Attracting, Recruiting, and Retaining Skilled Staff for Transportation System Operations and Management (2012) / Chapter Skim
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59 A summary of the eight action plans is presented in Exhibit 29. This table can serve as a quick reference to all of the recommended action plans as well as a way to compare the action plans on multiple relevant criteria.
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Implement Virtual Pre- Employment Realistic Job Preview Agency Attraction Recruitment Retention State 0-2 years 3-6 months Agency HR Director/Manager 5. Institute Mentoring Program Agency Attraction Recruitment Retention Development State 0-2 years 7 months - 1 year HR Manager (Designated Mentoring Program Coordinator)
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61 Action Plan for Recommendation #1 Implement Annual or Semi-Annual SOM Career Days Hyperlink to Exhibit 28: Overview of Strategic SOM Workforce Recommendations by Career Stage
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In order to expose high school students to the SOM-related fields in the transportation industry, agencies could reach out to vocational technical schools and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) schools about developing an SOM Career Day.
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63 forming ideas about their career directions. As a result, these two targeted programs can be effective ways for DOT staff to introduce students to transportation careers at a young age, from the time they are just beginning to think about what they want to be when they grow up (Kindergarten)
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Develop marketing materials that provide an overview of the agency, including its mission and goals, with a specific focus on SOM. One month prior to the event, HR personnel send these materials to the after school program director or school administrator who then distributes to teachers.
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Blogs/Websites Conferences Informal class presentations or "career days" may be initiated or conducted without these. Develop marketing materials to promote the SOM-related career fair to the primary target audiences through the identified information channels for the career days or fairs.
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Develop a list of other agencies in the region that have participated in school career days. Gather materials (data, pictures, videos)
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EXAMPLES OF EFFECTIVE PROGRAMS DOT Construction Career Days. Construction career day events are workforce development tools that introduce high school students to the transportation construction industry and support the pipeline that will provide the professionals of tomorrow.
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, the University of Rhode Island Transportation Center (URITC) was named the National Construction Career Days Center by the FHWA.
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No equipment needs to be brought to a school either. A field trip to the DOT could also include an opportunity for students to get hands-on experience with the machinery and equipment that is more difficult to offer at a school's career day.
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70 CAUTIONARY CONSIDERATIONS There is a necessary time and labor commitment from HR and employees who will need to organize the program, develop and prepare materials, and spend a day away from their regular job. The return on investment from these types of programs may not be seen for some time, especially when targeted to younger students, and it can be harder to rationalize the time, from the recruitment and retention perspective.
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71 Action Plan for Recommendation #2 Develop SOM Curriculum Content for Related Higher Education Courses and Training Programs Hyperlink to Exhibit 28: Overview of Strategic SOM Workforce Recommendations by Career Stage
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These Recommendation Highlights Target Career Stage: Community colleges and four-year colleges Will help with Attraction and Recruitment Estimated Time to Implement: More than 1 year Critical for creating awareness for SOM occupations and to ensure students have the opportunity to learn and develop skills needed for these jobs Developing SOM course content in schools could help to increase numbers of applications, reduce attrition of new hires, and reduce turnover and training expenses
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73 participants have observed a trend in students already focused on the specific field they want to enter when they join the transportation workforce, without knowing about or ever having heard of SOM. These participants suggested that students from these programs, although relatively qualified as entry-level staff, often do not even consider SOM as a possible field because it is not included in the curriculum.
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Targeted Audience(s) Primary: Education agencies, trainers, college deans, and curriculum developers, as well as state workforce agencies who are charged with updating technical curriculum to meet workforce demands.
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Performance objectives are statements describing what the learner is able to do after each task has been taught. They include the conditions, expected behavior, and the minimum level of achievement.
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For example, develop a succinct PowerPoint presentation highlighting key data that supports the recommendations. Reach out to and partner with workforce investment boards and education agencies that influence the curriculum of colleges and explain that incorporating more SOM-related content into their curriculum can increase enrollments.
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Compile data on which positions are the most difficult to fill and could benefit the most from a college SOM program. Find organizations who work with colleges and/or education professionals who can act as partners/advisors on the project.
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As a result, CCCC has become a leading voice in the environmental movement among institutes of higher education both regionally and nationally. Contact Information: Valerie Massard, Environmental Technology Program Coordinator, 508-362-2131 ext.
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An in-house training program would also require a significant time and monetary investment in each new hire, but SOM may experience other benefits from having the needed knowledge systematized in this fashion. Alternative Approach 2 Develop a short, optional SOM training event that could be added into an existing college transportation program.
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Knowledgeable professionals from the DOT, regional agency, or local governments may need to supply much of this. It is essential that champions work with agency and/or state leadership to secure this funding and time commitment in advance.
