Highway Construction Training Program FY 24 Awarded Project Descriptions
| Recipient |
Funding Total |
Project Description |
| Auburn University |
$259,245 |
Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama will receive $259,245 to create a training program for stormwater management for highway construction projects. Storm water management is critical to public safety and requires specialized training. The program will provide hands-on training and teach the environmental commitments and legal obligations required for construction activities. The training program, housed at the Auburn University Stormwater Research Facility will consist of a two-day curriculum. Auburn University has also partnered with the Alabama Construction Workforce Alliance for the creation of a workforce development committee to serve disadvantaged communities in Opelika. |
| Caltrans |
$259,245 |
Caltrans will receive $259,245 to provide ironworker training for up to 20 individuals the first year with 75% to be placed for employment in the second year. The training program will help address a significant shortage of ironworkers in California. Caltrans will collaborate with the California prison industry, Iron Workers Local 118, and educational/trade schools across Northern and Southern California to administer Ironworker programs and enroll underserved and marginalized populations. The program will also provide supportive services such as childcare, transportation, employment physicals and career development assistance including resume writing and job placement services. These support services will be a great benefit to the trainees and allow participants to focus on training. The program expects to achieve a 70% job placement rate. |
| Front Range Community College (FRCC) |
$172,830 |
Front Range Community College (FRCC) in Westminster, Colorado will receive $172,830 to expand its Transportation Operations Certificate offerings and its Highway Maintenance Management degree program. Front Range expects to enroll 65 students over two years. In partnership with the Colorado Local Technical Assistance Program, FRCC will actively recruit individuals who are underrepresented in the highway construction field, including reaching out to individuals with criminal histories or are re-entering society to encourage them to pursue a career in highway maintenance. |
| North Idaho College (NIC) |
$299,951 |
In partnership with the Idaho Transportation Department, industry and other stakeholders, North Idaho College (NIC) in Alene, Idaho will receive $299,951 to develop and deliver a heavy equipment operator registered apprenticeship training program, and place participants in heavy equipment operator jobs. NIC will offer two five-week heavy equipment operator apprenticeship training courses to train a total of 50 students over a two-year period with an emphasis on the enrolling underrepresented student populations including veterans, minorities, and women. Participants will be trained in construction basics, heavy equipment operation, occupational safety, first-aid/CPR, traffic control flagging, and forklift operation. Graduates will earn a National Center for Construction Education and Research certification and industry recognized credentials for OSHA 10, first-aid/CPR, forklift operator, and traffic control flagging. Students may also choose to complete an optional Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training and receive a CDL Class-A license. |
| Idaho State University (ISU) |
$258,382 |
Idaho State University (ISU) in Pocatello, Idaho, will receive $258,382 to establish the Institute for Construction Education, Research, Technology and Sustainability. The Institute will provide advanced training in materials testing for construction as well as education on other construction-related topics, certifications, and research on evolving technology and sustainable resources that can be used in future highway construction projects. The Institute will target incumbent workers, individuals seeking career change, engineering technology students, veterans and others seeking education and advanced training, with outreach directly to disadvantaged, displaced, and underrepresented communities. |
| Illinois DOT |
$287,988 |
The Illinois DOT will receive $287,988 to expand the existing Illinois Highway Construction Careers Training Program, which is currently offered by 10 community colleges in the state. Participants are trained in highway construction-related skills, including mathematics, job site readiness, carpentry, blueprint reading orientation, and forklift operation among other skills. The program will also be expanded to include a Materials Testing Program at South Suburban College in South Holland to recruit and train women, minorities, people with disabilities, veterans, and previously incarcerated individuals to become qualified highway construction professionals. Graduates will receive safety equipment and tools, and assistance in applying for apprenticeships and positions with unions and highway contractors in the State. |
| Stephens College |
$300,000 |
Stephens College, a traditionally women’s college in Columbia, Missouri will receive $300,000 to develop a new highway construction training program covering skills such as carpentry, heavy machinery operation, concrete placement, asphalt laying, and safety protocols, with an emphasis on recruiting women. The project will support apprenticeship programs, facilitate job placements for graduates, and offer mentorship programs to increase the representation of women and underserved individuals in highway construction. Participants will work with predominantly female crews or under the guidance of female journey workers to help ensure a positive and inclusive work environment. |
| Salish Kootenai College (SKC) |
$293,044 |
The Salish Kootenai College (SKC), a tribal college of the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation in Pablo, Montana will receive $293,044 to train and place 90 individuals from underrepresented and underemployed backgrounds in highway construction skills. The project will enhance SKC’s existing Highway Construction Training Program by adding climate change and sustainability curriculum components, and upgrading equipment and simulators. High school students will be offered early college coursework through an “on-ramp” program. |
