UNIVERSITY ROLE IN TRANSPORTATION

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

ACTIVITIES

David B. Clarke, Ph.D., P.E.

August 4, 2015

WORKFORCE ISSUES• Demographic Changes

Retirement wave Changing worker expectations

• Career Awareness and Training Need transport focus in K-12

education

• New Technologies Changes in work performed Changes in skills needed

• Demand on Transportation Agencies Need wider range of skills in

workforce

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS• NCHRP 693 examined education

requirements for transportation agency workers A solid high-school education would

suffice for over half Less than one-third require 4+

years of college

• Providers Colleges and universities Community colleges Vocational centers Union apprenticeship programs Public sector job training programs Military

OJT55.5%

4+ years31.8%

2 years12.6%

TRADITIONAL UNIVERSITY ROLE IN EDUCATION• Provide educational programs leading to degree

Baccalaureate (B.S., B.E., B.A.) Masters (M.A., M.S., M.B.A.) Doctoral (Ph.D., E.E.D., J.D., M.D., D.B.A.)

• Programs offered vary by institution• Program content influenced by:

Academic tradition Accreditation board requirements Faculty interests and expertise Facilities available to program Competition with other universities Stakeholder input

• Changing or building a program takes time!

AGENCIES AND COLLEGE RECRUITING• Agencies historically source from college

engineering (e.g., Civil) or planning programs• Seek candidates well-grounded in core

competencies supporting agency mission Baccalaureate degree provides fundamentals Co-ops/internships can provide transportation

experience

• Viewpoint on post-graduate education Master’s degree can provide some value Limited need for PhD hires

• By 2020, 75% of the needed 4-year degrees will be in electrical engineering, computer science, and information management

THE ACADEMIC APPRENTICESHIP• Junior faculty follow a 6-year process to obtain

academic tenure• Tenure metrics, based on annual evaluation,

include Research funding (role, amount, and “quality”) Peer-reviewed paper publication in high-impact

scholarly journals Graduate student advising Satisfactory teaching evaluations

• Requisite numbers often unspecified• Tenure requires recommendations from

department committee, department head, dean, provost, and external reviewers

• One chance-denial derails academic career

MAINTAINING PROGRAM FACULTY• Research has a major effect on academic program

priorities and capabilities• Successful university faculty need

Publications (“publish or perish”) Intellectually meaningful research High-quality graduate (preferably doctoral) students

• Funded research is the lifeblood of transportation faculty support

• Tenure track faculty have limited ability to focus on undergraduate teaching or service activities

• Recognize these realities to get transportation focused academic programs

FUNDING RESEARCH AT UNIVERSITIES PROVIDESNOT ONE, BUT TWO “DELIVERABLES”

• The Research Product• The Graduates

THE CENTER MODEL

Department Center

Administrative unit College College; University

Disciplines Single Multidisciplinary

Program staff 1-4 Typically >>4

Focus area Narrow Much broader

Educational role Degree K-12 activities; Continuing education; Coordination of integrated degree program

Collaboration Intra-college, intra-university

Multi-university

Funding base Institutional support; Research; Donations

Sponsored activities, including research

Center: [sen-ter] n. a point, place, person, etc., upon which interest, emotion, etc., focuses. v. to come to a focus; converge; concentrate.

UNIVERSITY TRANSPORTATION CENTERS PROGRAM• 1987: Surface transportation legislation first

authorizes University Transportation Center (UTC) funding.

• Program administered by Office of the Asst. Secretary for Research & Technology, USDOT

• Competitive grant awards made periodically as directed by transportation legislation

• Present center categories: National, Regional, Tier 1

UTC RESOURCES

National

Regional

Tier I

Lead Member

Note: Only 2013 awardees shown

UTC ACTIVITIES

• Academics• Educators• College students• K-12 students• Other universities• Other UTCs• Public agencies• Research centers• Engineers/Consultants• Industry associations• Suppliers• Transportation providers• Freight shippers

LTAP CENTERSState DOT Univ.

