November/December 2002
Filling the Pipeline
by Clark Martin and Vicki Glenn
One of the most critical challenges to the future of the Nation's
transportation industry is finding and retaining a workforce with
the
necessary skill sets to keep America moving. The demographic reality
is that a decreasing pool of skilled workers is available to an industry
in transition. Competition for the limited number of skilled employees
is increasing not only between public and private transportation sectors,
but also with other technical professions.
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This transportation worker is
helping install a helicoidal dropshaft, an innovative technology
used to remove air from rainwater draining from sheets in downtown
Phoenix, AZ, reducing the need for constructing football-sized
deaeration chambers. Photo courtesy of Arizona Department of Transportation.
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The new transportation reality is that the industry requires technical
and managerial skills and abilities beyond its traditional engineering
professional orientation. In addition to the anticipated loss of the
industry's technical expertise over the next 5 years through retirements,
data indicate that 40 to 50 percent of the transportation workforce
will be eligible to retire in the next 5 to 15 years. The need is
urgent to address workforce issues in a coordinated, comprehensive
manner.
In recognition of this urgency, a group of 75 transportation leaders
met in May 2002 at a National Workforce Summit to consider how the
transportation community can address the increasingly complex workforce
issue. Summit participants included representatives from more than
40 Federal and State transportation agencies, academic institutions,
industry, labor unions, professional associations, and consulting
firms.
The meeting's agenda, designed for sharing ideas and insights, concluded
with all present transportation leaders signing "A
Partnership for Educating, Training, and Developing the Nation's Transportation
Workforce." The agreement recognizes the critical importance of
transportation to the Nation, calls on the signatories to address
workforce development effectively within their own organizations,
support partnerships to improve transportation workforce development,
and promote greater understanding of the contribution that an efficient,
well-trained workforce makes to national security, U.S. economic growth,
and the quality of life for all Americans.
Framing the Challenge
The conference's moderator, Tom Warne, of Tom Warne and Associates,
LLC, characterized the workforce issue as a critical challenge to
all sectors of the transportation community.
Expanding on Warne's point, USDOT Deputy Secretary Michael P. Jackson
framed the challenge to the summit's participants. "Times have changed,"
he said, "and the industry as a whole faces serious challenges of
an aging workforce and the potential of more than 50 percent of the
transportation knowledge, expertise, and institutional memory [being]
eligible to retire in 5 to 15 years. The only response to this challenge
is through cooperation and creative partnerships with educational
and academic institutions, professional organizations, and State,
local, and international transportation agencies."
Deputy Secretary Jackson added that he was proud to be the first
to sign the partnership agreement.
His remarks struck a chord as the transportation community leaders
focused on several key themes, including the need to "fill the pipeline"
to confirm a sufficient number of transportation workers, ensure those
workers use the latest technologies and practices, and find ways to
institutionalize workforce development by building partnerships and
fostering coordinated industry-wide collaboration.
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Presenters at the National Workforce
Summit included (from left): FHWA Administrator Mary E. Peters,
FTA Administrator Jennifer L. Dorn, and Administrator Ellen G.
Engleman of the Research and Special Programs Administration.
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Administrator Peters (center)
comments to industry leaders during a conversation circle at the
summit. With Peters are Tom Warne, the summit's moderator (left),
and FTA Administrator Dorn (right). |
The Need for Change
The summit's participants agreed that the transportation profession
must overcome two obstacles: (1) potential employees do not perceive
transportation as an attractive, rewarding career option; and (2)
transportation offers inadequate opportunities for career development,
which makes it difficult to retain qualified employees at all levels.
Comments by participants generally reflected an awareness that workforce
development needs to reach beyond current efforts and be more strategically
oriented. Parker Williams, administrator for the Maryland State Highway
Administration, observed that the issues with which most transportation
leaders deal are "problems." Agencies usually address problems through
their strategic plans.
If development of the transportation workforce is a challenge, then
"transportation agencies need to incorporate it into their strategic
plans," he said, "including goals, objectives, and performance measures."
Dr. Jane Nichols, chancellor of the University and Community College
System of Nevada, noted that the transportation industry cannot solve
its problems without public education—K-12 through postgraduate.
