Roads To Your Future - Summer 2021 e-Newsletter

Click here to learn more about the Highway Construction Workforce Partnership.

July 2021

Summer 2021 e-Newsletter


Using the Strategic Workforce Development Toolkit

The updated Strategic Workforce Development (SWD) Toolkit offers resources all in one place and helps fill the construction jobs that support the country’s highway system. The Highway Construction Workforce Partnership (HCWP) developed these materials and innovative strategies to identify, train, and place individuals into transportation careers.

The SWD Toolkit highlights best practices and success stories from those who have managed successful HCWPs. The construction industry, government entities, and other partner organizations may use the free resources to learn more about establishing an HCWP. As additional materials become available, we will continue to update the SWD Toolkit.



Coordinating Successful Working Groups

A critical step in addressing the highway construction workforce shortage is coordinating working groups made up of community leaders. By partnering with the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), highway construction organizations, and industry partners, Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, and Rhode Island formed working groups to identify, train, and place individuals into occupations to fill workforce gaps.

From holding roundtable meetings to leveraging longtime professional relationships, participants found that forming successful working groups meant bringing industry, government, education, and business stakeholders together to take action. Once working groups were established, keeping the common goal at the forefront through regular meetings and fluid communication was paramount – and transparency played a major role.

All participants used various forms of communication, meeting at least quarterly through in-person and virtual meetings, as well as more frequent email exchanges and teleconferences.

Michael Caliendo of the FHWA Idaho Division said communication is key to making progress and keeping stakeholders engaged. “Constant, ongoing communication is critical to the success of a workforce development group,” said Caliendo. “Everyone is more than a team member. They become friends with a common interest and goals.”

To learn more and find out how you can organize a working group to address shortages in your highway construction workforce, contact HCWP Program Manager Clark Martin.


Supporting Innovative Technology in Construction

The Construction and Project Management Team at the FHWA Resource Center provides technical assistance, technology transfer, training, and interagency coordination.

The team aims to improve the quality of the nation’s infrastructure by promoting state-of-the-art practices in highway construction. Among many areas of expertise, the team specializes in quality assurance programs for innovative construction technology like 3D-engineered models and information on the benefits of e-Construction. They also offer support for alternative contract methods, automated equipment, and surveying.

These 3D models for construction are one of the few technologies FHWA’s Every Day Counts-6 (EDC-6) program promotes. The focus is on helping owner-agencies, designers, and construction contractors get started in implementing 3D-engineered models needing limited or zero experience. Another innovative construction technology is e-Construction. This is the collection, review, approval, and distribution of highway construction contract documents in a paperless environment. e-Construction can be used in many forms including (but not limited to):

  • Electronically capturing construction data
  • Electronic submission of all construction documentation
  • Increased use of mobile devices
  • Secure document and workflow management accessible to all stakeholders on any device

For more information on how the Construction and Project Management Team can help you improve your next highway construction project, visit fhwa.dot.gov/resourcecenter/teams/construction/.


Recent Events

Strategic Workforce Development Kick-Off Webinar

If you were unable to participate in the EDC-6 SWD Kick-off Webinar, a recording is available in the toolkit under the Webinars heading "FHWA - Highway Construction Workforce Partnership (dot.gov)."

Building Tomorrow’s Highway Construction Workforce: An Introduction

If you haven’t seen our video sharing a brief overview of how the Highway Construction Workforce Partnership identifies, trains, and places workers in the highway construction trades, you can watch it here.

HCWP Program Profiles

Build your workforce with the training tools that have been successful in construction programs across the country. These are examples of interesting programs, practices, and tools that may help you plan your own workforce development activities to identify, train, and place construction field workers in successful jobs. Each example includes a one-page profile on the program and contact information: https://bit.ly/ProgramProfiles.


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