Category: Success Stories
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“Just Start!” – Gonzaga University and City of Spokane Partnership Highlights Benefits of University-Agency Project Engagement
The West Region Transportation Workforce Center supports increased student engagement in real world project-based learning experiences by fostering partnerships between universities and public agencies. To this end, the WRTWC sponsored the participation of representatives from regional universities and public agencies at the 2018 Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities (EPIC) national conference, held in Madison,…
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Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) Promotes Innovation and Information Sharing through the Everyday Lean Program
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) developed the Everyday Lean Innovations & Ideas Program to provide an information sharing mechanism among staff despite the decentralized nature of the DOT&PF across the largest state in the country. This initiative recognizes that when an easy fix is not at hand, front-line employees are the…
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The Western States Forum is Not Like Any Other Meeting or Conference!
Annual Forum for ITS Implementers Facilitates High-Quality Exchange of Technical Information The Western States Rural Transportation Technology Implementers Forum is an annual engineering practitioner’s conference. Started in 2006, the Forum provides a unique opportunity for field engineers, maintenance personnel, and technicians to share ideas and discuss rural ITS implementation. The Forum encourages dynamic discussion at…
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Idaho Transportation Department’s Horizontal Career Paths Produce Impressive Results
As the economy rebounded from the Great Recession, the Idaho Transportation Department was faced with a dual challenge: retain employees getting high-paying opportunities in the private sector while improving their services. The answer came by turning the organizational structure on its head and creating a new, future-focused initiative called Horizontal Career Paths. In order to…
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Oregon Department of Transportation Uses Social Media to Attract New Employees
In order to increase their ability to attract new diverse and competent employees, Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has been working on improving their brand. Traditionally ODOT used a ‘post and pray’ method for recruiting new employees, but this was yielding poor results. Over the last few years, ODOT has focused on improving their brand…
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ODOT Graduate Engineering Program Improves Recruiting and Retention of Employees
When Oregon Department of Transportation realized they were at risk of being unable to fulfill their core mission due to employee retirements, turnover, and a shortage of technical talent they commissioned two studies in order to identify areas at risk within the Highway Division. These studies discovered the following issues: Overall compensation for ODOT employees…
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Idaho Transportation Department’s Heavy Equipment Operator Program Trains the Next Generation Skilled Workforce
The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) created a pilot Heavy Equipment Operator program in order to provide free training and certification opportunities to disadvantaged populations including Veterans, Native Americans, Hispanics, Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders, and Women to address a decline in the number of skilled workers in the transportation industry. This year’s program is particularly interested in providing…
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BOLI-ODOT Highway Construction Workforce Development Program Promotes Diversity
The Highway Construction Workforce Development Program initiated jointly by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) and Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) works to increase diversity within Oregon’s highway construction trades. The program increases opportunities for women, minorities, and other disadvantaged populations to enter into highway construction careers by providing supportive services to all…
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Portland State University’s Summer Transportation Institute Introduces High School Girls to the Transportation Industry
The National Summer Transportation Institute (NSTI) program is administered through the Federal Highway Administration’s Civil Rights Division with the intent of garnering interest and developing the next generation of transportation professionals. The Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University (PSU) in partnership with Oregon Department of Transportation held their first Summer Transportation Institute…
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South Dakota Department of Transportation Launches TRAC (Transportation and Civil Engineering) Educational Outreach Program
The American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) initiated the TRACTM (Transportation and Civil Engineering) program as a mechanism to provide State Departments of Transportation across the United States with a standards-based educational outreach program designed to integrate hands-on transportation experience into middle and high school STEM classrooms. The program relies on partnerships between…