Universities are influenced by public mandates, she conveyed, and
the industry should play an instrumental role. Nichols recommended
viewing the pipeline as "a seamless opportunity to attract students
through high school internships and with apprenticeships that help
universities and technical schools shape certificate, bachelor's,
and professional degree programs that meet industry needs." She reinforced
the need for transportation professionals to think beyond the professional
engineer, noting that it is one piece of many employment possibilities
that include geologists, information technology (IT) professionals,
and social scientists.
Although the representatives from the public agencies, private sector,
organized labor, and academia expressed a desire to develop a workforce
strategy, they also called for USDOT to exercise its leadership, particularly
as a convener and advocate. Deputy Secretary Jackson advanced the
need for the group to develop mechanisms to celebrate successful programs
and find ways to help larger agencies adapt and refine the programs
to different audiences. He noted that it is especially important to
speak to a "wider audience as the industry approaches reauthorization."
Passing the Torch
The summit's participants noted that a sustained commitment on the
part of the transportation community will be needed to ensure that
the youth of today are attracted to the transportation jobs of the
future.
James C. Codell III, vice president of the American Association of
State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and secretary
of the
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), illustrated the difficulty
faced by State transportation agencies attempting to recruit needed
engineers. The KYTC has sponsored an Engineering Scholarship Program
since 1948. Secretary Codell acknowledged, however, that the KYTC
needs to revise its approach because not enough high school students
are interested in the program. "They don't see transportation as a
career," he said.
Noting that the private sector shares the challenges of finding and
retaining qualified technical talent, Gary Griggs, president of Infrastructure,
Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade and Douglas Inc., observed that the number
of B.A. degrees has increased while the number of engineering graduates
has decreased by 20 percent over the last decade. He added that today's
engineering graduates "often don't consider transportation as a career
option that benefits society." Griggs also pointed to the importance
of retaining employees so that "firms and agencies don't lose their
professional expertise." He called for a renewed emphasis on training
and development through mentoring programs designed to give employees
career alternatives and opportunities to update skills and abilities.
A Partnership for Educating, Training, and Developing the
Nation's Transportation Workforce
May 13, 2002
Washington, DC
An effective, efficient, and safe transportation system is
critical to the Nation's security, economic well-being, and
quality of life of all Americans. The continued strength of
our transportation system depends on having a committed workforce
of men and women in public agencies and the private sector who
have the skills and knowledge to keep America Moving.
Today, recruiting, developing, and retaining a skilled transportation
workforce poses significant challenges to all of us in the transportation
and education communities. This is particularly true now since
a large number of skilled workers are retiring at a time when
advancing technologies and more complex institutional relationships
require new skills for all employees, especially those working
across different modes, disciplines, and stakeholder groups.
The transportation and education communities recognize the
challenges to developing the Nation's transportation workforce,
but also see the benefits that will result from leading a coordinated
and concerted effort to address them. To that end, we, the undersigned,
on this 13th day of May 2002, agree to work together
in partnership to:
- Provide, within our own agencies and organizations, a focus
on implementing programs and policies that will assure the
development, support, and management of an efficient and effective
workforce;
- Support partnership efforts in the transportation and education
communities that will help build young people's interest in
transportation careers, and will support continuing education,
training, and professional development opportunities for today's
and tomorrow's workers; and
- Promote a greater understanding that an efficient, well-trained
workforce is critical to developing, operating, and managing
the Nation's transportation system, and vital to National
security, U.S. economic growth, and the quality of life of
all Americans.
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USDOT officials display
the signed Partnership for Educating, Training, and Developing
the Nation's Transportation Workforce (from left): Administrator
Joseph M. Clapp of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration,
FTA Administrator Dorn, USDOT Deputy Secretary Michael P.
Jackson, and Administrator Engleman. FHWA Administrator
Peters (not pictured) also signed the agreement, as did
more than 40 other industry leaders to demonstrate their
commitment to workforce development. |
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The Now Generation
A number of participants focused on the need for investing in skills
development for in-service workers. Bruce Wyngaard, operations director
for the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, shared his concern
about the "brain drain" in State transportation agencies. "This strains
the system and affects agency accountability," he said. Citing the
conflict in TEA-21, he noted that "under allocation guidelines, new
construction money essentially competes with employee training and
development funds."
Laura Ray, assistant general manager for the Metropolitan Atlanta
Rapid Transit Authority, cautioned participants that "career development
innovations must value the profession at all levels. Any development
opportunities should include the 'work' side, in addition to
the professional side of the transportation workforce."
