The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced the designation of additional federally funded construction projects for participation in the Mega Construction Project Program.
Launched by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs in March 2023, the program fosters equal opportunity in the construction trades workforce, helping to expand access to the millions of jobs being created by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
The Mega Construction Project Program brings the public and private sectors together on a select group of “megaprojects,” for which OFCCP provides contractors and subcontractors compliance assistance to strengthen recruitment, hiring and employment practices. The assistance focuses on removing barriers to opportunity for underrepresented communities including women, people of color, veterans and individuals with disabilities.
Megaprojects are large federal construction projects valued at $35 million or more – some part of which must be federal funding – and that last more than one year.
For each of these projects, OFCCP engages a wide range of community stakeholders – including unions, community-based organizations, pre-apprenticeship programs and registered apprenticeship programs – to provide contractors with connections to diverse recruitment sources, including in underrepresented and underserved communities, so that projects can fully tap into the local workforce and get the needed talent.
The agency also provides technical assistance on how contractors can foster workplaces free from harassment and discrimination and address ongoing barriers to recruitment and retention. In addition, OFCCP conducts compliance reviews to evaluate contractors’ equal opportunity practices.
For the 12 newly designated megaprojects, OFCCP partnered with the Department of Transportation, Department of Energy, General Services Administration and Environmental Protection Agency. OFCCP applied a set of neutral criteria to designate megaprojects from a wider pool of eligible projects. These newly designated projects build on OFCCP’s designation earlier this year of 12 megaprojects funded by the Department of Transportation and GSA.
“President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda is creating a new generation of good-paying careers nationwide and we are working to make sure everyone has a fair shot at those jobs,” said Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in a press release. “This compliance assistance from the Department of Labor will help ensure that those who have historically been underrepresented in construction and the trades, including women and people with disabilities, are part of the national effort to help build the vital infrastructure we will all need in the coming decades.”
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Source: The U.S. Department of Labor