Alabama Auburn University

Arkansas University of Arkansas

Florida University of Florida

Georgia Georgia Department of Transportation

Kentucky University of Kentucky

Louisiana Louisiana State University

Mississippi Mississippi Department of Transportation

North Carolina North Carolina State University

South Carolina Clemson University

Tennessee University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Texas Texas A&M University

Virginia University of Virginia

West Virginia West Virginia University

STUDENT SUPPORT• Coordinating industry internships and co-ops

• Graduate research fellowships

• Summer internship programs

• Undergraduate research projects

• Student design competitions

• Summer programs for K-12 students

• Hosting campus transportation events

• Presentations to student organizations

• Organizing summer abroad education experiences

• Assisting K-12 STEM programs in schools

EDUCATION ACTIVITIES• Developing academic course content• Conducting specialized workshops for

academic instructors• Developing and teaching instructor led

short courses and seminars• Developing and presenting webinars• Establishing transportation engineering

certificate programs• Establishing transportation post-graduate

degree programs

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER• Trade journal articles• Academic journal articles• Research reports and monographs• Conference presentations• Participation in USDOT research clusters• Educational symposia/conferences• Dissemination of educational materials• Product demonstrations• Draft specifications

HIGHLIGHTING TRANSPORTATION CAREERSHow to improve visibility before education and career choices are made?

• Host targeted events for K-12 audience • Include more social media approaches• Demonstrate benefits of latest technology.• Have past interns promote their

experience• Sponsor engineering competitions

What are the positives of industry and how are they (should be) promoted?

• Greatest positives: job security, benefits, job diversity, advancement opportunities and travel opportunities

• Highlight technologies and eco-friendliness

• Transferability of skills• Job challenges and problem solving• Satisfaction from completing projects and

affecting economy

What can the industry do to compete for talented students with Google, airlines, automotive manufacturers, international design-build firms etc.?

• Strengthen connection between classroom study and career activities ASAP

• Actively promote “industry positives”• Use sponsorship approaches of other

industries (e.g., sports)• Promote internship opportunities before hire• Approach candidates with honesty• Have competitive salaries• Responsive and timely recruitment process

RECRUITING AND INTERACTIONSHow can the industry make the most of on-campus career fairs/special events?

• Show up consistently (especially if registered)• Send technical people, especially alumni, to

compliment human resource specialists• Employ product or job demonstrations,

presentations and giveaways• Make events more personal—info sessions

and face to face discussions

What are other recruitment approaches/tools/resources/activities to consider beyond career fairs?

• Internships (a consistent response).• Site visits/tours• Use student groups/past interns to assist in

recruiting• Scholarships and student competitions• Research assistantships for 1st and 2nd

year students

What are the best channels and strategies for effective and timely communication with candidates?

• Face to face interaction• Direct communication with technical staff

(especially with alumni).• Be prompt with both job offers and negative

responses

RETAINING THE NEXT GENERATIONHow can universities help find students and direct to correct subfield in industry (DOT, consultant, contractor, etc.) that fits their goals and lifestyle?

• Increase faculty-student discussions on transportation careers

• Assist in obtaining internships and co-ops• More transportation content (assignments

and projects)• Bring alumni back to classrooms on regular

basis • Organize transportation-specific events• Take better advantage of student chapters

(ASCE, ITE)

How can the industry help with work-life balance and job satisfaction?

• Telecommuting and flexible work schedule• Increased use of automation• Respect employee lifestyle preferences• Staff to provide reasonable work load

What makes people stay/leave their job...and what can we do to keep them?

• Main reasons for staying; good managers and colleagues, promotions, fulfilling job, education opportunities

• Work-life balance a major concern• Treat employees as professionals• Tradeoff between consulting and agency

employment (agency must pay better)

CONCLUSIONS• Universities have an important role in

developing the future workforce• Universities need agency support to

develop and maintain needed academic programs

• Research support is vital!• Transportation focused university

centers are addressing workforce needs• Centers integrate resources of internal

and external partners• In teaching and recruiting, we must

recognize generational differences

Thank You!

Questions?