Maryland workforce initiative that provides incentives for construction, infrastructure workers
BALTIMORE -- Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Friday a workforce initiative that will give incentives to contractors, construction workers and those in infrastructure work.
The "Jobs that Build" initiative is aimed at training, paying and building up skilled workers for infrastructure projects.
"We expect this will bring on thousands of construction workers and ensure that more capital projects are delivered on time and on budget," Hogan said.
This initiative is a $15 million investment by the state.
Hogan said one of the biggest issues for contractors is finding good, skilled workers.
"These problems are made worse my historic inflation and persistent supply chain issues, and this is a field that doesn't offer remote work and flexibility that is becoming more commonplace after COVID," Hogan said.
To address those challenges, the state is offering up to $10,000 worth of incentives, which includes sign-on and retention bonuses, help with childcare and housing costs and training programs, for those in the construction field.
The 'Jobs that Build' initiative adds to and will benefit from all of the steps available that will knock down real-world barriers for good-paying jobs and leave no good-skilled worker behind," Hogan said. "As one economist recently stated, the industry has the work, it just needs the workers."
Hogan also mentioned the Biden Administration's Infrastructure Bill that invests in the transportation sector: improving public safety and climate resilience, creating jobs across the country and delivering a more equitable future.
The governor said their are still construction firms that are struggling to find workers.
Maryland received $6 billion in that infrastructure bill.
"The bipartisan infrastructure bill, while creates enough demands to fill millions of jobs nationwide, but a nationwide survey found that 91 percent of construction firms are having a tough time filling positions," Hogan said.
Hogan also touted the state's PTAC model, which gives "young Marylanders the opportunity to earn associates degrees, tuition-free, simultaneously with their high school diploma while also getting the benefits of mentors, paid summer internships and being put first in line for good paying jobs."
Governor Hogan also highlighted the State of Maryland's infrastructure transformation over the course of his administration in an address to the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance in National Harbor.
During the event, the alliance presented the governor with the Hazel Transportation Leadership Award for advancing major transportation projects across the state.
"After inheriting crumbling roads and bridges, our administration has spent the last 8 years leading by example and showing Washington and states across the country how to put partisanship aside to seek bipartisan, common sense solutions to serious infrastructure issues and how to actually get things done," said Governor Hogan. "I am proud that with every shovel in the ground, every safer road and bridge that opens, and every bus, train, and terminal that comes online—the legacy of Maryland's infrastructure transformation will live on for decades to come."
During his remarks, the governor touted some of the state's signature infrastructure achievements, including record investments in both roads and transit, and advancing priority projects in every jurisdiction:
- Upgrading Maryland's Infrastructure. The Hogan administration inherited 69 structurally deficient bridges across the state—95% of which have now been repaired or replaced, and the remaining few are currently under construction. Earlier this week, Governor Hogan dedicated the new Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial/Senator Thomas "Mac" Middleton Bridge on US 301 ahead of schedule.
- Transformative Road and Transit P3 Projects. Maryland has received final federal approval for its Traffic Relief Plan to replace the American Legion Bridge and address the traffic on the Capital Beltway. The state is also building the Purple Line, a multi-county, 16-mile east-west rail line that will include 21 stations, which will integrate seamlessly with Metro, MARC, and Amtrak to provide more transit options and to help boost Metro ridership across the region.
- Port of Baltimore. The Port of Baltimore—the largest e-commerce port and one of the busiest ports in the United States—ranks first among the nation's ports for volume of autos and light trucks, roll on/roll off heavy farm and construction machinery, and imported gypsum. The state has completed multiple dredging projects to allow the Port to accommodate more supersized ships, and is expanding the Howard Street Tunnel to allow for double-stacked container trains and break a major East Coast rail bottleneck.
- Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) continues to be the number one airport in the region and Earlier this week, the Board of Public Works approved $322 million in funding—the largest capital construction project in the airport's history—for major terminal improvements. In 2021, BWI set a new annual record for cargo operations and served over 18 million passengers.
