Good Jobs Challenge - Driving Prosperity Program

Funder: U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge

Award Date: August 4, 2022 (announced August 7, 2022)

Geographic Scope: Southwestern Oregon (Coos, Curry, Douglas counties)

Program Overview

SOWIB received a $3.4 million American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) to develop the Driving Prosperity program—a comprehensive workforce training initiative focused on career training and job placement in the trucking industry.

Focus Areas

• Industry: Trucking and transportation
• Primary Goal: Fill jobs in the crucial trucking industry
• Scope: Develop trained workforce to address supply-chain shortages across Pacific Northwest
• Scale: Expected to train hundreds of new truck drivers

Program Objectives

• Career training and job placement in trucking industry
• Address labor shortages in critical transportation sector
• Create economic opportunity in rural and underserved communities
• Expand and diversify workforce
• Support supply-chain resilience across Pacific Northwest

Funding Context

• Part of American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge: $500 million in grants awarded to 32 worker-centered, industry-led workforce training partnerships
• Focus on worker-centered, industry-led approaches
• Support for innovative localized training programs
• Aligned with accelerating economic recovery and expanding opportunity

Background

• SOWIB is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
• Mission: Maximize regional collaboration, effective innovation, and coordinated investment of public and private resources
• Goal: Optimize equitable access to family-sustaining employment

Contact & Information

Key Quote:
"This grant will help employers fill jobs in the crucial trucking industry in Southwestern Oregon and create economic opportunity in communities and rural areas hungry for good-paying jobs." - Rep. DeFazio