The workshop will focus on furthering diversity in the emerging transportation workforce. The workshop will place an emphasis on partnerships between 2-year community colleges [especially Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities], 4-year MSIs, and industry stakeholders from the transportation sector. Consideration will be given to the role that such partnerships can play in supporting diversity and equity in the evolving transportation workforce.
Specifically, the workshop will bring key stakeholders from MSIs (particularly 2-year community colleges), industry, and government together to discuss critical issues related to diversity in the transportation workforce, including:
--Model programs, case studies, research findings, data, and insights from experts and individuals with a lived experience in the transportation workforce.
--Research questions in need of future exploration.
--Areas that would benefit from new or stronger partnerships between 2-year community colleges (including MSIs), 4-year MSIs, industry, and government in advancing equity in the emerging transportation workforce.
--Capacity-building opportunities, including opportunities for 2-year community colleges to establish relationships with 4-year institutions and government leadership.
The workshop will take an intersectional approach and consider how multiple identities, including gender and race, can shape experiences in the emerging transportation workforce. The discussions will offer insights into how the diversity of the sector's current skilled workforce compares with the diversity of the current generation of community college graduates. Such insights can help transportation entities develop strategies to recruit more effectively from an increasingly diverse talent pool.