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Increasing the Number of Applicants 35
Exhibit 4-2 (Continued)
Industry Strategies: Increasing the Number of Applicants
Strategy Strategy Description
directions which list locations where candidates can use computers and apply
for jobs online. Locations such as libraries and cafes provide the general public
with the necessary hardware and software to access the internet.
Utilize Social Social networking is another effective way to reach passive candidates. By
Networking creating accounts or starting groups on social networking websites,
organizations can post job offerings, video, audio, and news, as well as answer
questions and request resumes from potential applicants. Using a popular
medium to present visual content about the positive aspects of an open position
may provide an applicant with the information he/she needs to make an
informed decision about applying. Visual content and employee testimonials
may also combat any misperceptions potential applicants may have about the
work in which they would be involved or the sort of people they would be
working with. MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter are social networking sites
that have been found to be effective by organizations. The advertisements on
these sites can be directly linked to a recruiting campaign website.
4.3 Workforce Practices. Thirty-five workforce practices that were designed to "Increase the
Number of Applicants" within transportation agencies were reviewed, and we identified two workforce
practices that were the most notable within this context:
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Civil Engineering Scholarship Program
Minnesota DOT Community Advisors on Recruitment and Retention Solutions (CARRS).
For these two practices, we conducted a case study. Summaries of the two case studies are presented
below. The full case studies can be found on the TRB website at http://trb.org/Main/Blurbs/164747.aspx
as part of Volume II: Supplemental Materials. The full case study descriptions detail each practice's
background, implementation, maintenance, evaluation, and transferability.
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36 Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Civil Engineering Scholarship Program.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has a workforce of approximately 4,370 employees.
KYTC's Civil Engineering Scholarship Program was established in 1948 to address the growing need for
quality civil engineers and the difficulty KYTC was having in recruiting sufficient numbers of civil
engineers. Prior to the foundation of the Civil Engineering Scholarship Program, KYTC officials visited
the College of Engineering at the University of Kentucky to recruit civil engineers, but had limited
success.
KYTC provides scholarship money and summer
employment to undergraduate college students in The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Civil
exchange for full-time employment with KYTC Engineering Scholarship Program
after college graduation. High school graduates Job Type: Engineers
who have been awarded the scholarship are
ROI: Short- to mid-term
provided scholarship money each semester of
college that covers tuition, and scholarship Generation: Younger
recipients may work for KYTC as conditional Key Program Highlights:
employees with compensation, minus benefits, o Scholarships are given to undergraduate
during summers. After college graduation, college students
scholarship recipients get priority over job o Scholarship recipients receive money for
applicants for job placement in order to fulfill college tuition in exchange for a full
KYTC's commitment. The commitment required year of employment for each year of
is 1 year of full-time employment for every 1 year scholarship money received
of scholarship money received. Scholarship
recipients who do not complete the program or o 80 students receive scholarship money
commitment (e.g., drop out of classes or take each year
another job post graduation) must immediately
pay back 100% of the money they have received or a large interest-rate penalty is charged.
KYTC, on average, funds 15 new college freshmen each year and a few additional students in other
stages of their college careers. On average, there are about 80 students total receiving scholarship money
from KYTC at a given time. The scholarship program currently costs KYTC about $40,400 to fund each
student through their undergraduate education and requires 2 full-time employees to run the program.
Approximately 67% of all scholarship recipients stay in the program for the full length of college and
commitment to the agency. The program has significantly helped KYTC to staff quality civil engineers
across the state. In fact, the majority of management and engineering employees currently at KTYC have
been scholarship recipients themselves.
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Increasing the Number of Applicants 37
Minnesota DOT Community Advisors on Recruitment and Retention Solutions (CARRS).
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) employs 5,033 people in a variety of
employment conditions (i.e., temporary, unlimited, full-time, part-time). Mn/DOT developed Minnesota
Community Advisors on Recruitment and
Retention Solutions (MnCARRS) to build Minnesota DOT Community Advisors on
lasting relationships within the various Recruitment and Retention Solutions (CARRS)
underrepresented communities that Mn/DOT
serves. With only 20% female and barely 7% Job Type: All
minority employees, Mn/DOT was facing ROI: Short-term
challenges in recruiting and retaining a qualified Generation: All
and diverse workforce. Mn/DOT was not Key Program Highlights:
accomplishing its goals through solely attending
job fairs and realized it needed to get more o Includes partnering with 18 local,
involved in the minority communities and predominantly minority organizations
engage more community members in their o Provides greater visibility of the agency
recruitment processes. Thus, the desire to in minority communities
establish a community partnership through the o Helps the agency recruit and maintain a
implementation of MnCARRS stemmed from diverse employee base
Mn/DOT's goal to intensify its diversity-
focused recruiting efforts.
