More federal funding is needed for workforce development, especially in economically-disadvantaged communities, a North Carolina transportation official said.
In testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, N.C. Department of Transportation’s Office of Civil Rights Director Tunya Smith said that, while the NCDOT may be considered a model for others to follow, more funding is needed to ensure similar programs can thrive during a period when states face skilled labor shortages.
“We have several projects that cover almost every aspect of workforce development in the highway industry,” said Smith. She later added: “There is still work to be done.”
The NCDOT’s workforce development programs focus on providing opportunity and access to all employees by ensuring women, minorities, and other disadvantaged populations can take advantage of the agency’s on-the-job training and other workforce development programs. Additionally, the agency trains professional transportation industry employees that meet employer demands, she said. The program has been expanded to include people with disabilities, those about to be released from prison, veterans, and residents of the state’s poorest counties. The agency is also actively working to attract more Native Americans to work for NCDOT through a partnership with the N.C. Commission of Indian Affairs.
Smith said increased funding is critical to the agency’s workforce development programs’ success. Without additional funding and flexibility, the programs would remain stagnant, she said.