BACKGROUND
New transportation technologies are creating connective networks that merge the physical and digital worlds of transportation. The pace at which these technologies are evolving is creating workforce challenges for the transportation industry seeking to deploy, operate, and maintain these technologies. These include but are not limited to the technologies related to the deployment of connected and autonomous vehicles, mobility-at-a-service, and new mobility devices.
Technological advancements in transportation require appropriate expertise to plan and deploy during all phases of the transportation infrastructure and service delivery process. While transportation agencies are increasingly sophisticated in the deployment of information technology (IT) and intelligent transportation systems (ITS), the pace of change and the complexity of new mobility systems require novel expertise to the industry that challenges the capability of today’s transportation workforce. While some transportation agencies are fairly advanced in their workforce capabilities, others find themselves with limited expertise and seeking to build internal competencies to respond adequately to market trends.
While considerable research has been completed on workforce challenges and development in transportation, targeted research is needed to build the workforce capacity to develop, operate, and maintain new transportation technologies.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this research is to develop a comprehensive, practical guide for transportation agency recruitment, hiring, development, and retention of a workforce proficient in developing and deploying complex transportation technology and systems. The guide should address short-term and long-term strategies for workforce development, including consideration of how and when to outsource in addition to or in place of building capacity internally.
The guide should address the full spectrum of milestones involved in human resource development at a transportation agency, such as:
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Creating position descriptions;
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Developing and implementing training programs; and
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Developing staff recruitment and retention programs that respond to technology deployment needs.
The guide should include one or more decision frameworks for integrating needed capabilities into a transportation agency’s workforce, useful for addressing current workforce challenges as well as for building capacity into the future as technology evolves.
Final deliverables should include:
1. A guide for broad use by transportation agencies that would also be useful to representatives of the academic, workforce development, and technology training industries. Contained within the guide should be tools to facilitate the use of the guide by transportation agencies and education and workforce development organizations:
• Decision frameworks that facilitate the acquisition, onboarding, training, and development of new or existing employees to meet agency workforce needs;
• Sample educational curricula for university and workforce development programs;
• Position descriptions and knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) for transportation agency positions; and
• Lists of available training programs, academic programs, and other resources that could be used by transportation agencies to fulfill their workforce needs.
2. Implementation plan that includes a detailed strategy for bringing the products of this research to the transportation industry for practical application.
3. A final report that documents the research process and data collected in completing the research.
