Washington D.C. to Launch New Infrastructure Academy
Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has launched the D.C. Infrastructure Academy, an innovative workforce training program that will provide hands-on experience and access for residents to secure jobs in the infrastructure industry.
Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed a memorandum of intent Tuesday morning, launching the D.C. Infrastructure Academy, an innovative workforce training program that will provide hands-on experience and access for residents to secure jobs in the infrastructure industry.
In 2016, nearly half of the District’s infrastructure job positions were unable to be filled (2,500 job openings with only 1,246 hires), even with an average hourly rate of $48. By 2026, their infrastructure sector will increase by almost 20 percent.
Moreover, Deputy Mayor Courtney Snowden said over 2.5 million infrastructure employees are expected to leave their jobs or retire in the next ten years.
The academy, a partnership between D.C. public and private sector companies, is modelled after successful programs in Philadelphia, Georgia and Chicago, will provide specialized training programs with a focus on helping underemployed and unemployed residents.
“The D.C. Infrastructure Academy will give D.C. residents the chance to learn the nuts and bolts of what makes our city run,” Bowser said. “Everything from utilities to transportation and logistics to operations and green technologies — and ensure that they are first in line when it comes to securing the infrastructure jobs of today and tomorrow.”
Starting in 2018, the Department of Employment Services will operate the academy out of an interim location east of the Anacostia River until a permanent location can be completed.
The launch of the academy kicks off DC Works Week, a combined effort to highlight workforce programs from the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Greater Economic Opportunity (DMGEO) and the Department of Employment Services (DOES), that focuses on celebrating the impact of groundbreaking employers and community stakeholders in shaping D.C.’s workforce system.