The asphalt materials and construction communities are constantly trying to attract workers who will be productive and positively engaged in their career. TRB hosted webinar on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM Eastern that presented case studies demonstrating innovative ways that the construction community is fulfilling demand for workers. A vital part of this workforce demand will need to be filled by personnel who have not been traditionally interested in road materials or construction. Thus, there will be a need to make a career in asphalt materials and road building attractive to young adults who are on the precipice of entering the workforce. Young adults with a high school diploma, new graduates of a trade or technical program, or those with a college degree in math, accounting, science, or engineering.will all be important to the future of the construction industry. Hear aboutnew initiatives going on across the U.S. aimed at attracting individuals that meet not just the traditional industry needs, but also the growing demand for individuals skilled in technology, accounting, environmental compliance, and worker health and safety.

This webinar is organized by the Standing Committee on Critical Issues and Emerging Technologies in Asphalt.

The slides are available as is the presentation recording.
Webinar agenda and presenters

1. How a state DOT attracts and develops emerging leaders: Alvina Mao, Washington State Department of Transportation
2. A case study in what attracts young people to the construction industry: Janie Gallagher, Wirtgen America
3. Industry association workforce development inventiveness in Indiana: Kirsten Pauley, Asphalt Pavement Association of Indiana
4. What the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is doing to promote workforce development: Tom Harman, FHWA
5. Question and answer session: Moderated by Pete Capon, Reith-Reilly, and Bob McGennis, HollyFrontier Asphalt Company

The first 90 minutes of the webinar will be for presentations and the final 30 minutes will be reserved for audience questions.

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Learning Objectives
At the end of this webinar, you will able to:

1. List the challenges in attracting and maintaining younger workers
2. Describe successful local- and national-level workforce development initiatives that can be adapted in your own agency
3. Describe a leadership program used by a large contracting firm that is part of their program to attract and maintain workers

Professional Development Hour Information

Professional engineers (PEs) who register and attend the entire webinar as an individual will be awarded 2.0 Professional Development Hours (PDHs). TRB’s webinar program awards PDH credits only to the registered individual, and not to other members of a group that view the webinar together. To be eligible for the credits, individuals must remain signed in for the entire webinar, including for any question and answer session following the presentations.