July 11, 2024, Philadelphia PA – The Biden-Harris Administration announced new actions to connect Americans to the good-paying jobs created by the President’s Investing in America agenda. White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden and Acting Secretary Julie Su travel to Williamsport, Pennsylvania to announce more than $244 million to help modernize, diversify and expand the Registered Apprenticeship system in growing U.S. industries. This announcement marks the largest federal investment in US history in Registered Apprenticeships—the gold-standard earn-and-learn training pathway. Then, Director Tanden, Acting Secretary Su, and officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) will also travel to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to hold the inaugural convening of the city’s Investing in America Workforce Hub and announce new policies and partnerships to ensure all workers – including women, people of color, veterans, and those that have been historically left behind–have equitable access to good-paying jobs across nearly one billion dollars in investments from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
Joined by Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, city officials and labor leaders, Su and Tanden announced Workforce Hub commitments to ensure Philadelphians have equitable access to good-paying jobs created by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
The event in Philadelphia was held at the Finishing Trades Institute and featured a tour and speaking program highlighting Women in Nontraditional Careers, a regional collaboration to recruit and retain women in construction, manufacturing and transit careers.
Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, a key figure in the Biden administration’s workforce development efforts, played a central role in the Philadelphia event. She emphasized the administration’s commitment to aligning federal investments with local needs, ensuring that infrastructure projects not only enhance the city’s physical landscape but also uplift its people.
“We’re investing in America, and the Building Trades are building it,” Su said, highlighting the crucial role of labor unions in realizing the administration’s vision. She further acknowledged the vital role of Philadelphia’s Workforce Hub, stating, “We couldn’t do these hubs without you and the leadership on the ground,” addressing the city’s officials.
Su emphasized the administration’s dedication to ensuring that all Americans, regardless of background, have access to good-paying jobs and opportunities for advancement. “Our goal is to create a robust and inclusive workforce, and that means ensuring that everyone has the chance to learn new skills and get the training they need to succeed,” she said. She continued, “Our goal is to create a robust and more inclusive workforce.”
Su highlighted the importance of partnerships in achieving these goals, “We know that partnerships with contractors will be critical to reach the city’s goals to build a robust and more inclusive workforce.”
Su also acknowledged the importance of the WINC program, a Philadelphia-based initiative that supports women entering skilled trades, saying, “You are why we do what we do, and you certainly prove that we should just keep it, keep, keep at it because your story is just so incredible.” She also praised the work of the Building Trades, “President Biden is investing in America, and the Building Trades are building it, so thank you for all that.” She expressed gratitude to her colleagues, “To my colleagues from the Department of Transportation who are here… to our colleagues from EPA who are here, all of us are working side by side together to fulfill the president’s promise to be the most pro-worker, pro-union president this country has ever seen, and our investments are part of that too.” She also said, “We’re turning all that around and working with all of you to make that happen.” She further noted, “We are very proud to be here to actually celebrate WINC.” She described the WINC program as an incredible example of how investment and leadership can create thousands of opportunities for women who might not have otherwise seen themselves in those roles. She also shared the story of Jazz Allen, a woman who found success through the SEWIT program, “When you give someone an opportunity, it’s not only something that benefits and uplifts them, they come back and they benefit and uplift their entire community.”
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker expressed her deep gratitude to the Biden-Harris administration for its ongoing support of Philadelphia’s ambitious infrastructure projects, particularly those focused on water infrastructure, transportation, and housing. She noted that these projects have already created numerous jobs in Philadelphia and are instrumental in helping more residents achieve economic self-sufficiency.
“We are giving people a government that they can see, touch, feel, and eat, and take care of their families with, and live in dignity and own a home because of the access, the opportunity that you are providing,” Mayor Parker said, highlighting the city’s proactive approach to leveraging federal investments to benefit its diverse population.
“April the 25th, President Biden designates Philadelphia as a White House Workforce Hub.” She emphasized that this designation represents much more than just a title. “It means $1 billion in projects upcoming in the year alone to ensure that 200 new apprentices are hired in historically underserved neighborhoods.” “This pilot will span three departments: Streets Department, Water Department, and Philadelphia International Airport.”
Mayor Parker thanked her team, including:
- Alba Martinez, Director of Commerce for the City of Philadelphia
- Perritti Divirgilio, Director of Labor for the City of Philadelphia
- Michael Carroll, Deputy General Manager of the Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS) for the City of Philadelphia
- Kristin Del Rossi, Streets Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia
- Randy E. Hayman, Esq., Commissioner and CEO of the Philadelphia Water Department
“We have a commitment for 30,000 units of housing here in the city of Philadelphia: build new, repair, preserve existing. You are continuing to help us put people on the path of self-sufficiency, and we’re grateful,” she said.
