U.S. DOT Awards $4M in Grants to 16 Highway Construction Training Programs

The U.S. Department of Transportation has allocated over $4 million in Federal Highway Administration grants to help place almost 1,100 highway construction workers.

Distributed under the Highway Construction Training Program and funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the funds aim to recruit and train workers for highway construction, maintenance and operations.

Selected programs include training for equipment operators, apprenticeships and programs to obtain commercial driver’s licenses. Additionally, they will include outreach for hiring people previously incarcerated, underemployed or who have dropped out of the workforce.

A list of all 16 programs and the programs they will create or improve are as folllows:

• Carnegie Mellon University, $300,000 – Will train 50 workers and 100 undergraduate and graduate students as equipment operators, safety managers, data engineers and project information managers.
• New York State DOT, $300,000 – Will create workforce development initiative for the Kensington Expressway Project, expanding it to provide additional training and employment opportunities.
• Stephens College, $300,000 – A highway construction training program with an emphasis on training female workers, supporting apprenticeships, graduate job placements and mentorship programs.
• Wisconsin DOT, $300,000 – Will expand its Highway Construction Skills Training into the northern part of the state through a Highway Construction Workforce Partnership workgroup to recruit, train and place workers in the highway construction workforce.
• North Idaho College, $299,951 – Two five-week heavy equipment operator registered apprenticeship training programs for 50 total students over a two-year period, providing graduates with a National Center for Construction Education and Research certification.
• Salish Kootenai College, $293,044 – Will train 90 workers in highway construction skills and enhance its Highway Construction Training Program to add climate change and sustainability curriculum and upgrade equipment.
• Illinois DOT, $287,988 – Will expand its Illinois Highway Construction Careers Training Program to include a Materials Testing Program at South Suburban College, where graduates will receive safety equipment, tools and assistance in applying for apprenticeships and positions.
• Auburn University, $259,245 – A two-day stormwater management training program for highway construction projects.
• Caltrans, $259,245 – Will provide 20 workers with ironworker training for one year, with 75% to be placed in a job during the second year. Trainees will receive supportive services including childcare, transportation and career development assistance.  
• Washington State DOT, $259,245 – Will support an on-the-job Training and Supportive Service’s Highway Construction and Maritime Trades Scholarships Program to fund student pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship and academic training programs.
• Idaho State University, $258,382 – Will create the Institute for Construction Education, Research, Technology and Sustainability, aimed at providing training in construction materials testing and education on other construction-related topics.
• Bridge Valley Community and Technical College, $257,408 – Will establish the West Virginia Advanced Highway Training Program as part of the Highway Engineering Technology Associate of Applied Science degree program. Participants will study curriculum and train in highway construction and bridge inspection.
• Ohio University, $244,338 – Will create an education program to broaden exposure for high school students to construction workforce opportunities and educate them on the mining, asphalt, concrete and construction industries.
• University System of New Hampshire, $227,780 – Will develop a Highway Construction Workforce and Training Program to identify and train workers on either roadway construction and maintenance or transportation job readiness for high school juniors and seniors.
• New Mexico DOT, $207,396 – An Industry Credential Pipeline Program will be created to provide trainees with on-site learnings and credentialing in the transportation industry.
• Front Range Community College, $172,830 – Expand its Transportation Operations Certificate offerings and Highway Maintenance Management degree program, with 65 students predicted to enroll in the next two  years.