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81 Action Plan for Recommendation #3 Implement Student-Worker Internship Program with a Job Rotational Component Hyperlink to Exhibit 28: Overview of Strategic SOM Workforce Recommendations by Career Stage
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Given that SOM is a new field to many people and Recommendation Highlights Target Career Stage: Community colleges, four-year colleges, graduate programs, and Transportation Research Centers (TRC) Will help with Attraction, Recruitment, Retention, and Development Estimated Time to Implement: 7 months to 1 year Mutually beneficial approach to introduce college students to SOM occupations and variety of different duties and tasks Will increase number of college educated applicants to SOM jobs with actual work experience Will reduce turnover because new hires will have job experience prior to being hired full-time
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83 that colleges and universities do not address many of the important aspects at this time, a rotational job program for students would expose and train them at a pivotal point in their academic studies, and perhaps attract them to the interesting and important work in SOM-related professions within the DOT.
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Primary: University career centers and faculty who provide career advisement in degree programs related to SOM fields. Secondary: Students.
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d. Full Scholarship Structure -- Agency does not pay the student while they work, but after completion of the program and a strong performance evaluation the student can apply for a scholarship to help pay for the upcoming college year.
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Newspaper/magazine advertisements. Career day participation of current student workers.
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Collect feedback from students on which positions and job functions they found most beneficial to their career and which experiences they enjoyed most in general. Develop contacts at local universities particularly at career centers.
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staff and about $500,000 annually to implementing Seeds, which accommodated 70 students this past year and trains about 50 students in an average year. The program manager handles the mentoring program and helps with performance reviews for the students.
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College Internship Program is one of the largest in Oregon. ODOT's internship program was initially designed to introduce interested engineering students to the agency and enable them to get hands-on experience on actual projects, which in turn helps interns determine what aspects of engineering they like most and want to pursue.
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PennDOT's Workforce Division also partnered with the Civil Service Commission to streamline the CET application process, which can otherwise be cumbersome, and to ensure the validity of the CET entrance exam. PennDOT communicates the practice to employees and to college students, the target audience of the CET program, through learning institutions; the PennDOT website; and internally through PennDOT's intranet site, job fairs, and the Civil Service Office in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
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The DOT also gains less familiarity with the students and potential hires than the more comprehensive programs outlined above. IMPACT Positive Outcomes of the Practice Increased numbers of college-educated, qualified applicants with actual job experience.
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There is a risk that student workers will view the program as an opportunity to earn income and experience while in school, but then look to work in another sector or industry after the DOT provides their training. If this occurs, agencies would still have benefited from employing the educated workers at lower wages than a full-time employee while they were in the program.
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93 Action Plan for Recommendation #4 Implement Virtual Pre-Employment Realistic Job Preview Hyperlink to Exhibit 28: Overview of Strategic SOM Workforce Recommendations by Career Stage
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The RJP is like a virtual day in the life of an SOM employee. Using an RJP, such as a video or a virtual job tryout, can show potential employees work conditions or exciting situations or activities experienced on the job, which may encourage applicants to pursue a career within the agency.
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Primary: University Career Centers and Department Faculty providing career advice/mentoring to students at community colleges and four-year colleges, as well as to graduate students.
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Vendor conducts performance modeling and job analysis with participation from SMEs. The vendor would typically review job descriptions; conduct site visits, focus groups and SME interviews; and administer a job analysis questionnaire.
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U.S. Department of Transportation Research and Innovative Technology Administration, September 2008.
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USEFUL INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL RESOURCES To Implement Practice Establish support from leaders at the industry level. Develop job descriptions -- to identify job tasks and knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the job.
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The VJT has helped Starbucks to optimize talent selection and reduce turnover. Shaker Consulting's Virtual Job Tryout for CVS Caremark Pharmacy Supervisor.
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The online tutorial is very attractive with its bright, interesting, and interactive module that allows job seekers to choose the realistic job preview that best matches their skills. Additionally, Sheetz advanced their RJPs by personalizing them with the information they initially collected from the job seeker.
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Alternative Approach 2 Similar to Washington State DOT, a less expensive approach could involve using social media outlets in order to reach larger audiences and enhance the brand of the agency. Agencies may, for example, videotape employees performing their job or interview them about their job, and post them on Facebook.
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102 CAUTIONARY CONSIDERATIONS Cost -- Obtaining the funding to develop and implement a virtual pre-employment RJP and assessment can be a challenge. Use of the latest technology and increased realism will help make the tool a success, but it may be more expensive and labor intensive to develop.
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103 Action Plan for Recommendation #5 Institute Mentoring Program Hyperlink to Exhibit 28: Overview of Strategic SOM Workforce Recommendations by Career Stage
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Mentoring programs typically involve pairing someone more junior with an individual in a similar field of work who has more experience in the organization (e.g., 5+ years) and a successful performance record.
