ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The state of Maryland is now offering incentives to those in the infrastructure industry with the goal of increasing employment in the field.
During a press conference on Friday, Gov. Larry Hogan announced the new initiative, "Jobs that Build," which aims to target the infrastructure industry and to provide additional resources.
According to Hogan, the infrastructure field is facing “unprecedented challenges” to employ enough skilled workers and said inflation and supply chain issues are to blame.
“This is not a field that offers the kind of remote work and flexibility that is becoming more commonplace after COVID,” Hogan said.
Through this new initiative, there will be up to $10,000 incentives for sign-on or retention bonuses, pay for training programs, and assistance in defraying childcare and housing cost, according to officials.
The initiative will have a $15 million investment, which Hogan said is the first of its kind in the U.S. The point of this new initiative is to "knock down real-world barriers to good paying jobs and leave no skilled worker behind,” Hogan said.
During the press conference, Secretary of Labor Tiffany Robins added that employers that are involved in the construction or maintenance of an infrastructure project or have a contract to begin one can apply for worker-focused grants at www.labor.maryland.gov/jobsthatbuild.
“Through this initiative, we will speak with a more persuasive voice to workers and especially to the youth of Maryland to ensure that they know there is an honorable and well-paying pathway to pursue when choosing jobs that build,” Robins said.
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