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1. OVERVIEW OF PROJECT
The purpose of this project was to provide transportation agencies with strategies and resources
to meet their needs for attracting, recruiting, and retaining transportation system operations and
management (SOM) staff. The research described herein considers the potential supply and
demand for SOM skills and staffing; the actions transportation agencies may take to attract,
recruit, develop, and retain skilled staff with SOM capabilities; and the tools that are available or
may be developed to assist agencies in attracting and recruiting skilled staff in this area.
SOM draws on the knowledge of many disciplines--including, for example, traffic engineering,
intelligent transportation systems, maintenance, emergency response, traffic operations, traffic
safety, incident management, performance measurement, and system planning--applied in a
comprehensive approach to increase the efficiency and safety of the transportation system. SOM
encompasses interactions among transportation modes and between the transportation system
and other functions such as emergency management, public safety, and outreach.
In this report, we provide information regarding the methodology, results, recommended action
plans, and potential future research directions in relation to this project.
2. PROJECT METHODOLOGY
The purpose of this research is to provide transportation agencies with strategies and resources to
address their needs for attracting, retaining, and enhancing the skills of SOM staff. To execute
this project, we completed the following nine tasks:
1. Conducted literature review, engaged leadership, and determined SOM staffing
estimates.
2. Identified the principal pools of potential workers to meet forecasted SOM needs.
3. Described SOM careers, career paths, and attributes and training needed for
successful performance of SOM jobs.
4. Prepared Technical Memorandum 1.
5. Described and evaluated current practices in transportation agencies.
6. Identified resources available to facilitate attracting, recruiting, developing, and
retaining SOM staff.
7. Developed action plan and strategic marketing plan.
8. Presented key findings and recommendations.
9. Submitted final report.
Project results--in the form of example successful programs, state-of-the-art initiatives, and
industry best practices to attract, recruit, develop, and retain SOM staff--provide much-needed
workforce guidance to transportation SOM programs across the United States.
An overview of the method for each of the nine tasks is provided in this section. This is
followed by the full project results and the final strategic workforce recommendations and action
plans.
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