Fostering communities rich with opportunity—including access to good jobs with family-supporting wages and pathways to getting those jobs—is an important element of an inclusive nation. Federal infrastructure investment in surface transportation and clean energy has the potential to create jobs in the shorter-term while continuing to lay a foundation for longer-term growth and competitiveness.  Equitable investments are those that build a stronger training and workforce pipeline to help disadvantaged communities connect to job opportunities and move up the economic ladder. 

PolicyLink is engaged in several initiatives to foster greater economic opportunity through federal investment:

• Construction Careers: Jobs in the transportation sector—including construction, maintenance, and operation—can provide pathways to middle class careers for disadvantaged communities. PolicyLink is working with coalition partners to ensure that the upcoming surface transportation authorization creates pathways for low-income workers to move into the middle class.
  
• Emerald Cities: Leveraging federal investment in energy efficient retrofitting of buildings can expand opportunity for many disadvantaged communities — developing living wage jobs with career ladders or workers of color and creating housing cost reductions through energy savings for lower income households, in addition to climate change benefits.  PolicyLink is a strategic partner of The Emerald Cities Collaborative, which helps regions plan energy efficiency into long term regional investment strategies and workforce development plans.

For more on these initiatives, contact Chris Brown, 202-906-8035 or chris@policylink.org.