ACCELERATOR FOR AMERICA ISSUES ‘GOLD STANDARD PLAYBOOK’ TO HELP CITIES MEET WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT NEEDS
AS FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDS BEGIN TO FLOW, ACCELERATOR FOR AMERICA ISSUES ‘GOLD STANDARD PLAYBOOK’ TO HELP CITIES MEET WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT NEEDS
Playbook Offers Solutions to Increase Supply of Trained Workers to help Localities Deliver Projects, Meet New Federal Requirements and Create Middle Class Jobs in Underserved Communities
See Playbook Here
March 24, 2022 – As $1.2 trillion begin to flow from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, local government "project owners" face a lack of trained workers, impacting their ability to start and complete projects on time. At the same time, these local leaders and the communities they represent continue to grapple with growing income inequality. To help cities meet their workforce needs and to promote equitable career creation in underserved communities, the national non-profit “Do Tank” Accelerator for America today released the “Gold Standard Playbook for Workforce Development.”
Beyond the "good" that comes to both City Halls and workers through improved workforce development programs, the Playbook also seeks to help localities meet new requirements to qualify for federal infrastructure funds -- for example, a specific call out for workforce development as well as "delivering 40 percent of the overall benefits of relevant federal investments to disadvantaged communities.”
The Playbook was authored by experts from the Accelerator and WSP USA with the generous support of the James Irvine Foundation and with input from high level executives with HNTB, the Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Center (new NBA arena), the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink), the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Women In Non Traditional Employment Roles (WINTER).
While the Playbook is based on an analysis of infrastructure projects and practices in California, given the ongoing and massive infrastructure investments in California that predate the federal infrastructure bill, its solutions are applicable in communities nationwide.
“At a time when our underserved communities are fighting to recover from the pandemic and too many Americans lack economic mobility, we will soon have more infrastructure jobs available than trained workers available to fill them,” said Mary Ellen Wiederwohl, President and CEO of Accelerator for America. “This Playbook offers solutions to meet the needs of our crumbling infrastructure and our communities alike.”
“We have a golden opportunity to leverage the massive federal investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build an equitable, inclusive, and climate-resilient economy. The work to shore up our crumbling infrastructure will create jobs. By ensuring these jobs are quality jobs and accessible to all, we can address not only failing infrastructure but also issues of income inequality and racial inequity,” said Don Howard, President and CEO of the James Irvine Foundation.
“With this tool, community leaders and project owners will have a practical guide for ensuring a workforce ready to support this once-in-a-generation investment in the country’s infrastructure” said Denise Turner Roth, President, Advisory Services, WSP USA.
Accelerator for America was founded in 2017 by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti amidst federal inaction and retrenchment from cities. Now, the Accelerator is helping mayors and other leaders across the nation best access and invest unprecedented federal funding for our cities. The Accelerator is currently developing and sharing tools that are being used by local governments nationwide to invest funding from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan and the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act/Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build long lasting community wealth.
To date, the Accelerator's economic development tools have been used by more than 75 cities nationwide and the organization has helped localities generate $40 billion in infrastructure funding independent of federal investment. It also quickly pivoted to help cities respond to COVID-19, including the development of a rapid cash assistance model implemented by cities and state governments nationwide.
Accelerator for America's Advisory Council comprises mayors, labor leaders, corporate CEOs and non-profit executives from across the country. See: https://www.acceleratorforamerica.org/who-we-are.