FHWA Office of Professional
and Corporate Development

SAFETEA-LU Core Program

SAFETEA-LU Implementation Section 5204(e) Memorandum

SAFETEA-LU 204(e)

State Core Programs Q&As

SUPPORT TRAINING, EDUCATION, AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

An important provision in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), (Sec. 5204(e)) legislation provides that funds from any of five major State core programs may be used to support 100 percent of activities related to training, education and workforce development; state matching funds will not be necessary. The core programs are the Surface Transportation Program, National Highway System, Bridge Program, Interstate Maintenance, and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality.

Funds may be used, at the discretion of the States, for employee training, education and professional development, and for transportation career "pipeline" activities including "surface transportation career awareness, student internships and university or community college support." Professional development could include training programs, academic course study, support for short term work details or "rotational" assignments for the purpose of employee development, but may not include employee salaries.

Other workforce development provisions included in SAFETEA-LU are:

1. Garrett Morgan Program: funds program for outreach to elementary school and secondary school students for transportation career awareness. - $1.25 million per year, FY06-09; program established in 1997, funded for the first time in SAFTEA-LU) - Sec. 5204(d).
2. Transportation Education Development Pilot Program: establishes funding and pilot program to develop training and education curriculums for surface transportation workers. - $1.875 million per year, FY06-09; 75% federal funding; Sec. 5204(f).
3. Freight Planning and Capacity Building Program: establishes program to support enhancements in freight transportation planning to better target investments, and to strengthen the decision making capacity of State transportation departments and local transportation agencies for freight transportation planning and systems. - $875,000 per year, FY06-09; Sec. 5204(h).
4. Surface Transportation Congestion Relief Solutions Technical Assistance and Training: establishes program to disseminate the results of the surface transportation congestion solutions research initiatives to assist State transportation departments and local transportation agencies with improving approaches to surface transportation congestion measurement, analysis, and project programming. - $750,000 per year, FY06-09; Sec. 5502(c)(d).
5. Transportation Scholarship Opportunities Program: provides authority for the USDOT Operating Administrations and for "non-governmental institutions" to establish scholarship and mentoring programs. Most USDOT Operating Administrations did not have statutory authority in this area prior to SAFTEA-LU. Operating Administration participation is discretionary, funding is not provided; Sec. 5505.