Resources for Workforce, Labor Partners, and Federal Job Seekers
Programs that help to provide information about transportation careers and training for these jobs are critical to supporting the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. There are a number of ways that workforce development programs are directly and indirectly supported by the law.
- States can use their highway funding to support workforce development. Eligible uses, among others, include: Tuition and other financial support to universities, community colleges, and vocational schools; apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and on-the-job training; and activities associated with industry stakeholders, workforce development boards, labor organizations, and economic development organization. See the Highway Funding for Workforce Development fact sheet for more information.
- There are several grants that directly fund workforce development such as FTA's Electric or Low Emitting Ferry Pilot Program and the FRA's Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program.
- Many of DOT’s competitive grants ask applicants to describe their efforts to create good-paying jobs and workforce opportunities for those jobs. This grant application checklist for a strong workforce and labor plan gives applicants suggestions for what they could include in their applications. Many competitive grants can be used to support workforce development efforts if needed to get workers on the project. See examples of applicants selected for RAISE grants with workforce programs and strong labor policies. See examples of applicants with workforce programs and labor policies selected for INFRA grants. See examples of applicants with workforce programs and strong labor standards selected for Port Infrastructure Development Program grants. See examples of applicants selected for MEGA grants. See deeper case studies of the workforce and labor policies of some of the RAISE and INFRA grantees.
- Driving a Commercial Motor Vehicle requires a higher level of knowledge, experience, skills, and physical abilities than that required to drive a non-commercial vehicle. In order to obtain a Commercial Driver's License (CDL), an applicant must pass both skills and knowledge testing geared to these higher standards. See How do I get a Commercial Driver's License for more information.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides over $300 million in grant funding to train transit workers on the zero-emission vehicles of the future, including through registered apprenticeships and other joint labor-management training programs.
The law also allows states to obligate funds from Fixing American’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) programs toward workforce development, including pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs as well as on-the-job training.
As state transportation agencies implement the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, creating a skilled and diverse workforce for infrastructure projects through registered apprenticeships will be critical. Read more about how state DOTs can support registered apprenticeship programs in our fact sheet.
See more on how to build, partner, register, and launch a Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) at the Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship Program site.
Learn more about DOT’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program
The Department of Transportation (DOT) is ranked #3 in the 2020 best places to work in the Federal Government! Fostering a workforce that reflects the diversity of the America we serve, generates innovation, engagement and understanding that keeps the U.S. DOT connected to every American. Join us for a Career that Move America! See our listing of available opportunities at DOT USAjobs.gov.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) authorizes the use of local, geographic, or economic hiring preferences for construction labor in most of the projects funded by US Department of Transportation (DOT). Since enactment, the Biden-Harris Administration and the US DOT have been actively encouraging state and local agencies to use local/economic hiring preferences as a way to bring underrepresented populations into the construction workforce. This brief report seeks to provide examples of how economic and local hiring preferences are being utilized by states, cities, and transportation agencies across the country and explain the benefits of using local and economic hiring preferences.