Neera Tanden, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, highlighted the administration’s commitment to workforce development, saying, “We really see in the Biden-Harris Administration that we are at a unique moment in time.” She added, “We are putting more dollars on the table to address core needs of the country: infrastructure, ships and science, our economic competitiveness, renewable energy. These are important goals, but we know we will not meet these National goals unless we have the workforce to do it.” Tanden also stressed the importance of ensuring that training programs are accessible to all, “We have a shot to ensure that we do what we really have never done before, making sure every single American, people who’ve never seen themselves in these jobs, in these construction jobs, in this moment take the opportunity to have these jobs, these middle-class jobs, these jobs with dignity, as the president will say. And that is up to all of us.”
Lark Jackson, Deputy Director of the Chicago Women and Trades National Center and a Steering Committee Member of the Women and Non-Traditional Careers Initiative, emphasized the importance of workforce diversity and introduced Philadelphia’s Women in Non-Traditional Careers Initiative (WINC).
John R. Kibblehouse, Jr., the Secretary-Treasurer of the Contractors Association of Eastern Pennsylvania, representing 30 active contractors in heavy and highway infrastructure, underscored the importance of a skilled labor force in realizing the city’s ambitious infrastructure plans. He praised the collaboration between the association and local unions, noting that these partnerships are essential for training a workforce capable of meeting the demands of these projects. “Our geographic and economic hiring preferences are designed to benefit economically disadvantaged communities, ensuring that the impact of these projects is felt where it is needed most,” Kibblehouse explained.
Ryan Boyer, Business Manager of the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council, praised the WINC program and the Biden-Harris administration’s support for workers. He highlighted the long-standing commitment of Philadelphia’s building trades unions to workforce training and employment, stressing the importance of collaboration between the government and the private sector.
Shaa Hardrick, a recent graduate of the Trades Women Readiness Program, shared a moving personal testimony, detailing how the program transformed her life, helping her transition from welfare to a fulfilling career in the trades. “This program gave me the confidence and the skills I needed to succeed. Women can thrive in these roles if given the chance,” Hardrick remarked.
The event also showcased the success of Philadelphia’s Women in Non-Traditional Careers Initiative (WINC), which has helped countless women enter high-skilled, high-paying blue-collar jobs. WINC provides a comprehensive support system, including transportation subsidies, childcare vouchers, tools, and work boots.
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The Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to workforce development is evident in their record-breaking investments in Registered Apprenticeships and their launch of the Investing in America Workforce Hubs. This initiative is designed to ensure that all Americans have access to the good-paying jobs created by the President’s Investing in America agenda, whether they went to college or not.
This week alone, the administration has announced a total of $283 million in new investments:
- $244 million for Registered Apprenticeships, the largest single federal investment in US history. This funding will be used to modernize, diversify and expand the program in growing industries, benefitting communities across the country through 52 grantees located in 32 states.
- $39 million in base funding from State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula (SAEF) grants to 46 states and territories to increase the capacity of Registered Apprenticeship Programs across key industries.
- $20 million in Innovative Water Workforce grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to 13 regional and national recipients, including nearly $5 million to Pennsylvania, to cultivate pre-apprenticeship, Registered Apprenticeship, and leadership development and mentorship programs to diversify and ensure the sustainability of the nation’s water utility workforce.
The administration has also made significant investments in Pennsylvania, totaling over $17 billion, to support clean energy, infrastructure, and manufacturing projects. This investment has catalyzed an additional $2.6 billion in related private-sector investments.
Philadelphia is a key recipient of these investments, with over a billion dollars being directed towards rebuilding public infrastructure. This includes projects to improve transit, reconnect neighborhoods, and replace lead pipes, all of which are creating demand for skilled workers in the construction and related trades. The city has committed to working with the administration to establish strong and diverse workforce pipelines to support these public infrastructure investments. The Hub will create a strong system of pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship supports for construction careers, doubling the number of people moving into Registered Apprenticeships in Philadelphia and providing increased support for apprentices. The Hub will also receive support from philanthropy, including a $5 million investment from the William Penn Foundation to help remove barriers to accessing and completing training programs in Philadelphia.h strong and diverse workforce pipelines to support these public infrastructure investments.
