BUILDS Act would give Americans ‘the skills they need to harness’ job opportunities

The Building U.S. Infrastructure by Leveraging Demands for Skills (BUILDS) Act would help develop high-quality work-based learning programs to train workers for in-demand infrastructure jobs.

Millions of in-demand infrastructure jobs are being created across the United States thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other legislation.

Today, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, reintroduced the BUILDS Act. 

“I’m glad to have helped pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which is fixing our crumbling infrastructure and creating millions of jobs across America in the process,” Kaine said. “This bill will help give our workers the skills they need to harness those job opportunities by supporting work-based learning programs and increasing support services to underserved populations. Investing in our workforce like this would be a win-win-win for our families, economy, and infrastructure.”

In February 2021, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) graded America’s infrastructure an overall C- when assessing different sectors of public infrastructure, including aviation, drinking water, energy, and roads. Six months later, Kaine supported the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which authorized $1.2 trillion for transportation and infrastructure spending. This funding will create millions of new jobs over the next decade, nearly half of which will require skilled job training. The BUILDS Act promotes sector partnerships made up of local businesses and industry organizations, workforce boards, labor representatives, and education and training providers to support workforce training programs to create the skilled workforce necessary to fill these new jobs.

The BUILDS Act would: 

• Engage businesses in work-based learning and ensure worker success in these programs.
• Help businesses by:
  • Connecting them with education providers for the development of classroom curriculum to complement on-the-job learning;
  • Training managers and front-line workers to serve as mentors to work-based learning participants;
  • Recruiting individuals for work-based learning programs.
• Engage businesses in workforce training programs and ensure worker success across three stages: pre-employment, early employment, and continuing employment.

The BUILDS Act is endorsed by Advance CTE, the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), Jobs for the Future (JFF), the National Skills Coalition (NSC) and Third Way.