Preparing Tomorrow’s Transportation Workforce Professional

This paper describes how the success and value of transportation, whether rail, air, highway, maritime or any other mode, is ultimately dependent on people. However, there are a number of factors that are currently affecting this mix that should be cause for concern. First, the industry is facing the retirement of a large number of “baby boomers” that have been the foundation of many transportation organizations. At the same time, low birth rates in the 1970-1980’s have resulted in a general shortage of new entrants in the American workforce. In addition to the smaller general workforce, a lower proportion of these young people are pursuing technical disciplines such as engineering that are critical to transportation. This gap in the transportation workforce comes at a time in which the skills needed to work in the transportation field are changing and expanding. Given this backdrop, the transportation industry needs to be looking at how it can attract and retain the workforce it needs in the future. In particular, there is a need to look further back into the “pipeline” to reach students, and provide them with the early education and personal experiences that can attract them to this field.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Forum

  P.O. Box 5074
  Fargo, ND  United States  58105
• Authors:
  • Toole, Joseph S
  • Toole, Christine L
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Forum, 48th Annual Forum: 2007
  • Location: Boston University, Boston Massachusettes, United States
  • Date: 2007-3-15 to 2007-3-17
• Publication Date: 2007

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: 17p
• Monograph Title: Transportation Research Forum, 48th Annual Forum

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Intermodal transportation; Professional employment; Professional personnel; Transportation careers; Transportation planning; Workforce
• Uncontrolled Terms: Careers
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; I10: Economics and Administration;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01079489
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 22 2007 10:14AM