The Internet for All Initiative is more than a connection program – it’s a jobs program. The high-speed Internet deployment and equity projects we fund will create over 150,000 good-paying jobs. The $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program will drive historic investment in a skilled, competitive, and diverse telecommunications workforce.
We know that building out connectivity at this scale will require a transformation in our workforce. At NTIA, we’re committed to seeing these investments create opportunities for good jobs supported by equitable hiring, fair compensation, safe workplaces, and the tools and training needed for long-term success. And we are especially focused on populations who have been historically underserved by public policy initiatives.
It’s not just a matter of fairness – it’s essential to the success of our programs.
But forming this workforce won’t be easy. To help, we’ve created a Workforce Development webpage as a one-stop shop with recommendations on how to build an Internet for All workforce.
On the site, you can find our Workforce Planning Guide. This comprehensive guide offers step-by-step guidance, best practices, and case studies to help states and territories develop a plan tailored to meet their specific needs. This guide is part of our promise to provide technical assistance materials to meet our BEAD program’s workforce requirements and promote a skilled workforce.
We know that we can’t do this alone from Washington, D.C. We need a whole-of-nation approach to meet our workforce needs and maximize this tremendous opportunity.
In short, we need as many partners at the table as possible.
We are encouraging stakeholders to talk with the network providers in their communities to find out what workforce needs are anticipated and identify how local training programs can get started now to ensure that the hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs that these programs will create directly benefit their communities.
The ultimate goal is a fully connected America, powered by a skilled, diverse, and inclusive American telecommunications workforce.
Investing the time and resources now to ensure we get this right will not only allow us to deploy high-speed, affordable Internet service to everyone in America. It’ll also create good jobs that will have lasting positive economic, social, and health benefits on our communities for years to come.