The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) have partnered in a statewide effort—the Highway Construction Workforce Development Program—to recruit, train, and employ a diverse workforce for highway construction jobs throughout the state. This program, begun in 2010, supports a variety of initiatives designed to improve the recruitment and retention of women and people of color in Oregon’s highway construction trades. In the 2020-2021 biennium, ODOT invested a total of about $2 million in the Program. The programs evaluated in this report include the following: pre-apprenticeship programs, supportive services providing financial assistance (i.e., fuel assistance; support for overnight travel; childcare; work clothes, tools, and protective equipment; hardship funds) and supportive services providing non-financial assistance (i.e., budget class, social support). This report provides findings based on data from BOLI’s Oregon Apprenticeship System (OAS) and the 2022 Survey of Oregon Apprentices. Overall, the current evaluation demonstrates the effectiveness of the Highway Construction Workforce Development Program at improving both the recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce over the past decade as well as effectiveness of the program since the last reporting period

This project was funded through the Highway Construction Workforce Development Program by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries and the Oregon Department of Transportation.