Project Details

Abstract

The proposed event will be a two-day workshop in Durango, Colorado, at both Fort Lewis College and another community site or high school, featuring several key presentations and a panel discussion. The first day will consist of speakers and presentations. The second day will consist of interactive feedback at separate locations regarding the results of vocational assessment inventories. The target population of workshop participants will be high school and college students interested in learning more about careers in the transportation industry. Participants will complete surveys and career-planning instruments and receive detailed interpretations of their results to help them narrow their career choices. Representatives from trucking, transit, state DOTs, and the supply chain industry will be invited to participate as experts, delivering presentations that describe careers and opportunities in the transportation industry. In addition, there will be an interactive session to help participants prioritize their vocational interests and preferences. Lastly, a networking event with presenters will also be arranged.

In addition to providing career information on activities, salaries, and other employment and career opportunities in the transportation industry, the proposed workshop will also address two main needs regarding the recruitment of potential entrants to the transportation industry. First, identify a transportation career profile for prospective applicants to target highly congruent candidates for the industry. This profile will provide researchers with an opportunity to develop an interest and preference profile of prospective students whose interests are congruent with the industry. Identifying those persons who are likely to be congruent allows outreach efforts to be tailored and targeted, and limited funds and resources to be used more effectively. Second, a short, easy-to-use web page that could assist students in obtaining information about transportation careers in general, with a brief survey or questionnaire to help narrow down interests in transportation careers, which then directs users to more targeted information. This web page could then be made available to other UTC programs that conduct transportation and career outreach events. The web page will be used to tally hits, and requests for applications will help more accurately measure the impact of the workshop's outreach efforts. This outreach project will also incorporate the development and implementation of a prototype webpage to evaluate the workshop and serve other UTCs.

Project Word Files