Making It Happen
The summit's participants also recognized the wide range of organizations,
agencies, and interests that make up the transportation industry and
the need to develop partnership opportunities throughout the community
as a way to institutionalize transportation workforce development.
An institutional framework for coordinating workforce efforts is needed
to bring the transportation community together to address the issue
more effectively.
Joe Toole, FHWA associate administrator for professional development,
noted that although a number of transportation organizations have
outstanding outreach and workforce development programs, the efforts
taken as a whole have not provided effectively for the industry's
workforce needs. A concerted, coordinated institutional shift in how
the industry develops its workforce will ensure a pipeline of workers
into transportation and that in-service workers are trained in the
latest technological advancements.
An industry-wide partnership also can help provide opportunities
for minority students. Julie Cunningham, executive director of the
Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, pointed to the partnership
between the Texas Department of Transportation and targeted high schools
to help students explore careers in transportation.
By the Numbers
Cinde Weatherby Gilliland, senior project manager of transit and
transportation planning for URS Corporation, reviewed research about
challenges facing the transportation workforce. She noted that the
Government Accounting Office (GAO) views the projected human capital
shortfall as providing serious programmatic problems and risks for
the industry. Transportation Research Board (TRB) studies reinforce
GAO data, citing institutional constraints, human resources, and an
aging population as critical issues. Gilliland concluded by pointing
to the need for credible data about transportation occupations. She
noted the lack of real numbers of transportation workers compared
to need (demand), and the number of projected workers (supply).
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Preservation of historic transportation
structure is another job for transportation workers. Here, they
are rehabilitating Arizona's Cedar Canyon Bridge, which is listed
on the National Register of Historic Places as a significant example
of a two-hinge, girder-ribbed, arch bridge. |
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USDOT Deputy Secretary Jackson
addresses participants during one of the summit's conversation
circles. |
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Administrator Engleman (center)
shares an observation with Maryland State Highway Administrator
Parker Williams (to her right). To her left are FHWA Associate
Administrator Joe Toole; Tome Warne; and Administrator Peters.
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An ad hoc Workforce Framework Group chaired by Cheri Marti identified
important societal and cultural factors affecting the decision making
process about career choices. Marti, assistant director of the Minnesota
Local Technical Assistance Program's (LTAP) Center for Transportation
Studies, reported that the members of the group developed a life-cycle
continuum graphic that identifies opportunities for intervention to
create awareness, influence choice, and "brand" transportation as
an attractive career goal. The continuum reinforces the necessity
to create learning paths for fundamental skills that satisfy workforce
needs.
Multimodal and Multidisciplinary
To demonstrate the multimodal and multidisciplinary nature of the
National Workforce Summit, presenters included three USDOT administrators:
Ellen G. Engleman (Research and Special Programs Administration),
Jennifer L. Dorn (Federal Transit Administration), and Mary E. Peters
(FHWA). Administrator Engleman discussed RSPA's support for education
and mentoring programs. She addressed the agency's dual challenge
of promoting employees' professional development and looking outside
the agency for potential employees.
Speaking next, Administrator Dorn remarked that the "OneDOT" philosophy
should extend to a "One Industry" initiative that will thrive through
collaboration and cooperation. She also discussed the role of the
Federal government as a partner in workforce development, not the
leader, underscoring the need for collective effort to meet the challenge.
Administrator Peters supported the need to help young people understand
that they can have a role in making change in their communities. Education
is key, she said, but educating the transportation workforce requires
a variety of skills and disciplines in the new transportation environment.
Future Industry Trends
TRB Executive Director Robert E. Skinner, Jr., outlined his views
on seven future industry trends and their implication for the transportation
workforce.
- Demographics. A growing population moving to urban centers
can leave rural areas unable to meet local service levels.
- Congestion. With few new lane miles, agencies are managing
a crowded system, which could benefit transit agencies.
- Changing public values. Security and safety concerns, much
like the rise of environmental awareness, require new workforce
skill sets.
- Outsourcing and privatization. The drive for efficiency
can cause staff shortages and reduce flexibility, limiting responses
to conditions.
- Private sector consolidation. All industries are affected,
and consolidation can have implications for suppliers and consultants.
- Technology. IT and biotech will define the 21st century,
requiring agencies to be more flexible so that they can reduce the
time needed to adopt technical innovations.
