91视频

In today鈥檚 world, equity is top of mind when it comes to building a workforce. The Interstate Bridge Replacement program is striving to be an example of how large infrastructure projects can successfully minimize barriers and provide opportunities for participation.

We have ambitious goals for this program when it comes to promoting equitable opportunities for workers and communities who have historically been excluded from large infrastructure projects. And to accomplish them we are using the IBR program鈥檚 equity framework to promote economic opportunity for equity priority communities.

An important aspect of the program鈥檚 equity goals is exploring ways we can support opportunities that help people change the trajectory of their lives. These include investing in their business and hiring people in their community; providing well-paying jobs; or giving a mother, a young person or a houseless individual training in a pre-apprenticeship program.

In the past, many large transportation projects harmed long-standing communities of color by uprooting them. As a further injustice, the financial benefits of these projects were realized by interests 鈥� and people 鈥� outside the immediate project area. Today, the IBR program is committed to ensuring equitable processes and outcomes in all aspects of our work. This includes applying an equity lens for community engagement activities, designing construction packages competitive for DBE firms, and advancing workforce diversity to ensure that all voices are heard, and all communities can experience the economic benefits.

To accomplish this, we held our first formal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) outreach event in Vancouver, Washington, this past summer. Program leadership continues to meet with DBE leaders and organizations across the region. The program team will continue to conduct outreach to workforce development organizations, contractors, and public agencies to ensure we are answering questions about potential IBR program opportunities, including workforce development, potential future construction packages, and DBE certification.

With construction currently scheduled to begin around the end of 2025, we are conducting a study with the help of workforce organizations on both sides of the river to determine how many carpenters, ironworkers, electricians, designers and engineers we will need to construct this project. Understanding the raw numbers will help inform us where the program could potentially be most effective in making investments in pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs. This includes high schools and community college programs, to get the people trained and ready to construct this once-in-a-generation project.

The program team also recognizes that it鈥檚 not enough to simply recruit new workers. As we continue to explore ways to help minimize barriers to workforce participation, we will consider ideas such as on-site day care and vouchers to help remove child care as a barrier to employment.

To learn more about how we are centering equity and promoting DBE participation and building our workforce, please join us for our upcoming equity roundtable, 鈥淩oad to Prosperity: A Conversation About Workforce Diversity and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises鈥� on Thursday, Oct. 5, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event will be live-streamed and available for replay on our YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook platforms.

Together, we can build a bridge that moves people, products and vehicles, while at the same time raising communities that need a boost and a voice in this once-in-a-lifetime project.

Johnell Bell is the principal equity officer for the Interstate Bridge Replacement program and the chief executive officer of Espousal Strategies. Contact him at 503-897-9218 or [email protected].

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed in the preceding commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Daily Journal of Commerce or its editors. Neither the author nor the 91视频 guarantees the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein.