States Put $300+ Million in BEAD Money Toward Workforces: NTIA

More than a quarter of states and territories are allocating BEAD money toward broadband workforce development, NTIA Senior Policy Adviser Will Arbuckle blogged Wednesday. That spending -- in excess of $300 million -- includes $30 million by Louisiana toward its community technical college system for scaling up broadband workforce training programs and $50 million by Ohio toward such efforts as establishing workforce training programs at local colleges, he said. States should engage today with workforce partners such as employers, training academies and two- and four-year schools, he added. In addition, they should assess state and local broadband workforce needs by talking not just with ISPs but also with pole owners and broadband construction firms.