This issue of ITE Journal is dedicated to education and workforce development. The challenges facing our industry have evolved rapidly—more in the past 10 years than in the previous 40. To face them effectively, we need the brightest and the best, and we need to train them differently than before! Some of our old solutions have led to unintended negative consequences.
Going forward, our workforce will need far more foresight and understanding. Even seasoned members need to continue learning in the here and now to face the new challenges in our industry. My favorite song by Rush (a band I heard constantly on my favorite radio station growing up) is called “Subdivisions.” It resonated with me, as I had moved from older inner Toronto to a new subdivision in Scarborough when I was 16. As stated within the song, “Nowhere is the dreamer or the misfit so alone.” We need the dreamers and the misfits in our industry! To develop that workforce, we must start with attracting the brightest and the best students. We are in competition with all other industries in this endeavor.
A good place to start is scholarships. The more scholarships we give out, the more name recognition we can gain among students. The ITE Legacy Fund provided about $50,000 in funding last year, and Districts, Sections, and Chapters collectively distributed more than $100,000. Could you imagine how many students would research us more if we gave 10 times that amount? One way to help us get there eventually would be through planned giving. I will be updating my will this year to leave something to ITE—A Community of Transportation Professionals, and encourage others to do likewise.
Many of the students who pursue our profession, myself included, become attracted to it through an influential educator. The more we recognize these transportation educators for their efforts, the better. Recognizing them on the ITE Legacy Fund Honor Wall is a good start. You don’t have to wait until they pass away (like I did). In fact, you could recognize anyone for being a mentor along your journey. Learn more at www.ite.org/legacy.
The new challenges facing us require a workforce from nontraditional sources. A few years ago, we had an initiative to add planners to our membership. Given that a third of our membership considers planning a key part of their position, this was a natural fit. Going forward, we will need data scientists, safety professionals, human factors specialists, and others to solve our challenges. This will translate into us having a future workforce with varied educational backgrounds, meaning that we can no longer assume that everyone has the same foundational education.
Once we get the students, we need to develop them properly! The new world we have adapted to is a hybrid world of work from home and only part of the time in an office environment. Our old methods of mentoring others in the workplace have suffered. Luckily, our Younger Member Committee under the leadership of Tyler Hartman, P.E., PTOE, RSP1 (M), and Myles Overall, E.I.T. (S) (and past co-chair Morgan Nelson, P.E., PTOE (M)), is filling the gap through their Back-to-Basics Webinar Series and other programs to help the transition from students to professionals. I am thrilled to see the fruits of their efforts and look forward to what comes next! LeadershipITE, of course, is the crown jewel of our workforce development. Developing our future workforce is a shared responsibility, so please do your part!