Transportation Workforce Development Summit to Address California’s Growing Need for Well-Trained Executives, Managers and Line Workers

Transportation Professionals and Educators are Invited to Participate in the Statewide Policy Summit on Monday-Tuesday, February 1-2, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach, California

LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- METRANS Transportation Center and the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI), in partnership with Long Beach City College, will present “Ensuring the Growth of California’s Transportation Workforce: Developing the Right Workforce for Today’s Challenges and Tomorrow’s Jobs.” This two-day professional summit is set for Monday-Tuesday, February 1-2, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach. Expert panels will address career development, skills gaps, training strategies, outreach, best practices and more.

The event will open with an expert panel on transportation workforce issues and challenges for the 21st century, and it will continue with two days of panel discussions, education program exhibits, and group participation. Educators, planners, engineers, CEOs, HR managers, and anyone else who hires, trains, or wishes to become a transportation professional are encouraged to attend.

“Experts predict that by 2050, California’s population will double from what it was in 2000,” said Genevieve Giuliano, Director of the METRANS Transportation Center at the University of Southern California and an expert in transportation issues. “Those people will need increased mobility, even within the next five or ten years. If the state’s transportation infrastructure does not keep pace, it risks a meltdown. We will need thousands of professionals to address those issues – people in transportation planning, engineering, finance, transit operations, maritime and aviation technology, construction, management, community relations, and many other areas. Now is the time to address the factors that will help fill any shortfalls.”

The mobility crisis will be complicated by the growing number of Baby Boomers reaching retirement age, leaving employment gaps to be filled by a new wave of properly educated professionals. Summit organizers say this is where the opportunity lies, whether those professionals are new graduates, career changers, or those in mid-career who need additional training to move ahead.

Keynote sessions will focus on national workforce development needs, the impact of organizational change on the demand for workers, and opportunities for industry-government-education partnerships. Panel discussions will focus on the state of the transportation workforce in California; workforce development issues for industry and the practitioner; educating the 21st century transportation workforce; emerging industries; career pathways for young students; re-training for career and organizational change; and other related topics.

This is one of several regional summits around the country, sponsored by University Transportation Centers, that will culminate in a national summit in Washington DC later next year. Data and recommendations from each regional summit will become part of the national event.

Registration, including breakfast and lunch both days, is $95 until January 1, or $125 after that date. Student fee is $85/95. Special room rates are available at the Hyatt Regency, 200 South Pine Avenue, Long Beach, California. Mention the Workforce Development Summit. Summit sponsorships also are available at levels starting at $500 and up to $10,000

Visit www.workforcesummit.org for information or to register, or for updates on the agenda, speakers, and panelists.

About METRANS Transportation Center

The METRANS Transportation Center is a US DOT University Transportation Center (UTC). Established in 1998 through the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), METRANS is a joint partnership of the University of Southern California and California State University, Long Beach. Under the UTC program, federal funding requires a dollar-for-dollar match with non-federal funds. The California State Department of Transportation (Caltrans) provides the full non-federal match to METRANS. Its mission is to solve transportation problems of large metropolitan regions through interdisciplinary research, education and outreach. METRANS specializes in four topic areas - goods movement and international trade; mobility of urban populations; Highway infrastructure; and safety, security and vulnerability. For information, visit www.metrans.org

About the Mineta Transportation Institute

The Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) was established by Congress in 1991 as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) and was reauthorized under TEA-21 and again under SAFETEA-LU. The Institute is funded by Congress through the US DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, by the California Legislature through the Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and by other public and private grants and donations, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The US DOT selected MTI as a national “Center of Excellence” following a 2002 competition. The Institute has a Board of Trustees whose internationally-respected members represent all major surface transportation modes. MTI’s focus on policy and management resulted from a board assessment of the industry’s unmet needs and led directly to choosing the San José State University College of Business as the Institute’s home. MTI conducts research, education, and information and technology transfer focusing on multi-modal surface transportation policy and management issues. Visit www.transweb.sjsu.edu

About Long Beach City College

Long Beach City College was founded more than 80 years ago and is one of the largest single community college systems in California educating more than 27,000 students each semester at its two campuses – the Liberal Arts Campus and Pacific Coast Campus. LBCC is also home of one of ten Advanced Transportation Technology and Energy Centers in California. These Centers were created as a means for keeping California competitive as a national leader in advanced transportation and energy technologies and to transform the workforce in the rapidly developing, technology-driven transportation and energy industries, while improving the environment and stimulating the economy. The Center is designed to provide students, technicians, faculty, public and other initiative centers with the education, training and resources they need to effectively learn, teach and work with advanced transportation and energy technologies. LBCC was awarded “Most Innovative Program” by the California Community Colleges for creation and delivery of its groundbreaking Westport/Kenworth Certified LNG Technician Training, the only industry certified LNG training program in the U.S.

Source: Mineta Transportation Institute