Workforce Development

To ensure the efficient movement of people and products, we must prepare a new cohort of transportation professionals who are ready to lead a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable transportation industry. To help achieve this, CSUTC sponsors a suite of workforce development opportunities, many specifically focused on attracting underrepresented groups into transportation studies and careers.

K-12

Elementary Lesson Plans

As one of the fundamental pillars of the transportation industry, workforce development is a critical component in creating and sustaining a connected world. In partnership with elementary teachers and students, MTI developed a STEM transportation unit that introduces 1-6th graders to the basics of how people and goods are moved. These lesson plans are free to use, and MTI welcomes the opportunity to hear feedback or discuss potential partnerships from other educators. In these lessons, students learn about active modes of transportation, sustainability issues, transportation planning, and more.

Elementary Poster Contest

The Mineta Transportation Institute Elementary Poster Contest allows students, grades 1-6, to demonstrate their knowledge of the year’s transportation theme through an artistic, visually compelling image.

Garrett Morgan Sustainable Transportation Competition

The Garrett Morgan Sustainable Transportation Competition was instituted by former Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater to encourage young people to consider careers in transportation. 

Summer Transportation Institute

The Summer Transportation Institute invites Bay Area high school students to learn about transportation careers in a free, three-week on-campus session at San Jose State University. Regardless of their initial interest in transportation, students will be excited about earning college credit while getting an inside look at businesses impacting the day-to-day activities of hundreds of thousands of people.

Professional Development Programs 

City and County Pavement Improvement Center

The City and County Preservation Improvement Center (CCPIC) was established in 2018 to work with local governments to increase pavement technical capability through timely, relevant, and practical support, training, outreach and research. The vision for the Center is to make local government-managed pavements last longer, cost less, and be more sustainable.

CCPIC is a collaboration between the UC Pavement Research Center, California State Association of Counties, the League of California Cities, and the California State University Transportation Consortium. CCPIC helps cities and counties in California maximize the value of their investments in local streets and roads by providing the most advanced, cost-effective, and sustainable pavement practices, science, tools, and resources tailored to the needs of local agencies.

Mineta Leadership Academy

The Mineta Leadership Academy is devoted to developing exceptional public sector leaders to serve the transportation industry. The Academy provides individuals in mid-level to senior management positions with opportunities to improve leadership skills, enhance their leadership competencies, and work with peers and mentors in the transportation industry. Following the example of our founder and namesake U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary, Norman Y. Mineta, the Academy cultivates leadership excellence in a diverse group of professionals who are committed to building and maintaining a world-class transportation system in an environment that is constantly changing. 

Pavement Preservation Academy

The Pavement Preservation Academy is a certificate program offered through CSUTC partner, CSU Chico, designed to train pavement professionals on the design and construction of pavement preservation treatments. The Academy is designed to empower local agency staff and contractors, through training, to choose the right treatment, at the right time, to optimize preventative maintenance funds. Most local agencies defer road maintenance over many years, and there are thousands of miles of public roads that are currently in poor condition. With new state funding available for maintenance and construction projects, proper preventative maintenance is an issue of paramount importance. The program, offered annually, consists of four 3-hour modules, and participants must pass an exam to each the certificate.