MnCARRS represents all minority communities, including women, veterans, and people with disabilities.
The partnership includes approximately 18 local, predominantly minority or women-managed
organizations. Mn/DOT made an intentional effort to work with organizations and employees who had
leverage and credibility in those minority communities. Members of MnCARRS from these
organizations sponsor community information meetings to discuss various job openings. Job postings
sent to the MnCARRS members are in turn disseminated to their individual networks of minority
individuals in the community. Mn/DOT launched the MnCARRS program with a short-term, one-year
objective to recruit and hire a qualified diverse group of candidates for 5060 open technician positions
tasked with winter snow plowing. Currently, MnCARRS has resulted in a total of 30 minority hires in
the past year.
Mn/DOT conducted information sessions in the community to educate their partners about the agency and
its needs and requirements. The agency also put together a PowerPoint presentation that covered state
jobs and methods of interviewing and applying for state jobs. The presentation offered tutoring in math
for prospective applicants. MnCARRS members have provided Mn/DOT with greater visibility in
minority communities, as well as an opportunity for these populations to learn more about the agency.
Several MnCARRS members are serving as community mentors for the temporary Transportation
Associate (TA) candidates hired at Mn/DOT. Another MnCARRS team member is now formally
assisting Mn/DOT Human Resources (HR) with integrating diversity into the competency-based
interview training for Mn/DOT supervisors. Finally, MnCARRS serves as a positive voice within a larger
diverse community about Mn/DOT and its efforts to diversify its workforce and partner with their
communities. MnCARRS has helped alleviate several workforce issues, specifically recruiting and
maintaining a diverse employee base by broadening Mn/DOT's recruiting opportunities and avenues for
reaching a larger and more diverse audience. MnCARRS has helped Mn/DOT get the news out that the
agency is interested in hiring minorities for jobs with current vacancies. MnCARRS also prompted
Mn/DOT to review the agency's hiring process and utilize trial programs to supplement the normal
qualification and interview process.
Implementing MnCARRS in the agency was accomplished with minimal costs, primarily time and
resources. Mn/DOT's HR staff did all the work and the partners that MnCARRS uses are volunteers.
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38 Strategies to Attract and Retain a Capable Transportation Workforce
Mn/DOT maintains specific reports related to the implementation, maintenance, and success of its
MnCARRS group. The agency also developed a best practices document that is being shared with
Minnesota's State HR and Finance Office. This document highlights "Do's" and "Don'ts" learned from
the MnCARRS community group about recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce.
Other Example Practices
To serve as an additional resource for agencies interested in "Increasing the Number of Applicants," we
have included a list of other practices that transportation agencies have implemented for this purpose.
Additional information on each of the following practices can be found in one- to two-page summaries
within the supplemental materials.
Arkansas EAST Initiative Partnering with Technical Schools
Adopting Flexible and Appealing Hiring Presidential Management Fellows
Procedures Project Reentry
Aggressive Outreach Efforts Recruitment from Community Colleges for
Bonuses for Recruitment and Retention Transportation and Transit Agency
Caltrans Out-of-State Recruitment Teams Personnel
Program Recruiting Former Military
Comprehensive Recruitment Plans Recruitment of Older Workers
Construction Career Days Regional Transportation District Bus Driver
Creating More Flexible Job Descriptions Shortage Program
Educate Minority Communities via State of California Boomerang Program
Community Associations Summer Transportation Internship Program
Employee Referral Program for Diverse Groups
Exit Interviews and Rebound Hiring Summer Transportation Institute
Job Advertisements Summer Transportation Institute for High
Job Hotline and Email Address School Freshmen and Sophomores
Job Search through Social Networking Sites Targeted Recruitment
MentorNet Temporary Hiring Centers
Missouri Information Technology Services The Welfare to Work Partnership
Department Army Recruiting Portals, "GoArmy.com,
Norman Y. Mineta International Institute for iRecruiter"
Surface Transportation Policy Studies
Operation Second Chance
The practice summaries include information, such as the lead organization, practice description, practice
purpose, targeted participants, return on investment (ROI) timeline, influence of the economy,
innovativeness, and resources to find out more information on the individual practices.
