CLEVELAND — President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill injected billions of dollars into Ohio’s roadways, bridges, airports and more, and those investments created the need for a large workforce to complete the projects.
U.S. Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg, D, and Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-OH 13, visited the Ohio Operating Engineers Apprenticeship and Training Facility on Tuesday to check in on the state’s workforce development.
“When I first got into public life — which wasn't that long ago in northern Indiana — as we were picking ourselves up from the Great Recession, we couldn't even imagine a time when there were so many jobs,” Buttigieg said. “We were just struggling to find qualified, skilled workers back then. The question is, where were we going to find the jobs? Now the question is how are we going to find and prepare the workers? It is a good problem to have, but it's a real challenge.”
The training facility is used by union leaders to recruit and train workers to help meet the increased demand for work.
Leaders with the union said between state and federal funding for infrastructure projects across Ohio, demand for work has never been so high.
And as a result, they said they’ve never had so many apprentices come through the program as they have in recent years.
“The local money that we've had from all of our ODOT funding: heavy highway work, bridges, roads, paving. That is our bread and butter of local 18. That generates the most jobs, the most work hours,” Michael Bertolone, business manager of Local 18 said. “And so, when the federal infrastructure money entered the equation on top of the state money that we receive, it was the perfect storm of work. That's the reason why we've got all the work here, and that goes to the building trades as well.”
Sykes said it’s important to have facilities like this one to give people the opportunity to get into a trade and have success, especially we see federal infrastructure dollars being poured into local communities.
“This bill truly opens pathways for people that don't want to go to four year colleges, and even more importantly, they can finish their education without tens of thousands of dollars worth of debt,” Sykes said. “So, investing in our workers is an investment in our community.”
Federal funding has been allocated for specific projects across the state, from the public transit systems in Cleveland and Columbus to the Brent Spence Bridge in Cincinnati.
They said because so much money has been invested into these projects, there will be work lined up for these workers for years come.
“Whether it's the US 6 project I saw in Sandusky or the work we're doing along I-70 and I-71, which is one of the busiest and most vital sections of highway in this region,” Buttigieg said. “Or the Brent Spence Bridge in southern Ohio that is creating jobs and creating an opportunity for, again, not just a season or a year, but really a decade of infrastructure effort.”