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The new hires should be assigned mentoring relationships within their first month of hire.
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Assemble committee including HR Manager, recruitment staff, and senior leadership, which will be led by the mentoring program coordinator.
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Required potential topics could include what it means to be a mentor, how to be a successful mentor, personal benefits associated with being a mentor (e.g., respect, developing a new relationship) , and a place where mentors can go to ask questions or seek advice about the mentoring program.
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Allowing the senior leaders a voice helps to gain top management support, which is critical to ensuring that the initiative is adopted throughout the organization. The program coordinator should be responsible for identifying the ROI of the mentoring program and should hold regular meetings with the senior leadership team and initial mentoring committee to discuss program evaluation results and ways to make continuous improvements.
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– How diversity affects mentoring relationships. – Situations where seeking assistance from a mentor would be appropriate.
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Because this mentoring program is a part of NJDOT's succession planning, all participants are expected to be future leaders and are thus required to take initiative in driving the mentoring relationship. Therefore, the goal of the program is to help mentees in becoming future leaders.
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After a year is completed in the mentoring program, mentees can choose to stay with their mentor or choose a new mentor, but they are encouraged to remain in the program. Contact Information: New Jersey Department of Transportation Succession Planning program, sp@dot.state.nj.us Charleston County Government Mentor Network Program.
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Contact Information: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, 408-321-2300 or 800- 894-9908
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than non-mentored individuals, which suggests that some form of mentoring program is better than none (Chao, Walz, and Gardner, 1992)
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In order to gain continued commitment to the mentoring program, it is important to make sure that individuals within the agency are aware of the mentoring program and the positive outcomes that it brings to the agency. Without a valid approach to assess potential mentors prior to partnership and a system of accountability that includes requirements for periodic "check ins," the mentoring relationship may backfire.
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115 Action Plan for Recommendation #6 Develop Employees and Maintain Employee Career Pathways Hyperlink to Exhibit 28: Overview of Strategic SOM Workforce Recommendations by Career Stage
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Thus, DOTs should work to develop and maintain clear career pathways for SOM employees that communicate when and how employees may be or become qualified to advance. Recommendation Highlights Target Career Stage: Entry-level, midcareer staff, and senior leaders Will help with Retention and Development Estimated Time to Implement: 3–6 months Provides guidance to employees to help them to plan for future and advance within the agency Career pathways may increase job satisfaction, employee motivation, and commitment to the agency
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Primary: Staff who are seeking career guidance. Career paths will assist them in making training and skill development decisions and allow these staff to plan for likely future jobs.
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118 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN Steps to Implement 1. Assemble Project Team.
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119 Graphic Depiction These exhibits provide a summary of how individuals might advance in SOM careers within and across each of the five core functions of SOM. These are example pathways for each core function; however, they can be tailored for individual agency needs.
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120 Exhibit 3 Systems Development Core Function: Career Paths Exhibit 4 Project Management Core Function: Career Paths Senior Management Senior Management Mid-Level or Project Related Mid-Level or Project Related Transportation Management Center Technician/Field Personnel Electronics Supervisor Implementation Support Technician ITS Section Leader Civil Engineer Project Development Engineer Senior Transportation Project Manager ITS Project Manager Operations Manager Traffic Operations Engineer Transportation Engineer Supervisor/Manager Transportation Engineer Director of Traffic and Safety Safety Specialist Engineering Technician V Engineering Technician IV Engineering Technician III Engineering Technician II Engineering Technician I Traffic System Technician Traffic System Technician I Electronics Mechanic
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Obtain case studies indicating success of other industries and/or transportation fields in similar career pathway efforts. Exhibit 5 Real-Time Operations Core Function: Career Paths Senior Management Assistant District Traffic Engineer State Traffic Engineer Assistant District Maintenance Engineer Traffic Operator Center Manager Communications Officer Senior Traffic Signals Technician Communications Operator Communications Systems Technician Signal & Lighting Technician Traffic Systems Technician Incident Response Coordinator Highway Maintenance Worker Transportation Maintenance Technician Traffic Operator Traffic Incident Technician Communications Operator Trainee Transportation Engineer I Junior Engineer Assistant Engineer Traffic Operations Engineer Traffic Incident Manager Maintenance Supervisor Work Zone Manager State Maintenance Engineer Mid-Level or Project Related Transportation Management Center Technician/Field Personnel
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For example, the agency may calculate: turnover data before and after implementing the career pathways, money saved due to reduction in turnover, any increases that may be discerned in applications received, retention numbers over specific periods of time, and increases in new hire performance. EXAMPLES OF EFFECTIVE PROGRAMS Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)
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The San Francisco Transit Career Ladder Partnership resolves these skills shortages by means of a collaborative approach to training for incumbent workers to move up industry career ladders targeted to areas of skills shortage. The goal of these programs is to strengthen promotional opportunities for incumbent San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni)
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Contact Information: San Francisco Transit Career Ladder Partnership, sftclp@ccsf.edu Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Career Pathways. The Career Pathways to Highways project is a collaborative venture between the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, and the Lincoln Trail Workforce Investment Board to address workforce shortages identified by the Federal Highway Administration.
