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Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute to Partner with Western Transportation Institute in Workforce Development EffortPosted: Feb 10, 2015 North Dakota State University's Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute will partner with the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University to enhance transportation workforce training in the western United States. WTI and UGPTI were awarded a grant from the FHWA to establish a Regional Surface Transportation Workforce Center. The center will enhance access to education, outreach, and training programs in a 10-state western region, with the ultimate goal of growing the transportation workforce. States in the region include Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming. "Energy development in our region is compounding the already-serious workforce development challenges faced by transportation across the country," noted UGPTI director Denver Tolliver. "Transportation agencies and industries face an aging workforce, fewer entrants into the field, changing employee expectations and increased demand for quality employees." With federal and partner support, the Regional Center's budget will total approximately $1.2 million over four years. The Center will enhance transportation workforce development activities throughout the education-career continuum, including K-12 outreach; programs at technical schools, community colleges, and universities; and continuing education for practitioners. "A major focus of the Center will be to promote and replicate effective programs -- there are successful initiatives happening in individual states that other states in the region don't even know exist," said WTI executive director Steve Albert; "this center will allow us to create partnerships that allow these programs to take in off in new locations." |
