As agencies and organizations adopt a transportation systems management & operations (TSMO) focus, the industry has identified the urgent need to develop and grow the TSMO workforce. Growing and developing the TSMO workforce requires a variety of approaches and strategies, from educating students on TSMO careers to increasing the skills of the current workforce.
This series of webpages captures the growing number of resources available across the industry, from U.S. DOT and the National Network for the Transportation Workforce to formalized training programs. Additionally, there are number of resources to help TSMO agencies take a broader approach in organizing and developing their TSMO personnel. Lastly, ongoing industry research and activities will continue to define the knowledge, skills, and abilities for the TSMO workforce and better define the needs for a successful TSMO workforce. We've outlined a few of these activities and will continue to capture those resources as they are developed.
We've organized the resources into the following categories (corresponding to the menu on the left):
- Student Education
- Workforce Training
- Industry Assessments
- HR Resources
- Events, Contests, and Success Stories
We want to capture and incorporate your resources. Please email Adam Hopps to share anything you feel will help the industry towards developing a TSMO workforce.
Background
The National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE) has identified workforce development as one of its most important initiatives to help address the needs of the Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) community.To begin this effort, the Center hosted a two-day summit on TSMO workforce development on June 22–23, 2016. The goal of the summit was to identify viable actions that NOCoE can either influence and encourage the development of additional resources for TSMO workforce development.
The proceedings and findings from its two-day workforce development summit are presented in this document for the TSMO community, participants and partners. (NOCoE 2016 Workforce Summit Proceedings and Implementation Plan)
In preparation for the summit, NOCoE produced three white papers focused on the current workforce environment for the TSMO community prepared in advance of the summit. The white papers provided context and discussion starting points by focusing on the following key issues: institutional context for TSMO in transportation agencies, professional capacity building needs vs. available resources, recruitment, retention, and career development. (Summit White Papers)
The NCHRP project on TSMO workforce was recently completed and produced a report that will be posted in various forms in the summer of 2019. The project also provided a guidebook specifically for TSMO positions that were identified through the project. The guidebook description and link is provided below.
TSMO Workforce Guidebook
The intent of this guidebook is to provide practitioners with a tool to develop a strong Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) workforce. While a basic understanding of TSMO is beneficial to the reader, this guidebook focuses on workforce development practices rather than the specific details of TSMO, so readers without a background in TSMO will find the information within useful.
This guidebook goes into detail on the hiring and workforce development practices recommended through literature and currently in place within existing and successful TSMO programs. It clearly identifies specific job positions required for a robust TSMO program, the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for those job positions, and recommendations tailored to hiring each position. Information on training and professional development is presented, including specifics on training providers and courses.