The nationwide Engineering and Public Works Roadshow recently stopped at the DC Infrastructure Academy (DCIA). The event highlighted Washington’s efforts to grow the infrastructure workforce, led by Mayor Muriel Bowser.

The roadshow is a joint project from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), the American Public Works Association (APWA), and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). It travels the country celebrating successful infrastructure investment projects to inspire the next generation of engineers and public works professionals.

DCIA was chosen for its unique emphasis on training Washington residents for in-demand infrastructure jobs. Launched in 2018 by Bowser, DCIA is a partnership between district government and utility, union, university, and private sector partners to create a pipeline to jobs in infrastructure and public works.

DCIA focuses on the construction, energy, telecommunications, roadwork, and water industries, with training that includes OSHA and CDL. Since its inception, DCIA has trained over 4,600 residents.

During the event, Bowser spoke about the expanded impact DCIA will have when it transitions to the newly renovated Spingarn School in 2025 with state-of-the-art training spaces and amenities.

ACEC Board Chair Gary Raba commended the work to make infrastructure careers accessible to residents.

“To folks who may not have considered a career in infrastructure before today, let me say this: we need you,” Raba said. “Our industry has good-paying jobs that make our neighborhoods better, and we want you to join us.”

APWA President-Elect Dominick Longobardi, Deputy Town Comptroller/Director of Purchasing for the Town of Hempstead, New York, added, “As a public works professional, you will help make D.C. more water resilient, more transportation efficient, and safer. Let the DC Infrastructure Academy be an inspiration for other cities in America, not just as a way to get people to good jobs but as a way to revitalize communities and improve on them as no one has thought of before.”

According to Marsia Geldert-Murphey, ASCE President, “This is an exciting time to be an engineer, but the progress we are making through Congress to address the nation’s infrastructure investment gap will only go as far as our skilled workers allow it to. Every project requires skilled, dedicated workers, and there is no more rewarding career than one that improves public safety, grows the economy, and reconnects communities. We are thankful for the DC Infrastructure Academy’s efforts to draw in more professionals to these critical fields.”  

Other speakers at the event included Jason Washington, Chief of Staff for the district’s Department of Employment Services; Mac Cannon, ACEC Metropolitan Washington President; Tom Smith, ASCE Executive Director; and Rodney Chester, ACEC Workforce Committee Chair.

The roadshow initiative, launched in 2022, has traveled the United States spotlighting transformative engineering and public works projects. From critical water improvements in Phoenix, Arizona, to the historic restoration of Main Street Station in Richmond, Virginia, and the construction of the Eastern Mountain Parkway in Kentucky, the roadshow has been a platform to celebrate engineering’s essential impact on communities and advocate for infrastructure investment.

In August, the roadshow will visit Clear Creek Canyon in Colorado. For more information, visit infrastructureroadshow.org.