The Oregon Department of Transportation recently invited high school seniors and recent graduates to apply for its “High School to Highway” trainee program, which offers hands-on, full-time paid training in roadway maintenance.
[Above photo by Oregon DOT]
Starting in July 2025, the second installment of this statewide effort seeks to provide students with valuable experience in construction and maintenance work with Oregon DOT; skills training matched to a starting salary of $3,856 per month, with a raise after six months.
The agency said in a statement that participants in this trainee program – which offers jobs in multiple locations statewide – work outdoors as part of a maintenance crew alongside experienced mentors to repair and preserve roads, bridges, and other transportation infrastructure.
Funded by Federal-aid State Core Program Funds for Training, Education and Workforce Development, the Oregon DOT said its “High School to Highway” program is designed to introduce young adults to career opportunities in state government while also providing them with the skills needed for roadway maintenance and construction.
Many state departments of transportation are engaged in similar training programs.
For example, in September 2024 the Hawaii Department of Transportation held its 16th annual “Hawaii Construction Career Days” event for middle and high school students at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.
The agency said its yearly “Construction Career Days” event aims to provide students a “practical and valuable” firsthand look at career and educational opportunities available in Hawaii’s construction industry.
In August 2024, the North Dakota Department of Transportation launched a new science, technology, engineering, and math or STEM education program aimed at promoting interest in transportation careers to high school students; an initiative based on the AASHTO STEM Outreach Solutions program offered through the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
The North Dakota DOT noted at the time it met with teachers at the North Dakota Career and Technical Education Professional Development Conference to present and demonstrate STEM modules that are available to schools at no cost.
More broadly, in January of this year, the Federal Highway Administration issued $4.2 million in grants via its Highway Construction Training Program for 16 initiatives nationwide to help recruit, train, and place highway construction jobs.
Funded via the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, FHWA said its Highway Construction Training Program aims to fill critical shortages in highway construction, maintenance, and operations jobs needed to build and maintain the nation’s roads and bridges.
Six state DOT initiatives received grants from this round of disbursements from this FHWA program, including the California Department of Transportation, Illinois Department of Transportation, the New Mexico Department of Transportation, the New York State Department of Transportation, the Washington State Department of Transportation, and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
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