July 2022

New Resources Available: Workforce Development and Hiring Preferences

Greetings,

As demand for highway construction continues to rise, so does the demand for trained and experienced workers. The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) Strategic Workforce Development (SWD) program addresses this urgent need by offering free resources for hiring managers and workers. Below is a short list of the latest in workforce development and local and economic hiring preferences:

Workforce Development:

• Highway formula funding fact sheet:
  • The Highway Funding for Workforce Development fact sheet includes brief examples of the flexibility for States to fund workforce development activities. Read here for more details: https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2022-06/Highway-Funding-Workforce-Development.pdf.
• Q&A on benefits of registered apprenticeship for State Departments of Transportation (DOTs):
  • The Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Department of Labor, prepared a Q&A including information on how State DOTs can partner with State workforce agencies, State education agencies, and more. It is especially relevant for States regarding the implementation of electric vehicle (EV) charging programs:
    • View Joint Office of Energy and Transportation’s webinar on EV charging: https://driveelectric.gov/webinars/.
    • View the Q&A here: https://www.apprenticeship.gov/sites/default/files/workforce-and-labor-faq-ev-charging.pdf.

Hiring Preferences:

• Local Hiring Preference for Construction Jobs Q&A:
  • The new Q&A explains in greater depth the types of preferences that can be used under the infrastructure law. Learn more about the preferences for hiring workers from economically disadvantaged geographies and preferences for hiring workers that are in economically disadvantaged groups, including those on public assistance, people with lower levels of formal education, and people with criminal convictions:
    • You can see the updated Q&A here: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/construction/hiringpreferences/qanda060822/.

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Highway Construction Workforce Partnership (HCWP) and future programs.