The purpose of this project was to provide transportation agencies with strategies and resources to meet their needs for attracting, recruiting, and retaining transportation system operations and management (SOM) staff. The research described herein considers the potential supply and demand for SOM skills and staffing; the actions transportation agencies may take to attract, recruit, develop, and retain skilled staff with SOM capabilities; and the tools that are available or may be developed to assist agencies in attracting and recruiting skilled staff in this area. SOM draws on the knowledge of many disciplines including, for example, traffic engineering, intelligent transportation systems, maintenance, emergency response, traffic operations, traffic safety, incident management, performance measurement, and system planning applied in a comprehensive approach to increase the efficiency and safety of the transportation system. SOM encompasses interactions among transportation modes and between the transportation system and other functions such as emergency management, public safety, and outreach. In this report, we provide information regarding the methodology, results, recommended action plans, and potential future research directions in relation to this project.

Empowering the New Mobility Workforce: Educating, Training, and Inspiring Future Transportation Professionals enlists a multidisciplinary roster of subject matter specialists who identify the priorities and strategies for cultivating a skilled workforce for the rapidly changing transportation landscape. Transportation employers will need to hire 4.6 million workers—1.2 times the current transportation workforce—in the next decade. The book explores how leaders in education, industry and government can work together to create an ecosystem that facilitates learning and upskilling for emerging and incumbent transportation workers. Readers will learn how to conduct labor market analyses and develop competency models to adapt their workforce. This book will empower readers to establish ongoing communities of practice that cultivate sustainable career pathways that respond to ever-evolving socioeconomic trends and transformational technologies. - Provides a comprehensive assessment of the new technologies and consumer attitudes driving change in personal vehicle, mass transit, active transportation, and goods movement, both domestically and internationally - Identifies the career pathways, experiential learning models, and types of curriculum needed to prepare emerging professionals to develop and operate transportation systems of the future - Emphasizes, through case studies, innovative practices emerging in public- and private-sector transportation organizations - Draws on key work conducted in the United States and around the world, acknowledging the increasing interconnectedness of transportation systems between countries, economies and social networks that transcend national boundaries

[This is] "a guidebook that addresses contemporary issues in workforce development, retention, and attraction, and public transportation image management. [It] is separated into modules that may be used independently or together [...]. Information across the modules is in the form of example successful programs, state-of-the-art initiatives, industry effective practices, and directions to implement and measure those practices. The results of this research may be used by human resource professionals and transportation policy makers in implementing more effective human resource business-planning processes"--Foreword.

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 142: Vehicle Operator Recruitment, Retention, and Performance in ADA Complementary Paratransit Operations provides guidance for understanding the relationships that influence and enhance operator recruitment, retention, and performance in Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) complementary paratransit services. Appendixes to TCRP Report 142 were published electronically as TCRP Web-Only Document 50: Survey Instrument, Productivity Charts, and Interview Protocol for Case Studies for TCRP Report 142.