§174 State Human Capital Plans

Summary

Within 18 months after the law is passed, the Secretary must encourage each State to make a voluntary "human capital plan." The plan is for the State’s short- and long-term worker and staff needs to deliver transportation and public infrastructure covered by the law. If a State makes a plan, it must cover a 5-year forecast period, be updated at least once every 5 years, and be posted on the State Department of Transportation website in a user-friendly format. The plan should, as much as possible, look at workforce trends and challenges; set policies, strategies, and performance measures for hiring and training; coordinate with schools, industry, labor groups, workforce boards, and other agencies; identify current and future skills and jobs needed and how to recruit and keep workers; align workforce management with the State’s transportation goals; address leadership continuity and knowledge sharing; close key skill gaps; describe workforce needs for public-private projects to protect State goals and public value; include a way to evaluate workforce programs; and explain how it helps meet national performance management policy under section 150. The law does not force a State to put the plan into its long-range transportation plan, and it does not stop States from doing other workforce planning.