The US Labor Department yesterday announced it will make $80 million in funding available through its Building Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs Grant Program. According to the department’s Employment and Training Administration, the program’s purpose “is to fund public-private partnerships to develop, implement, and scale worker-centered sector strategy training programs that train and prepare the skilled workforce needed to meet the demands of the sizeable infrastructure investments made through the . . . Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.” Yesterday’s announcement states, “The grants will enable partners in the public and private sectors to develop or scale workforce training programs to prepare job seekers in advanced manufacturing; information technology; and professional, scientific, and technical service occupations that support renewable energy, transportation, and broadband infrastructure sectors. These include occupations in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors; broadband and transmission expansion; advanced manufacturing, including biomanufacturing; and electrical, industrial, and civil engineers and technicians who facilitate the design, construction, modernization, and maintenance of the nation’s infrastructure. Nonprofits, labor organizations, public and state institutions of higher education, economic and workforce entities, and state, county and local governments may apply for grants ranging from $500,000 to $5 million” in line with one of two funding tracks. Applications must be submitted electronically no later than July 7, 2023.
