Skip to content
A4 civilengineering
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Education
  • Community
  • Thought
  • Ongoing Happenings
  • Contact Us
Menu Close

Blog

Home » Ongoing Happenings » There aren’t enough skilled workers for Biden’s big infrastructure plan
There aren’t enough skilled workers for Biden’s big infrastructure plan
Biden’s big infrastructure plan, which was passed last month, promises to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, many of which won’t require a college degree. But it’s going to be an uphill battle trying to fill those roles.

The $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes $550 billion in new funding for roads, bridges, water and climate change mitigation.

Such a swell in opportunity is coming at a critical time: overall employment remains below pre-pandemic levels; skilled trades sectors, like construction, are struggling with labor shortages and aging workforces; and a slew of workers cast aside during the pandemic are looking to reenter the labor force.

But there’s a big kink in this grand plan, labor experts and economists say: There’s simply not enough money to educate and develop the hearty stream of skilled workers needed for all those critical roles.

“We have $550 billion of new spending coming down the pike for all of these new types of jobs, and we don’t have any money for training,” said Nicole Smith, research professor and chief economist at the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

The Biden administration originally proposed that $100 billion be put toward workforce development programs, but many of the high-dollar investments in things like training and apprenticeships didn’t make it into the final version of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. Only some small-scale workforce skills measures were included, such as digital training and the allocation of transportation funds toward apprenticeship programs.

One glimmer of hope is in a separate bill making its way through Congress, Biden’s Build Back Better Act, which includes about $40 billion for workforce development and education to be doled out during the next few years.

But labor experts and training advocates say even that amount might not be enough. It would still leave the US lagging far behind other industrialized nations in labor skills spending; and, considering the elimination of other provisions, like free community college and paid family leave, there would still be barriers to entry for many potential new workers, said Katie Spiker, managing director of government affairs at the National Skills Coalition, a nonprofit worker training advocacy group.
Read More
www.wsiltv.com

Read more articles

Previous PostElectricity Price Hikes? How smart buildings can keep bills low
Next PostHow smart lighting technology creates a brighter future for smart buildings

You Might Also Like

Read more about the article S. Korea starts demonstration for automated construction technologies at smart city

S. Korea starts demonstration for automated construction technologies at smart city

November 11, 2021
Read more about the article Construction 4.0 technologies key to improving sustainability of sector

Construction 4.0 technologies key to improving sustainability of sector

February 10, 2022
Read more about the article Preventative Maintenance Solutions: New Innovative Products for Smart Home and Building and Workplace Safety

Preventative Maintenance Solutions: New Innovative Products for Smart Home and Building and Workplace Safety

February 18, 2022

Archives

  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021

Categories

  • 3D Printing
  • Air Quality
  • Architecture
  • Automation
  • BIM
  • Civil Software
  • Computer Vision
  • Constrcution Site
  • Digital Twin
  • Disaster
  • Earthquake
  • Edu Resource
  • Environmental
  • FreeCourse
  • Geotechnical Engineering
  • GIS
  • Industry News
  • Intelligent Transportation System
  • IOT
  • Market Analysis
  • Project Management
  • Remote Sensing
  • Sensors
  • Smart City
  • Smart Home
  • Smart Home/Building
  • Smart Materials
  • Structural Engineering
  • Structural Health Monitoring
  • Transportation
  • Uncategorized
  • Urban Planning

Recent Posts

  • Kontrol Technologies is in the thick of the commercial building upgrade supercycle
  • I-Bhd, China Mobile team up to build Malaysia’s first green smart building
  • FedEx launches AI-powered sorting robot to drive smart logistics
  • 8 trends shaping cities in 2022
  • DC joins growing list of cities requiring new buildings to include EV parking
A4 civilengineering
©2021 Privacy policy
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Education
  • Community
  • Thought
  • Ongoing Happenings
  • Contact Us

Enjoying the contents?

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter