AEM and Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce Host Infrastructure Workforce Discussion in Nashville

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), in partnership with the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program, hosted an event featuring local business leaders, educators, and policymakers discussing how the bipartisan Infrastructure Investments and Job Act can help drive robust workforce opportunities in Tennessee and across the country.

The event, which took place on March 31 and was titled Building Generational Talent: Infrastructure Workforce Opportunities in Tennessee and Beyond, is the first in a series of events that AEM will host across the country to highlight policy recommendations outlined in the Rebuild With Purpose: An Affirmative Vision for 21st Century American Infrastructure that the association released in partnership with the Brookings Institution last year. 

Each panel examined the skills gap crisis and how public policy can better support the country’s infrastructure workforce needs in the coming years. The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will provide states with once-in-a-generation federal funding to help rebuild roads and bridges, locks and dams, power lines, and ports, but without a skilled workforce these investments will be set back.

“The United States is well-positioned to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure, but this cannot be accomplished without a skilled labor force. As elected officials turn their attention to implementing the infrastructure bill, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers urges them to harness the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to train the next generation of workers,” said Austin Ramirez, Chief Executive Office of Husco and Chair of AEM’s Infrastructure Vision 2050 Task Force. “The Rebuild with purpose report can serve as a road map for policymakers on how to utilize the funding in ways that expand opportunities to the full diversity of our workforce,” added Ramirez.

The first panel was moderated by Joe Kane, Senior Research Associate and Associate Fellow at the Metropolitan Policy Program and focused on the current and future demand for infrastructure workers as well as the challenges and opportunities that come with hiring, training, and retaining workers. Panelists included Diana Alarcon, Director of the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure; Tim Averkamp, Group President, Materials Solutions and Construction Machinery Solutions of Astec Industries; and Scott Spence President and CEO of Duck River Electric Membership Corporation. The second panel was moderated by Stephanie Coleman, Chief Talent Development Officer of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and explored how state and local actors can expand the reach of infrastructure careers, including pathways to recruiting and training younger workers, women, people of colors, and many other non-traditional job seekers. Panelists included Dr. Michael Torrence, President of Motlow State Community College; Deniece Thomas, Deputy Commission for the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development; and Tracee Walls, Managing Director, Equity, Inclusion and Engagement for FedEx Ground.