More Pennsylvanians are receiving support to overcome barriers to training in the transportation industry, with a streamlined program also helping contractors grow their workforce.
The program has grown from 137 trainees in 2023 to 168 so far this year.
The program is one of the many ways the Shapiro Administration is investing in Pennsylvania workers and empowering them to chart their own course and access the training they need to succeed.
Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT)announced that more Pennsylvanians are accessing job training and gaining experience in the transportation industry a year after expanding and streamlining its On-the-Job Training (OJT) program, further building on Governor Josh Shapiro’s commitment to help more Pennsylvanians chart their own course and receive the training they need to succeed.
In 2023, 137 workers participated in the OJT program. This calendar year, there have already been 168 active trainees in the program.
Governor Shapiro’s July 2023 Executive Order creating the Commonwealth Workforce Transformation Program (CWTP) expanded support services for OJT trainees, providing assistance to pay for transportation, required tools and equipment, childcare, exam, training fees, and required work-related clothing. The CWTP is a first-in-the-nation job training program that provides workforce development investments to ensure companies, contractors, unions, and others who are working to build Pennsylvania’s infrastructure have the skilled workforce they need. In 2023, 60 of the 137 total program workers received supportive services. That number has more than doubled, with 130 trainees receiving career support so far this year.
Additionally, the Shapiro Administration streamlined the OJT request, approval, and tracking processes to improve clarity for trainees, contractors, and the department, while also expanding previous limitations on the numbers or types of projects trainees could work on and be reimbursed for.
“Governor Shapiro has been clear in his directive to create more paths to opportunity and invest in our transportation infrastructure,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said. “Under his leadership, the department has modernized a great training program, making it work better for our contracting partners and, most importantly, removing more barriers for people who want to join this career field.”
The OJT program – in place since 1972 – is a federally required program aimed at training women, minorities, and economically disadvantaged individuals that requires a certain number of trainees per project, varying by project size. Trainees receive support through 1,000 hours of work. Previously, trainee hours had to be worked on the same project. The Administration updated the program to allow individuals to finish their training across various projects, giving trainees broader experience and providing employers more flexibility in staffing.
"Connecting people from diverse backgrounds with family-sustaining construction careers is central to APC's mission," said Robert Latham, executive vice president of Associated Pennsylvania Constructors. "We are particularly pleased with the new flexibility to allow people to be trained on multiple projects, which should create even greater opportunities.”
The program is one of the many ways the Shapiro Administration is investing in Pennsylvania workers, addressing workforce shortages across industries with real solutions, and empowering Pennsylvanians to chart their own course and access the training they need to succeed.
CWTP was created to expand opportunities for hands-on job training to support Pennsylvania’s workforce for critical infrastructure projects throughout the Commonwealth and is funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) or the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The initiative also ensures that participating Pennsylvanians have the tools they need to succeed by offering supportive services to assist with childcare costs, transportation and professional development.
The expanded supportive services are supported by federal highway construction dollars deemed eligible for workforce development initiatives through the IIJA.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Alexis Campbell, alecampbel@pa.gov or Erin Waters-Trasatt, ewaterstra@pa.gov, or 717-783-8800
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