Preparing the Transportation Workforce for Emerging Technologies: Developing a Guide (2026)
Chapter: Outline of Report
Outline of Report
This Conduct of Research Report for NCHRP 20-102(20) consolidates the findings of all research performed on the project.
Chapter 1 – Background: This chapter provides context on the evolution of emerging technologies in transportation, their impacts on agencies, and the need for workforce preparedness. It introduces the role of technology in reshaping the transportation workforce.
Chapter 2 – Research Approach: This chapter discusses the research need, objectives, and methodology. It introduces workforce challenges associated with emerging technologies and outlines the development of the guide.
Chapter 3 – Foundational Research: This chapter summarizes the findings from the literature review and stakeholder outreach. It highlights nine emerging topics and challenges, ranging from knowledge/skills gaps to recruiting strategies and academic program opportunities.
Chapter 4 – Workforce Gap Analysis: This chapter synthesizes the foundational research to identify current and future workforce gaps. Root causes are categorized into three overarching themes: institutional agility, staffing adaptability, and workforce pipeline. Matrices illustrate workforce gaps and resource availability.
Chapter 5 – Guide Overview and Resources: This chapter introduces the guide, explaining its vision, audience, and purpose. It details the organization of the guide around the three overarching themes—institutional agility, staffing adaptability, and workforce pipeline—and summarizes the resources developed to help agencies address identified workforce gaps.
Chapter 6 – Conclusions and Suggested Research: This chapter discusses implementation strategies, outstanding resource needs, and future research opportunities. It emphasizes the importance of dissemination, continuous updates, and strategies for sustained use of the project deliverables.
Appendix A – Implementation Plan: This appendix includes a menu of strategies to advance the project deliverables and metrics to track implementation progress.
