The Central Corridor Light Rail Transit (CCLRT) project will provide new contracting opportunities and jobs for the region. But if construction is to fully bring these benefits to the Corridor, the contracts and hiring must include woman-owned, minority-owned, and small disadvantaged businesses as well as a skilled diverse workforce.

A Contractor and Workforce Inclusion Group grew out of two other collaborations that were advancing such opportunities. A CCLRT Disadvantaged Business Enterprise and Affirmative Action Joint Oversight Committee (Oversight Committee) focused mostly on federal and state contractor compliance. Great Minds was a group formed to discuss creative ideas that could build capacity within the region’s woman- and minority-owned businesses.

The two efforts came together at a broadly representative retreat convened by the Metropolitan Council in January 2010 that included unions, workforce and small business advocates, construction training organizations, community advocates, and representatives from state and federal monitoring agencies. The daylong session produced a shared plan for achieving the construction project’s workforce and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goals. The Oversight Committee continues to meet monthly and monitor progress against the plan.