- Finance. Reduced budgets affect the ability to offer competitive
compensation packages or incentives to attract needed talent.
Skinner's remarks reinforced the transportation industry's need for
new skills and disciplines to meet the challenge of maintaining an
aging infrastructure in a time of increased travel. Transportation
agencies must be more flexible so they can respond to technical innovations
and management initiatives that enable them to operate more efficiently.
Anticipated financial constraints can affect employee training and
development, which make them more competitive and productive throughout
their careers. Transportation agencies must be creative in a time
of limited funding and reluctance by legislators to raise taxes or
impose user fees.
To Be Specific
During the summit's breakout sessions, participants focused on three
critical components of the issue: developing the workforce pipeline,
improving training and professional development, and institutionalizing
workforce development.
Developing the workforce pipeline. Working with the life-cycle
continuum graphic, this breakout group identified the problem as being
one of both supply and demand, highlighting the need to involve industry,
locally led partnerships, and academic institutions at all levels.
The group emphasized the value of lifelong learning that welcomes
a diverse workforce to an array of academic disciplines and technical
skill levels. Industry partners need to coordinate closely with educational
institutions—K-12, technical schools, community colleges, and
universities—to raise the awareness of the transportation industry
as a rewarding career field.
Cooperative programs must be complemented with an aggressive marketing
and outreach campaign to create excitement about transportation careers
beyond the traditional engineering focus. The challenges in the group's
recommendations involve identifying current partners and leaders to
champion the effort.
Improving training and professional development. This group
agreed that professional development encompasses more than traditional
training and should include mentorships and other opportunities available
throughout the industry. Several participants pointed to the necessity
of modernizing organizational structures so that they can respond
more quickly and accurately to employee training needs. The group
also focused on the need to cultivate a public-private partnership
to foster cooperative programs, develop a consistent definition of
transportation training objectives and outcomes, and promote the need
for broad training that incorporates both professional and technical
skills. And participants saw a need to develop a clearinghouse for
currently available training information. The clearinghouse would
provide a mechanism for agencies to share best practices and learn
from programs that failed to meet their intended goals.
Institutionalizing workforce development. A coordinated approach
to recruiting, retaining, and developing a transportation workforce
is needed throughout the professional life cycle. Group members agreed
that the industry is larger than a single mode and requires a broad
range of technical and professional skills. The participants regard
partnerships with educational institutions, professional associations,
and the U.S. Department of Education as vital to the success of any
workforce development initiative.
Participants discussed the need for accurate essential data about
the transportation workforce. The group linked workforce development
with economic development issues, which can be translated into political
support. In the short term, this data will be key to reauthorization.
In the long term, having a better understanding about the status of
the current workforce will help managers project future staffing needs.
In addition to data, group members recognized the need for a more
systematic way to identify best practices across modes.
Stepping Up to the Need
The challenge is to adapt innovations and create new initiatives
to address workforce problems. This step will require champions from
the transportation community who can advocate for resources to support
the effort. Advancing initiatives to the institutional level will
require start-up resources and the commitment of key decisionmakers
if they are to be linked to agency capital programs.
As a follow-up, a National Workforce Development Steering Committee
composed of transportation and academic community leaders is being
formed to address the issues identified at the summit and develop
initiatives to help ensure that the transportation industry has the
skilled workforce it needs to deliver the Nation's transportation
program.
At the summit's conclusion, moderator Tom Warne commented that the
meeting is the beginning of a process that will have a far-reaching
impact on the future of transportation workforce development. "Together,"
he said, "we've just taken the first of many thousands of steps."
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Skilled employees with the California
Department of Transportation and the County of Santa Cruz's Parks
Department work on an art project beneath a road underpass in
Santa Cruz, CA. |
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A silt net prevents silt-loaded
water from contaminating a lake during a highway construction
project on Route 3 in Franklin County, NY. Courtesy of New York
State DOT. |
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Pavement engineers routinely need
to balance a variety of factors when selecting alternatives for
improving roadway. Engineers rehabilitating this stretch of Montana
200 selected cold pavement recycling because it offered the lowest
lifecycle cost, conserved pavement and petroleum, minimized disruption
to traffic, and did not contribute to air pollution. |
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Commuters across the country rely
on the transportation professionals who staff call centers and
highway support facilities like this one in the Washington, DC,
area to help them get to and from work safely and efficiently.
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