SYLVESTEr Turner for MAYor Road to the Future SYLVESTEr Turner for MAYor Sylvester Turner s plan to help provide economic opportunity by coupling infrastructure investment with job training, employment matching and small-business assistance Every Houstonian knows that Houston is a world-class city. To stay on top, we have to make the big investments not only in our roads and infrastructure, but also in our workforce that will ensure our future growth. Fortunately, and after many decades of neglect, we see an emerging consensus of policymakers and voters willing to invest in our roads and infrastructure. I want to go one step further and leverage these increased funds to provide economic opportunity for our working and young people who are being left behind. Making an investment in our people will uphold the highest values of our city and better position us for future economic success. To ensure that we will attract new industry and grow jobs well the future, we need a workforce that is ready to meet changing industry demands and occupy the higherskilled jobs of tomorrow. We also need an economy full of competitive, thriving small businesses. SYLVESTEr Turner for MAYor Turner s Platform: Values As mayor, I will establish a citywide program that couples infrastructure investment with job training, employment matching, and small-business assistance so that our Houston economy continues to thrive. I call it Road to the Future: giving Houstonians the opportunity to train for future careers and small businesses the chance to grow, while working on Houston s most pressing infrastructure concerns. It is a chance to convene partners from industry, labor, education, and relevant agencies to jumpstart Houston s workforce development efforts. Road to the Future will focus initially on road repair and transportation construction, and ultimately will expand to encompass other areas of technical expertise like welding, electrical work and building construction. Road to the Future will: Expand educational and career opportunities for working Houstonians by providing program participants with technical instruction, employment assistance, and a bridge to a secure career. With the help of community partners such as our local community college systems, Road to the Future participants will be matched with job openings on road repair projects, and they will also be learning the life skills PAGE ONE
Values and more advanced technical knowledge they need to secure a great future career. Grow our small businesses by providing technical training, contracting guidance, and networking opportunities to help them succeed in road and highway transportation construction. A competitive business environment, including a thriving community of minorityowned, women-owned, and small businesses, is critical to Houston s future economic health. Engage private partners by establishing incentives for companies to utilize Road to the Future participants in their projects. Used transparently and accountably, incentives are a great way to promote job creation and economic growth. I will work with the City Council to develop the best combination of bid preferences and incentives to ensure work opportunity for Road to the Future program participants and with our state legislature in the event state law changes are necessary to get the job done. Utilize newly trained Road to the Future workers to target Houston s infrastructure needs, starting with our crumbling roads. Road disrepair is our most visible infrastructure challenge, costing Houstonians millions of dollars annually in wasted fuel, auto repairs and other costs. Road to the Future initially will focus eligible workers efforts on addressing the backlog of repairs and upgrades for local surface streets. Potential partners include: Transportation Partners Agencies such as TxDOT, the Houston-Galveston Area Council, and the Federal Highway Administration, as well as Houston s own Department of Public Works and Engineering. TxDOT is already partnering with cities in this way elsewhere in the state. In North Texas, TxDOT and the regional transportation authority have dedicated $2 million to provide technical training, contracting guidance, and networking support to firms with the Our economy is strongest when our middle class is thriving and when all our communities have access to good-paying jobs. intention of expanding minority and small-business hiring on North Texas transportation projects. 1 With major TxDOT projects planned for Houston, the resources exist to implement a great program specifically for our communities. Technical Training Partners Community colleges such as Houston Community College, Lone Star College System, and San Jac College. Our local community colleges are the leaders in career and technical training for our community. Their expertise will be critical as Road to the Future seeks to create an impactful workforce development curriculum. PAGE TWO
making an investment in our people will uphold the highest values of our city and better position us for future economic success. Values Local labor union apprentice programs. Our local labor organizations are already experienced in training young workers for skilled future careers. Apprenticeships are among the most effective modes of on-the-job training and are correlated with higher wages and increased job opportunities. 2 Life-Skills and Employment Services Partners Groups like the Gulf Coast Workforce Board, Houston Area Urban League, SER, Gary Job Corps, and UpSkill Houston, an initiative of the Greater Houston Partnership. These organizations represent the small businesses that Road to the Future will assist through technical training and network-building. Funding and Capacity Partners Workforce development initiatives such as My Brother s Keeper. The City of Houston, in collaboration with key community partners, recently announced its action plan under the My Brother s Keeper (MBK) initiative, a White House initiative to improve outcomes for young men of color across the country. Road to the Future is a potential near-term, workforce-specific complement to Houston s long-term, multi-sector MBK action plan. Workforce agencies such as the U.S. Department of Labor at the federal level and the Texas Workforce Commission on the state level. These agencies have financial and informational resources available to support Houston as we expand our workforce development efforts. Expand educational and career opportunities for working Houstonians by providing program participants with technical instruction, employment assistance and a bridge to a secure career. These groups are at the forefront of skills training and employment matching in our region. Their participation will be of key importance to understanding the needs of the local business community and the capacity of our local workforce development structure. Small-Business Partners Groups like the Asian American Contractors Association of Texas, the Associated General Contractors of Texas, the Black Contractors Association, the Hispanic Contractors Association Houston, and the Women Contractors Association. We can be proud that Houston is one of the nation s top cities for job growth. 