AASHTO Journal - State DOTs Use Training to Address Workforce Needs

To recruit and retain workers for the long-term, state departments of transportation across the country are engaging in a number of different training tactics – from partnering with local community colleges to building new equipment training facilities.

[Above photo by NMDOT]

For example, in August 2024, the New Mexico Department of Transportation – in partnership with the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions and Central New Mexico Community College Ingenuity – launched the new “Industry Credential Pipeline Programs” or ICPP workforce development initiative aimed at preparing state residents for high-demand careers in the transportation sector.

NMDOT graduated its first ICPP cohort of 16 participants earlier this year, with some transitioning to NMDOT Highway Operations positions statewide.

Ricky Serna, NMDOT’s secretary, explained in the above video that the ICPP initiative combines hands-on, real-world training with industry-recognized certifications to build a skilled job-ready and resilient workforce.

“We’ve got to take a responsibility to groom and train a workforce that can come and help NMDOT advance itself [and] achieve its mission,” he explained in the above video. “We [want] to groom and train them to stick around for a while.”

[Editor’s note: The Illinois Department of Transportation and Georgia Department of Transportation discuss job openings at their agencies via their respective “Take the Exit” and “Ahead of the Curve” podcasts.]

Meanwhile, the Utah Department of Transportation recently unveiled a new Heavy Equipment Training Area as a way to help new and current employees keep their equipment operating skills sharp.

The new training area helps workers “get familiar with a piece of equipment; to experiment with the controls in a safe, protected environment where [we] can coach, mentor, help, teach, and train,” noted Kirk Thornock, Utah DOT’s Region 4 director, in the above video.

New workers “are grateful to know that they’re getting trained before they’re put out where the traffic is,” he added. “We want to give them confidence; to ensure that they can get from A to B in a reliable, safe manner.”