Office of Civil Rights - Updates
The Minnesota Department of Transportation On-the-Job Training program (OJT) placed 211 trainees in jobs in highway construction careers in 2021, exceeding its original goal of 130 trainees.
This marks the fourth year in a row that the program exceeded its trainee goal number.
“The OJT program’s goal is to create a more diverse workforce by providing training in highway construction to people of color, women and disadvantaged populations,” said Commissioner Margaret Anderson Kelliher. “MnDOT is committed to improving access to journey-level positions and enhancing career opportunities for historically underserved individuals.”
Nearly 39 percent of the 2021 trainees identified as women. Close to 31 percent of all trainees identified as Hispanic or Latino, 23 percent Caucasian, 19 percent African American, 15 percent American Indian or Alaska Native, 8 percent Asian or Pacific Islander and 4 percent two or more ethnicities.
- Truck driver (14)
- Pile Driver (13)
- Equipment operator (51)
- Laborer (105)
- Iron Worker (1)
- Electrician (4)
- Cement Mason (8)
- Carpenter (15)
Nineteen trainees reached journey-level status with the program this year. Seventy-four employees reached this status since 2018.
Responsibility for the program - from establishing goals to recruitment and training - is a collaboration among MnDOT, the Federal Highway Administration, Tribal governments, training providers, community-based organizations and construction contractors.
“We are especially grateful to our partners, who continue to help the OJT program and its trainees thrive year after year,” Anderson Kelliher said.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation On-the-Job Training program works to offer equal opportunity for the training and upgrading of people of color, women, and disadvantaged persons toward journey-level status in the highway construction trades.
Visit dot.state.mn.us/civilrights/ojt-program.html
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