Transportation Education and Training: Meeting the Challenge

TRB Special Report 210: Transportation Education and Training: Meeting the Challenge is the proceedings of a conference on the needs and opportunities that face transportation education and training.

The objectives of the conference were to: (1) define the skills and educational backgrounds needed by new transportation professionals at all levels to meet the challenges they will likely face during their careers--these challenges were to be viewed from the perspectives of transportation system employers, educators, and users; (2) review the education and training currently being offered by academic institutions, technical schools, continuing education programs, and in- house training programs, and assess their capability to meet evolving needs and propose changes required in these programs to meet evolving needs; and (3) recommend other concepts and actions that will enhance the continuing contributions of transportation education and training to the profession and to improvements in transportation.

For 3 days conference participants deliberated on the major education and training issues facing the transportation profession. The first half of the conference focused on the numbers and types of transportation professionals desired by industry and government. Conference participants were assigned to one of five workshops in which the demand for transportation engineers, planners, transit operations personnel, technicians, and analysts for private sector firms was examined. After discussion of the demand characteristics for each type of transportation professional, the second half of the conference was devoted to an examination of the challenges faced by universities and training programs in supplying these types of transportation professionals. Special attention was given to the role of research, the development of curricula, and the importance of attracting women and minorities to the profession. This report contains the findings of this conference and the resource papers produced to stimulate discussion among conference participants.