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This has the potential to be expedited through use and modification of more generic career pathways, such as those developed in this project. The latter can serve as a starting point.
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127 Action Plan for Recommendation #7 Implement SOM Succession Plans Hyperlink to Exhibit 28: Overview of Strategic SOM Workforce Recommendations by Career Stage
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Implementing succession plans not only helps to ensure that the senior leader positions vacated by retiring leaders are filled with the top talent within the agency, but also it allows for the future leaders to be identified earlier in their career, trained, and mentored by existing leaders so they gain the institutional knowledge and are ready to step in as soon as senior leaders leave the agency. Succession plans are important not only because many senior leaders will be retiring over the next 10 years, but also because it is critical to have a management pipeline in place regardless of the reason senior leaders choose to leave the agency.
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Primary: Agency leaders and talented entry-level and midcareer staff who have been identified as future senior leaders in the agency.
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Assign those who have demonstrated the necessary leadership skills and expressed interest in future leadership positions to a senior leader mentor. Senior leader mentors should teach them about leadership issues in the agency and impart the institutional knowledge they have accumulated over their years in the agency/industry.
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Some employees will want to know what they need to do to be considered for the pipeline into the senior leadership positions. As part of the identification process of future leaders, administer a survey to gauge interest from employees.
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To Sustain Practice Requires an understanding of the senior leadership positions and how responsibilities may change over time. Thorough job analyses must be conducted of senior leadership positions every few years to identify competencies, knowledge, and qualifications needed to be a successful senior leader.
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To ensure that Mn/DOT had sufficient strength to maintain their critical leadership positions, the agency created a task force, composed of managers and HR personnel, to develop a succession planning model based on the workforce needs. The first part of the succession planning process involved a review of the agency's personnel pipeline in order to identify positions with at least three existing employees that could potentially fill the position.
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Contact information: Maureen Hammer, Knowledge Management Director, 434-293-1987, maureen.hammer@vdot.virginia.gov ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES Alternative Approach 1 Dedicate more resources to recruitment and selection when positions actually become available, rather than planning, training, and mentoring in advance. Dedicating resources to recruitment and selection may help to identify a larger pool of external candidates, whereas a succession plan focuses on developing staff internally.
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This is why obtaining buy-in and support from management is so important and critical for the program's success. The agency runs the risk of developing leaders who can leave for other opportunities before senior leadership positions open up within the agency.
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137 Action Plan for Recommendation #8 Recruit from Non-Traditional Sources Hyperlink to Exhibit 28: Overview of Strategic SOM Workforce Recommendations by Career Stage
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Recommendation Highlights Target Career Stage: Mid-career staff, senior leaders, retirees Will help with Attraction and Recruitment Estimated Time to Implement: 0–3 months Non-traditional applicants may hold valuable knowledge about the agency or industry in general, and desire to keep working Agencies should consider how to leverage the experience and expertise of non-traditional applicants while keeping in mind they might not want to maintain a traditional work schedule
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The target audience, such as professional associations, may be asked to publish recruitment materials on their websites or in trade journals.
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Identify informal rotational activities that can quickly educate candidates about different activities that may need to be performed. (Note: This is especially valuable for leadership roles where multiple lines of business may be supervised.)
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Conduct research to identify the key motivators such as work-life benefits and messages that would attract non-traditional employees to come back to a working environment (e.g., extended leave/personal days, flexible work arrangements, job sharing)
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Work with local community resources, such as the local Chamber of Commerce, trade or professional organizations, community events, daycare centers, or other local groups to spread the word about job fairs and available positions. Identify informal rotational activities that can quickly educate candidates about different activities that may need to be performed.
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Contact information: California Boomerang Program, webtech@spb.ca.gov The Commonwealth Bank of Australia's Job Sharing Program. In order to show employees that their home lives and non-work responsibilities are valued, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia implemented a job sharing program.
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In order to accomplish this, they joined minority community associations such as the Latin American Association of Atlanta and the National Society of Hispanic MBAs. By joining these organizations, HomeBanc is able to post job openings in the organization's newsletters and gain diversity in their recruiting efforts.
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CAUTIONARY CONSIDERATIONS Non-traditional employees may have specific work flexibility needs and not wish to return to full-time employment. This could be overcome by offering flexible work arrangements such as flextime or job-sharing.
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