Sponsors (4)
Official title: Amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to expand the capacity of junior or community colleges and area career and technical education schools to conduct training services, education, and outreach activities for careers in the residential construction industry.
The bill directs a modest federal investment to expand residential construction training and employer alignment—helping students, incumbents, and underserved communities gain skills and jobs—but limited funding, compliance attestations, and administrative requirements may restrict reach and provider participation.
Incumbent residential construction workers can access funded upskilling programs that improve wages and job stability.
Students and trainees gain access to new or expanded residential construction training and industry-recognized credentials through grants to colleges and career/technical education programs.
Rural communities and underserved populations receive prioritized outreach and training slots, strengthening local workforce pipelines and employment opportunities.
The program is limited to $20 million per year (FY2025–2029), which may leave many eligible students and regions without funded training slots.
Requiring attestations of no pending enforcement actions could exclude otherwise effective providers with past or contested compliance issues, shrinking the pool of training providers.
Applicants and recipients face administrative burdens from application, reporting, attestation, and compliance requirements, raising costs for schools and providers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a competitive DOL grant program to expand residential construction training at community colleges and trade schools, with $20M/year authorized for FY2025–2029.
Introduced January 22, 2025 by Jacklyn Sheryl Rosen · Last progress January 22, 2025
Creates a competitive grant program to expand education, training, and outreach for careers in residential construction at community colleges, area career and technical schools, and eligible training providers, with priority for rural and underserved areas. The Department of Labor (in consultation with Education) will award grants up to four years, require labor-law compliance and performance reporting, and has authorized $20 million per year for FY2025–2029. The statute defines eligible recipients and key terms, lists permitted and required uses of funds (classroom training, registered apprenticeships, short-term credentials, recruitment/outreach, equipment, wraparound supports, etc.), and requires initial and annual grantee reports plus a departmental report to congressional committees.