# Presentation: 878031

## America Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce  for the Transportation-Highway Construction Industry:Applying Key Provisions of SAFETEA-LUto Create Opportunity

**Federal Highway Administration    Office of Civil Rights**

**Presented by:                                               Frederick D. Isler                                 Associate Administrator for Civil Rights**

**2006 AASHTO National Transportation Civil Rights Conference**
**Highway Contractors’ Forum**
**August 19, 2006**

## Our Responsibilities as Transportation Officials

- Making sure our communities are aware of changes that affect them:
-  Legislative changes
-  Environmental changes
-  Social changes
-  Economic changes...and then....

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

## Our Responsibilities as Transportation Officials (Continued)

- Make sure that our communities are aware of the opportunities that these changes present.
- Be specific about the information we disseminate – easily understood and usable.

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

## Our Responsibilities as Transportation Officials (Continued)

- Take time to...
- Educate
- Inform and be Informed
- Share Information...
- “Knowledge is Power”

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

## It’s not just about numbers!

- To improve minority representation and participation in the transportation industry, we must be daring and creative because...
- It’s not just about numbers....it’s also about true equality

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

## Partnerships and Community Involvement

- 	**Visualize......**
- Communities where partnerships exist
- Communities where people work together to make the most of what is available to them
- Communities that take full advantage of the available resources by encouraging unity, consolidating gains, embracing and incorporating new cultures into progressive and dynamic initiatives.

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

## Partnerships as Agents of Change

- Partnerships can be effective instruments and valuable resources for:
- Leading change, establishing urgency, and creating guiding coalitions.
-  Developing strategies and empowering 	individuals and organizations.

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

## Making this Community a Reality

- We must be prepared to involve ALL levels of the community in the decision-making process.
- SAFETEA-LU opens many doors in the community, but we must do the following to go through those doors:

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

## MORE OUTREACH

- Encourage more minority communities, low income, and other groups to comment on transportation plans.
- 		 ...become involved to avoid 	inequitable outcomes in transportation 	policy
- Inform people about the existence of transportation programs that could benefit them.

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

## More Outreach (Continued)

- Encourage greater collaboration among Federal, State, and Local governments, community-based organizations, high schools, and community colleges – to ensure communities are part of building transportation projects.

- Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce

## More Outreach (Continued)

- Get to know the concerns of the affected communities
- Maintain liaisons with affected public interest groups and community organizations

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

## Technical Assistance

- Conduct workshops and conferences for the local communities
- Help communities establish advisory groups so they can become part of the transportation decision-making process

- Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce

## Business Opportunity and Workforce Development Centers (BOWD): Making the Most of What SAFETEA-LU Offers

- A new technical assistance initiative of FHWA’s Office of Civil Rights.
- An effort to maximize existing resources to enhance effectiveness of On-the-Job Training (OJT) program and the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program.
- A promotion of partnerships to deliver both programs together.
- Pilot BOWD Centers – will fund 24 centers over a 2-year period.

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

## BOWD Centers (Continued)

- Targeted technical assistance to help under-utilized DBES who are ready, willing, and able to compete for, and perform Federal-aid highway contracts.
- Resources to recruit, hire, and assist highway contractors (including DBEs) with meeting OJT requirements and developing their workforce.

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

## Encourage STA recipients to partner with prime contractors, minority colleges, community based organizations, and DBE community

OJT Supportive Services programs are designed to develop capabilities of trainees, assist contractors with recruitment and hiring, and increase effectiveness of OJT programs

BOWD Centers designed to meet objectives of BOTH the DBE and OJT programs.

- OJT Supportive Services programs are designed to develop capabilities of trainees, assist contractors with recruitment and hiring, and increase effectiveness of OJT programs
- BOWD Centers designed to meet objectives of BOTH the DBE and OJT programs.

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

**BOWD Centers (Continued)**

## Partnerships: A Key Element of the BOWD Centers

- To receive funding for a BOWD Center, the proposal must include the following partnerships:
- STAs:  States must consider utilizing provisions of Section 5204(e) of SAFETEA-LU –now allows 100% federal funding from 5 core programs (Interstate Maintenance , Surface Transportation Programs, Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality, National Highway Systems, Highway Bridge Program) for workforce development activities, such as OJT/SS programs

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

## Partnerships and BOWD Centers (Continued)

- FHWA Division Office
- Prime Contractors and Associations
- Financial: Bonding, Banking, Insurance
- Community Based Organizations
- Community Development Agency (a Federal agency in some States)

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

## Partnerships and BOWD Centers, (Continued)

- Minority Colleges (Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges, Hispanic Serving Institutions
- Union Apprenticeship Programs
- Other Resource Agencies (Small Business Administration, USDA Rural Development Loan program, Dept. of Labor, Dept. of Education Training programs, etc.)

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

## BOWD Centers: Focus on OJT and DBE Key Criteria

- Focus on Highway construction (including functions incidental to construction e.g., preliminary engineering, project development/engineering services, design, consultant, or other professional services
- Identify highway transportation projects adjacent to local communities

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

## Must promote community participation
Target underutilized DBEs with capabilities and capacity to compete
Develop and promote state, federal, and private industry financial lending programs
Promote joint ventures, mentor-protégé, and match-making programs (e.g., DBE w/other contractors

- Target underutilized DBEs with capabilities and capacity to compete
- Develop and promote state, federal, and private industry financial lending programs
- Promote joint ventures, mentor-protégé, and match-making programs (e.g., DBE w/other contractors

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

**BOWD Centers: Focus on OJT and DBE Key Criteria (Continued)**

## Commitment of identified prime contractor(s)

Business Development module, including individual needs assessment of each DBE; development of business plan

Workforce Development component linking State’s OJT/SS program with other education, professional development and outreach programs to train DBE’s workforce

- Business Development module, including individual needs assessment of each DBE; development of business plan
- Workforce Development component linking State’s OJT/SS program with other education, professional development and outreach programs to train DBE’s workforce

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

**BOWD Centers: Focus on OJT and DBE Key Criteria (Continued)**

## OJT supportive services relating to:

Recruitment, counseling, outreach,   transportation to work site, job site mentoring, job placement, skill and remedial training, developing capabilities of prospective trainees

- Recruitment, counseling, outreach,   transportation to work site, job site mentoring, job placement, skill and remedial training, developing capabilities of prospective trainees

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

**BOWD Centers: Focus on OJT and DBE Key Criteria (Continued)**

## BOWD Centers: Performance-Based and Results-Oriented

- Identify approx 25 underutilized DBEs who will commit to 2-year, in-depth business development program
- Goals and objectives to measure growth (e.g., number of Federal-aid highway subcontracts awarded, bonding, etc.)
- Performance period not to exceed 2 years
- Monitoring and evaluation/progress reports

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

## BOWD Centers: Expected Outcomes

- At least 10 DBE Success Stories (business growth, contracts, business expansion into other work codes, DBE employees in OJT and other workforce develop. programs)
- Partnerships that continue BOWD Center beyond 2-year pilot
- Community Participation (employment on local highway projects)

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

## BOWD Centers: How to Submit a Proposal

**Contact:**
- Teresa Banks (_[teresa.banks@fhwa.dot.gov](mailto:teresa.banks@fhwa.dot.gov)_), 404-562-3592; or
- Vickie Anderson (_[vickie.anderson@fhwa.dot.gov](mailto:vickie.anderson@fhwa.dot.gov)_),               202-366-1607

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

## In the words of Frederick Douglas....

- “We are one, our cause is one, and we must help each other; if we are to succeed.”

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**

## THE END

**Building Businesses and a Skilled Workforce**