3 Unfortunately, not all of our communities are feeling the benefits of that growth. A recent report from PolicyLink and the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity shows that income inequality has sharply increased here over the past 30 years, and that worker wages have been nearly stagnant over that same time period. 4 The Pew Economic Mobility Project found Texas to be one of the worst states for upward economic mobility. 5 Even in communities where employment numbers are strong, today s jobs no longer provide the same level of financial stability that workers once counted on. 6 PAGE THREE
Growing inequality and dwindling earning power is bad news for Houston s future. We know that Houston is strongest when our middle class is large and thriving, but Values today, many Houstonians are missing out on the meaningful employment that could help them to advance; those in our lowestincome communities and members of hard-to-serve populations, such as those lacking recent work experience, 7 are especially likely to be unemployed or underemployed. With Road to the Future, we will create near-term job opportunity for Houstonians who want to work, and provide them the technical training, life skills and employment assistance that are critical for long-term success. Specifically, the program will expand opportunity for individual Houstonians by: Providing construction-related technical training, life-skills instruction and employment placement on critical transportation projects for Houstonians looking to advance, especially those in our lowest income neighborhoods or with existing barriers to employment. Convening stakeholders and strategic partners from government, industry, labor, education and our neighborhoods to create a scalable training curriculum and an employmentmatching infrastructure that can expand as the program expands. Road to the Future s stakeholder engagement will include encouraging participating companies to establish apprenticeship programs, which are proven effective in expanding individual opportunity and promoting a qualified workforce. Houston has already taken some important steps in this direction. Both the City of Houston and private entities are recognizing the importance of an inclusive approach to workforce training that combines technical education with real-world opportunities. For example: A partnership was announced in January of this year between the City of Houston, the Houston Airport road to the Future is a chance to convene partners from industry, labor, community colleges, and key agencies to jumpstart Houston s workforce development efforts. System, and our local community colleges to provide skills training and employment opportunities for our airport construction projects, including the building of a new terminal at IAH. At the Industrial Welding Academy, a private, community-based non-profit organization combining workforce education and life-skills training, at-risk students learn welding, gain career skills and graduate with technical certifications. These programs are great examples of what Houstonians can do when we team up for the benefit of our city. By bringing additional partners to the table, we can expand on these types of programs to make an even bigger impact for Houston. PAGE FOUR
Values Grow our small businesses by providing technical training, contracting guidance and networking opportunities to help them win transportation construction contracts. Houston s economy is strongest when we maximize the opportunity for our businesses to compete. But in Houston and across Texas, small businesses and Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs) those owned by women or minorities are too often left out of the loop for the kinds of contracts that could help them grow. For example, so far during FY 2015, only 2.89 percent of all statewide contracts were awarded to minority HUBs. 8 That s not only a loss for the businesses themselves, but for the communities in which they operate and for Houston as a whole. Small-business success is a cycle that builds on itself. With some guidance and training, many of our small businesses and HUBs would gain the resources, experience, and technical skills that would allow them to compete effectively for the contracts that would make a difference to their overall success. As mayor, I will partner with TxDOT and our regional transportation authority to expand opportunity for small businesses in transportation contracting. Specifically, Road to the Future will expand road and highway construction opportunity for local small-business contractors by: Creating a partnership including TxDOT, the City of Houston, and regional transportation authorities to address the shortage of minority-owned, women-owned, historically underutilized, and small businesses in road and highway contracting. Existing TxDOT work in the sphere of contractor inclusion suggests several areas of concentration, 9 including: Providing technical training and compliance training to participating contractors to expand their knowledge of road and highway construction, thereby expanding the pool of qualified firms in the highway construction sphere. Expanding the networks of participating contractors by providing them access to industry decision-makers and primary contractors. Providing assistance and support to participating firms as they take part in TxDOT and other procurement processes. Providing employment matching between participating contractors and Road to the Future individual program participants. Engage private partners by establishing incentives for companies to utilize Road to the Future participants in their projects. One of the key lessons I have learned during my years of legislative service is just how well transparent, accountable business incentive funding can work to grow jobs in a community. I have consistently advocated for well-crafted incentive programs at the state level and, as mayor, I will bring the same willingness to spur growth through creative incentives to the city level. PAGE FIVE
