Dr. Dominique Harrison, Director, Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives
Francella Ochillo, Director, Office of Public Engagement
Connecting every resident to affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service requires a strong telecommunications workforce. Creating a talent pipeline for long-term broadband infrastructure needs depends on coordination across government, Internet service providers (ISPs), institutions of higher education (IHEs), workforce development practitioners, and public interest advocates.
On December 5, 2024, NTIA’s Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives (OMBI) and the Office of Public Engagement (OPE) hosted the NTIA OMBI Roundtable on Workforce Readiness and Talent Pathways. OMBI and OPE leadership facilitated conversation with ISPs, industry trade associations, IHEs, workforce development experts, and public interest advocates to identify best practices that meet current and future broadband deployment needs. Participants also heard presentations from Internet for All grantees, Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology and TeknoGRID, which showcased their recent experiences piloting community-based workforce development programs. 
The roundtable discussions emphasized the important balance between nationwide goals for immediate infrastructure deployment and localized needs for workforce development pipelines to offer long-term career opportunities. NTIA leadership approached this topic with optimism, highlighting how over $42 billion in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding would create new workforce opportunities nationwide. Agency leadership also noted that successfully addressing broadband workforce challenges could drive the creation of hundreds of thousands of new jobs for anchor institutions and rural communities in lasting ways.
Using the Internet for All program goals as a backdrop, the roundtable participants then discussed the barriers to making broadband workforce pipelines more adaptable. These included:
- Misalignment between marketplace demands and training program objectives;
- Challenges associated with job placement after IHE graduates and fiber optic and wireless technicians complete certification programs;
- Lack of cross-industry collaboration, like standardized job titles and descriptions, that make it difficult for job seekers to identify lateral moves, transferable skills, and professional growth opportunities;
- Outsized focus on construction jobs rather than long-term career development; and
- Variations in infrastructure building seasons, which can force broadband workers to relocate for projects and limit employment options between jobs.
Noting the current challenges, participants also discussed promising models and strategies to promote successful workforce development models. Some of the potential solutions raised by individual participants included:
- There are several states with BEAD non-deployment funds. Now is the time for states and territories to invest in talent pipelines that support current and future digital infrastructure needs.
- Community stakeholders and IHEs could partner with their SBOs to support workforce development activities throughout the BEAD lifecycle. NTIA encourages States to involve businesses or organizations owned by socially or economically disadvantaged individuals.
- Accessible training programs with education, work-based learning, and wrap-around support services help individuals gain skills and wages at the same time. Programs could include stipends, transition to apprenticeship wages, and on-the-job training-focused career pathways.
- IHEs, ISPs, and community training program providers could collaborate on shared goals, including:
- Creating and supporting telecommunication career paths that prepare people for high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand occupations.
- Developing opportunities to engage youth and young adults in telecommunications careers.
- Identifying long-term career opportunities in the telecommunications and construction fields.
- Developing stakeholder resources to solve complex problems in this space.