
• Lindsay Blumer, President & CEO, Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership/Big Step.
• James E. Rooney, President & CEO, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.

Traci Tapani, Co-President of Wyoming Machine Inc and Business Leaders United executive committee member attended today’s event, saying “Improvements in infrastructure will require access to skills training, not just on the construction site, but also among small and medium-sized manufacturers who are supplying the equipment and parts to get the job done. It’s heartening to see the administration acknowledging the real need in the Talent Pipeline Challenge and its support of other workforce initiatives.”

James E. Rooney, President & CEO, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and BLU member was also in attendance. “Transformative and accessible skills training is a key to unlocking and sustaining a thriving business community. Greater Boston welcomes the Biden-Harris Administration’s focus on innovative sector partnerships that provide solutions to today’s workforce challenges. These partnerships, like apprenticeships, are invaluable tools that develop the talent pipeline, bringing together industry-driven training that helps workers acquire the skills that employers need,” he said.

In 2021, National Skills Coalition (NSC) and Business Leaders United (BLU) convened an Infrastructure Industry Recovery Panel of leading experts working in local communities to advise the Biden Administration and Congress on what an effective, equitable, people-centered infrastructure plan should include. Panelists represent business, labor, education and training organizations, and others working in construction, utilities, transportation, and clean energy fields.

Photo: Apprentice Tiffany Hodge demonstrates a virtual welding machine and new technology that shows the sturdiness of welded seams.

“Federal investments in infrastructure must be met with skills training programs to prepare workers for the projects that will rebuild our roads, bridges, and water systems,” said Infrastructure Industry Recovery Panel Member Victoria Johnson, Global Equity Director, HDR, Inc. The Talent Pipeline Challenge is the kind of effort we wanted, and I am glad the administration heard us.”

Through its People Powered Infrastructure Campaign, NSC continues to urge state and federal policymakers to implement historic federal infrastructure investments in a way that drives a diverse, multigenerational workforce trained to power our infrastructure

Sign the petition and join our campaign.

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