Buy It or Build It Nextdecade Technologies, Skills, Knowledge and Certification

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Buy It or Build It?Next-decade Technologies,
Skills, Knowledge and Certification

• Presented by Danada McMurtry
• Director, Professional Development
• Mississippi Department of Transportation

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Challenges at MDOT

• Age of state employees is increasing
• Number of retirement eligible managers (currently
  64 at MDOT)
• Attrition rate of state employees (50 of
  employees leave the state within 3 years)

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Challenges at MDOT

• High numbers of minorities in the workforce
• By 2010, 1 in 3 Americans will be foreign born or
  1st generation
• 75 of women of childbearing age are in the
  workforce
• Increasingly advanced technical environment in
  the transportation industry

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Engineering Workforce

• Bureau of Labor Statistics Engineering
  Workforce Commission studies indicate the number
  of civil engineers entering workforce is stable
• Increase is slow but steady
• Electrical engineering field is growing more
  rapidly

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• So, how do we ensure that we have the knowledge
  skills we need to do business in the future?

We
Buy It or Build It
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Buying It?

• Cost associated with finding the right employees
• Ability to compete with private sector salaries
• Attracting employees
• Women minorities make up a large portion of our
  workforce

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Our FocusBuilding It

• Leadership bench strength
• LEAD Program
• Technical expertise
• House Bill 998
• Tech prep revision task force
• Partnerships
• Early interest in transportation careers
• RIDES Program
• TRAC Program
• Tech Prep Task Force

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LEAD Program
Mission Statement
To provide a continuous pool of potential leaders
prepared to face the leadership challenges of
today and tomorrow by assessing participants
leadership competencies and providing training
that enhances and develops these competencies
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LEAD Program

• Around 90 participants
• 18 month program
• Training
• Individual assignments
• Mentoring component

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House Bill 998

• Civil Engineering Undergraduate and Graduate
  Students
• PINs while in school
• Summer work experience
• Employment after graduation

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Tech Prep Revision Task Force

• Current program not meeting students needs
• Funding difficulties
• Desire to model the Tech Prep Program after TRAC
• Meets needs of students, educators, and
  tomorrows workforce

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Program

• Roadways Into Developing Elementary Students
  (RIDES)

Outreach
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Program
Interactive
Informative
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Transploreum

• Nations first Transportation Exploration Museum!
• Partnership between Tupelo School District, FHWA,
  and MDOT

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Transploreum
Fun with Friends ( a purpose)
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Program

• Transportation Civil Engineers Career Discovery
  (TRAC)
• 7th grade public schools program

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Professional Partnerships

• Partnerships with the National Society for
  Professional Engineers (NSPE) and the American
  Society of Certified Engineering Technicians
  (ASCET)
• Provides quality continuing education seminars
• Allows MDOT an opportunity to shine!

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Professional Certifications

• Professional certifications are key in building
  knowledge skills within our organizations
• National Institute of Certified Engineering
  Technicians (NICET)

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Thank you for your time and attention!
Buy It Or Build It? You Decide!

• For additional information, visit our website at
  www.gomdot.com.