Diversity of the Highway Heavy Construction
Diversity
of the Highway
Heavy
Construction
Workforce:
Planning
for 2020
ResultsWorkforce:
Transparency Project Team/DBE
and Workforce
Collaborative
Planning
for 2020
Results Transparency Project
Team/DBE and Workforce Collaborative
12/31/2012
12/31/2012
DBE and Workforce Collaborative Mission: To have the
contractors and workforce participation within the Minnesota
Transportation Industry reflects the demographics of the
State of Minnesota.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation has been working with the Collaborative Results Transparency Project
Team in its efforts to increase the participation of racial minorities and women in the highway heavy (HH) construction
industry. Over the past several months member of that project team has met with over 50 representatives of various
contractors, subcontractors, DBEs, unions, training organizations, Department of Human Rights, Department of Labor
and Industry and other state agencies. Analysis by trade of three year construction project data by trades also was
considered in these recommendations. The purpose was to get input and ideas to plan strategically in the near term
to best meet workforce goals for publicly funded highway heavy construction projects. This summary is based on
recommendations from those meetings.
Minnesota Construction Industry and Population Demographics
Minnesota Population
5.3 Mil
20 Year (Verify time period with DOL) Increase of State’s Population of Color
MN workers in HH construction employment 2012
55%
3,614
Attrition Rate for entry-level Apprentices
Percent of Minnesotans living in the seven-county Metro area
Recession all construction jobs loss since 2006
Economic Recovery: All construction Jobs added 2011-2012
Women as percentage of population in State
Women as percentage of population in Metro Counties
Racial Minorities as percent of population in Hennepin County
Racial Minorities as percent of population in Ramsey County
Racial Minorities in 5 County area
Minorities on 2012 HH construction projects statewide
Women on 2012 HH construction projects statewide
MDHR goals for racial minorities in Hennepin/Ramsey Counties
50.8%
+50%
50,000
4,000
50.3%
50%
26.5%
29.9%
13.1%
9.1%
5%
32%
Highway Heavy Construction Workforce – 4 year
Statewide Average
TOTAL EMPLOYMENT
TOTAL MINORITIES
TOTAL WOMEN
% MINORITIES
% WOMEN
2009
2010
2011
2012
1873
2251
3200
3614
114
168
272
329
62
87
143
179
6.1%
7.5%
8.5%
9.1%
3.3%
3.9%
4.5%
5%
Key Trends in the Highway Heavy Construction Industry
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It takes up to five years of on-the-job training and classroom instruction to advance an apprentice through the
system to journey level completion.
The public school education system does not offer adequate career information and hands-on experiences to drive
individuals in the highway heavy (HH) construction pipeline.
The highway heavy construction industry workforce is currently comprised of a high percentage of baby-boomers
who will be retiring in 1-5 years creating a skilled workforce shortage.
Many construction careers seekers (regardless of race and gender) need stronger basic math, reading, safety
orientation, communication and life skills (personal finance, time management, balancing work and family) required
to complete in apprenticeship programs or function satisfactorily on the job.
The workforce has changed to include greater lifestyle responsibilities including single parents, elder care
responsibilities, two working parents, etc.
The HH construction industry is transforming from a manual labor job to a high-tech industry that utilizes
computers, small motor hand skills, GPS tracking, green technology, etc. and workers must be trained to compete.
Retention (entry and mid-level) is a key barrier regardless of race and gender.
Employees are increasingly required to travel both in and out of state and for longer periods of time away from
home base. This is a huge current challenge for the highway heavy industry.
Cultural and generational differences on construction crews are increasing.
There is a shortage of minorities and women trained and ready to be employed in the majority of trades.
Continuum of Construction Trades Career Development
Department of Labor and Industry new model of construction workforce development is designed to expose youth and
adults to information, experiences and role models in the industry while providing defined pathways and continued
resource support to select the appropriate apprenticeship tract and complete to journey-level.
Early Exposure: Students ages 10-14 begin their construction
career exploration by meeting trades mentors, completing handson projects and learning about careers in building, architecture,
engineering and highway heavy construction.
Career Exploration: High School youth are exposed to a variety
of educational resources as well as an opportunity to participate in
tours of training centers and contractor’s headquarters. Students
may participate in a paid Highway Heavy project internship with
Under Construction or other Venue to learn work-readiness and
safety skills, attend a technical program at a high school or other
opportunities.
Career Readiness: To prepare for a construction career, adults
may attend technical college, a community-based skills training
program, participate in a multi-craft on-the-job-training program
sponsored by MnDOT or enter directly into the career from high
school. Math and Reading Boot Camps programs are available to
improve skills for licensed trades entrance testing.
Apprenticeship: Work-ready individuals secure apprenticeships
in a craft or trade with support systems in place to advance them
through training to journey-level completion. Workers in this group
are entry level and emergent construction career members.
Journey Level: These experienced construction workers have the necessary safety and skills training, hold appropriate
trades licenses and serve as the construction industry career workforce for Minnesota.
Mentoring: Successful trades professional perform outreach and mentoring to the next generation of trades workers and
serve as leaders in the construction industry as foremen, superintendents and project managers.
Key Strategies in the Highway Heavy Construction Workforce Plan
1. Coordinate and develop individualized Diversity Plans for each trade or non-union contractor to
develop long-term plans to meet a 32% goal of racial minorities and 6% women in those Metro
counties.
2. Increase Outreach and activities that support the Continuum of Construction Trades Career
Development for minorities and women.
3. Support the innovation and enhancement of Good Faith Efforts by broadening the scope of goal
achievement.
4. Expand the list of highway heavy construction workers to reflect a changing workforce to include other
people working directly on a construction project, i.e. professional and technical positions of safety,
project management, engineering assistants, etc.
5. Convene an annual Equal Employment Officer retreat to share best practices, improve recruitment and
address compliance and accountability measures including outreach skills.
6. Partner with the MnDOT Research/Consultant Services Office to write grants and find additional
funding for all of Minnesota job training providers to include an effective evaluation process.
7.
Identify and recruit minority and women returning Minnesota veterans.
8. Develop and execute with DOLI detailed tracking programs for contractors to identify and promote
apprentices at three levels of apprenticeship.
9. Develop a tool to plot our Highway Heavy trades needed on major projects (St. Croix, Dresbach,
Cayuga) and then work with other agencies for numbers on Vikings Stadium, St. Paul Municipal
Stadium, etc.
10. Form an investment funding team to map out investment needs (training, recruitment) to show how
much it will take to meet goals and what we currently have for a budget. Legislative Package to
support Strategies listed here.
11. Rebranding of Highway Heavy Construction Industry. Focusing on women and minorities in the
trades and map out career development opportunities.
12. Continued workforce tracking of results including the transparency of those results. Develop a
strategy to institutionalize outcomes achieved including modifying this plan.
13. Compliance needs to be an agency wide responsibility. MnDOT needs to support Civil Rights to have
a mandate to hold the rest of the agency accountable for its compliance effectiveness, not just
contractors, i.e. project managers, field inspectors, etc.
14. Develop a standard Curriculum and effective evaluation tool for all of our Training Partners to use as a
guide with emphasis on Life Skills and Identifying barriers.