Broadband Infrastructure Investments and Preparing the Workforce for Those Jobs

The need for an expanded workforce is being driven by vast new investments in the nation’s telecommunications infrastructure, particularly the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), and these recommendations will support recruiting and retaining workers nationwide for high-quality jobs created in the telecommunications industry. IIJA includes the largest investment in broadband deployment and adoption in U.S. history, with billions of dollars available across multiple programs to help ensure that every American has access to reliable high-speed internet.

To promote coordination from state and local government systems to increase availability of good jobs in the telecommunications industry, the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published Training and Employment Notice 10-22 (TEN 10-22), Joint Communication on Guidance to States on Addressing the Workforce Needs and Safety of the Telecommunications Industry on December 6, 2022. TEN 10-22 suggests four key strategies to address the workforce needs and safety of the telecommunications industry:

• Leveraging good jobs to recruit workers and retain them for the future.
• Partnering with State Workforce Development Boards and workforce organizations to fill good jobs.
• Promoting and improving recruitment in workforce development programs.
• Ensuring the safety of the telecommunications workforce, including tower climbers.

See Related Content for links to the report to Congress, the Training and Employment Notice, and IIJA.

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2023
• Posted by: Katie Mehle
• Posted in: Global