National Network for the Transportation Workforce

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Ben Olson

Sign Up for the 2nd Annual Road Safety Summit

Rural communities provide food, energy, resources and much more to keep America running.  In 2016, attendees at the National Working Summit on Transportation in Rural America helped define the future for “Moving Rural America” by articulating the key transportation safety issues facing rural areas, culminating in a call to action of “On the Road to Zero, We Cannot Ignore Rural.” 

The 2nd summit will continue to move the rural conversation forward and will focus more intently on safety solutions and “Bridging the Gap.”  

Join this conversation in Savannah, Georgia in December 2018.  We need your perspective and expertise to successfully articulate rural transportation safety needs and solutions.

Register, View Agenda & Learn More: 

ruralsafetycenter.org/news-events/bridging-the-gap-summit/

SWTWC Launches Visual Tool for Workforce Analysis

SWTWC has launched a new data resource that utilizes geospatial information technology to offer a visual representation of its occupational data analysis and projections. This resource helps users access and analyze state-level data for critical transportation occupations in the Southwest region.

Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software, SWTWC has created an interactive story map that allows users to easily access the data most relevant to them. Once a user selects a state, they can view the 25 critical transportation occupations specific to that state. By clicking on an occupation, users can view its relevant statistics, such as average wage, current and projected number of jobs, and required education level.

The data serves to undergird SWTWC’s workforce development efforts by identifying transportation occupations with exceptional job growth projections from 2012 to 2022. This analysis forms the basis for developing career pathway programs that are tailored to each state’s workforce needs. Key findings include the following:

  • A plurality of transportation-related jobs in all states require no more than a HS diploma and boast an average wage of more than $20 per hour. Our analysis therefore shows that most of these jobs have relatively low socio-economic barriers to entry while offering a decent income.
  • Some occupations with high projected employment growth rates also have low overall employment levels. Thus, both figures must be considered when assessing an occupation’s overall economic impact within the state.
  • Workforce trends vary from state to state, but some high-growth occupations feature in the top 25 rankings for most or all states in the Southwest region. Examples include logisticians, civil engineers, electricians, and cargo and freight agents.

To interact with the visual tool and view the full report, click here.