| University System of New Hampshire |
$227,780 |
The University System of New Hampshire will receive $227,780 to develop a Highway Construction Workforce and Training Program to prepare individuals with the skills and education to safely and effectively begin work in the highway construction or maintenance industry. The program will work with industry representatives to identify, train, and place qualified individuals into two training tracks: roadway construction and maintenance technician training; and a transportation job readiness camp for high school juniors and seniors. The program will expand efforts to reach women, dislocated workers, and minorities while establishing job-readiness training opportunities to fill gaps in workforce needs. |
| New Mexico DOT (NMDOT) |
$207,396 |
The New Mexico DOT (NMDOT) will receive $207,396 to create the Industry Credential Pipeline Program as an education pathway for K-12 education to post-secondary institution. The program will prepare individuals for high-demand roles with on-the-job learning and credentialing for jobs in the transportation industry. The NMDOT will partner with New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions and the New Mexico Higher Education Department, to develop the training program and the credentialing program. NMDOT will also work with the Associated Contractors of New Mexico to provide classroom-based training and industry specific credentials. |
| New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) |
$300,000 |
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will receive $300,000 for a workforce development initiative for the Kensington Expressway Project in Buffalo. NYSDOT will work with a wide range of partners including, the Buffalo Educational Opportunity Center, the Independent Contractor’s Guild, Carpenters Local Union 276, Cahill Resources, Buffalo and Erie County Workforce Investment Board, and Mohawk Valley Community College. The partners will work to expand the existing program to provide additional training and employment opportunities to better address the highway industry workforce shortage in western New York. The NYSDOT implemented a similar program to develop the workforce to deliver the I-81 improvement project in Syracuse. The program will provide opportunities for those residents that will be impacted by the NY State Route 33 Kensington Expressway Project and surrounding projects with an emphasis on recruiting women, minorities, and people with disabilities. |
| Ohio University |
$244,338 |
Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, will receive $244,338 to educate high school students on mining, asphalt, concrete, and construction industries to foster an early interest and understanding in these fields. The program aims to broaden exposure to construction workforce opportunities to inspire local students to enter fields with shortages to help meet regional employment needs. The program will also provide students with access to employers and related industries in their local area. |
| Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) |
$300,000 |
Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh will receive $300,000 for a project that will train approximately 50 workers and 100 undergraduate and graduate students in heavy-duty equipment operators, safety managers, data engineers, and project information managers. The project team will work with multiple partners to provide professionals with experiential education and training. Of particular note is a collaboration with the Constructors Association of Western PA to enhance their “Future Road Builders” program, an interactive computer application that allows individuals to simulate operation of various types of highway construction equipment. |
| Washington State DOT |
$259,245 |
Washington State DOT will receive $259,245 to support an on-the-job Training and Supportive Service’s Highway Construction and Maritime Trades Scholarships Program to address statewide shortage in apprentices. The program will focus on traditionally marginalized and low-income communities. The scholarship program will fund student pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, and academic training programs, including CDL programs, electrician training, diesel technician training, welding for Ironwork, marine engineering technology and heavy equipment operator training. Washington State DOT is working closely with State colleges, trade schools, training programs, and several other partners to prepare individuals for jobs in highway engineering, construction contractors, municipalities, and the State government. |
| Wisconsin DOT (WisDOT) |
$300,000 |
The Wisconsin DOT will receive $300,000 to expand its Highway Construction Skills Training (HCST) into northern Wisconsin through the development of a Highway Construction Workforce Partnership (HCWP-North) workgroup. Workgroup members include the Bay Area Workforce Development Board, Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board, Forward Service Corporation, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University, Sokaogon Chippewa Community College, and Tribal Labor Advisory Committee. The HCWP-North will recruit, train, and place individuals in the highway construction workforce, supporting projects like the I-41 expansion, the I-535 Blatnik Bridge reconstruction project, and Tribal workforce needs. |
| Bridge Valley Community and Technical College (BVCTC) |
$257,408 |
Bridge Valley Community and Technical College (BVCTC) in Montgomery, West Virginia, will receive $257,408 to establish the West Virginia Advanced Highway Training Program as part of the Highway Engineering Technology Associate of Applied Science degree program. The program will provide advanced curriculum and training in highway construction and bridge inspection. Successful participants will receive credentials making them competitive for high-quality, in-demand jobs in West Virginia. BVCTC is partnering with West Virginia Department of Transportation, a West Virginia certification board, public engineering consulting firms, the West Virginia Community and Technical College System, and job centers to support recruiting efforts to marginalized and disadvantaged individuals. |