Values I will ensure that Road to the Future is meeting Houston s specific needs by: Establishing specific performance metrics and monitoring contractor compliance and program success to determine whether the program is meeting both the city s infrastructure needs and the participants training and career goals. Working with the City Council to establish a contract award preference for bidders who pledge to utilize Road to the Future participants. Houston has a successful track record of utilizing contract preferences to ensure that city contracts are providing value to the entire community. For example, the Hire Houston First initiative specifically prioritizes the economic benefit of the citizens of Houston. Creating an incentive program for private companies to offer opportunities to Road to the Future participants. As Road to the Future grows, it may provide a useful model for engaging low- or mid-skill workers with jobs while they train for advancement, regardless of industry. Informed by a review of the program s performance metrics, I will work with the City Council to determine how best to encourage companies from other industries to offer opportunities to Road to the Future participants. Utilize newly trained Road to the Future workers to target Houston s infrastructure needs, starting with our crumbling roads. A reliable and well-maintained transportation network is critical to Houston s continued growth. That s why Road to the Future will focus its initial training and employment-matching on the road projects Houston badly needs. Without adequate transportation, Houston businesses are at a competitive disadvantage costing jobs and economic opportunity and Houstonians will continue to face the daily grind of traffic snarls, damage to their cars and unsafe roads. Road to the Future was designed with our road repair and upgrade needs in mind. Specifically, Road to the Future will improve our roads by: Focusing its training and collaborative efforts on highway and road repair and upgrades, which are among our most pressing infrastructure repair needs. With the help of local road investment and strategic partners such as TxDOT, 10 Road to the Future will have access to transportation-related expertise and resources that will give the program a great start on road and highway projects. In my twenty-six years as a state legislator, I have helped bring hundreds of millions of dollars to Houston to reduce traffic and improve our roads. Unfortunately, the current poor condition of Houston s streets has now reached a crisis level. Our dilapidated roads and bridges are estimated to cost each Houston driver nearly $1,900 per year in automotive repairs, wasted fuel, and accident costs. 11 Helping to address the imbalance between longterm road projects and immediate road repair needs. Houston s traditional focus on long-term projects still leaves too many immediate needs unmet, and some near-term road repairs are reported as declining over 50% between 2008 and 2014, despite the substantial increase in road usage over the same time period. 12 For example, curbside-to-curbside road paving dropped from 280 miles paved in 2008 to 140 in 2014. 13 Concrete panel deployments declined from 400,000 in 2009 to 250,000 in 2014. 14 And pothole patches declined from 19,000 in 2010 to 16,000 in 2014. 15 Houston deserves better: we need to strike a better balance between making emergency road repairs now and continuing the long-term upgrade work that will be important in the future. During the recent drought, Houston implemented a quick-action model to repair water leaks; similarly, Harris County operates a 24-hour pothole repair unit. This 24-hour repair model is my ultimate goal for Houston s road repair operations. By training individual workers in road repair and highway construction, and by expanding the pool of qualified contractors, Road to the Future will allow Houston to speed its road repair response and improve the city s efforts to make all 16,000 lane-miles of Houston road safe and drivable. PAGE six
Endnotes Values 1 See Texas Department of Transportation 2015-2019 Strategic Plan at 27-28, found at http:// ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/sla/strategicplan-2015-2019.pdf. 2 Registered Apprenticeship as a Strategy to Meet Employer Demand for Skilled Workers. Texas Workforce Investment Council, December 2013, page 1. 3 See http://www.forbes.com/sites/kathryndill/2014/11/04/ the-top-10-cities-and-states-for-job-growth/. 4 An Equity Profile of the Houston Galveston Region, PolicyLink and Program for Environmental and Regional Equity at the University of Southern California, October 2014. (Link: http://dornsife.usc.edu/pere/houston-regional-equityprofile/) 5 See http://www.houstontomorrow.org/livability/story/texasamong-worst-in-absolute-economic-mobility/. 6 See, for example, Do more jobs mean more economic security? Not for some in US, found at http://www.houstonchronicle. com/news/article/for-many-in-us-more-jobs-don-t-meanmore-6311061.php, June 6, 2015. 7 See Danziger and Seefeldt, Barriers to employment and the hard to serve : Implications for services, sanctions and time limits, (2002), found at http://fordschool.umich.edu/ research/pdf/foc221-part3-danziger.pdf. 8 Fiscal Year 2015 Semi-Annual HUB Report, found at http:// comptroller.texas.gov/procurement/prog/hub/hub-reporting/ hub-report-fy15/. 9 See, for example, Keep It Moving Dallas Cooperative Inclusion Plan, Texas Department of Transportation, at http://www. keepitmovingdallas.com/bus-div/cooperative-inclusion-plan-cip. 10 TxDOT is no stranger to workforce development programs. In North Texas, TxDOT is currently managing a Cooperative Inclusion Program with the specific purpose of including more minority-owned, women-owned, historically underutilized, and small businesses in TxDOT contracting in Dallas and Fort Worth. The program provides technical training and other assistance for participant contractors. This type of creative, collaborative approach to workforce development can work just as well in Houston. 11 Texas Transportation by the Numbers: Meeting the State s Need for Safe and Efficient Mobility, at http://www.tripnet. org/docs/tx_transportation_by_the_numbers_trip_ Report_July_2014.pdf ( July 2014). 12 See Even since Houston rain tax, road repaving down, at http://abclocal.go.com/story?section=news/in_ focus&id=9522429. 13 Id. 14 Id. 15 Id. Pol. adv. Sylvester Turner Campaign. David Mincberg, Treasurer.Prepared in-house for electronic distribution. PAGE seven