摘要: |
Just as construction of the Interstate highway system required building professional capacity at transportation agencies, the development and implementation of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) now requires training transportation professionals to plan implement, operate, and manage ITS programs. In support of the U.S. Department of Transportation's (U.S. DOT) ITS Professional Capacity Building (PCB) Program, the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) has conducted a series of preliminary needs assessments to identify the training necessary to overcome impediments to ITS deployment. These activities have included: 1) a review and synthesis of findings from thirteen prior ITS workforce and training needs studies conducted since 1992; 2) interviews with U.S. DOT field staff and their state and local counterparts in implementing agencies; and, 3) feedback from participants at recent PCB program training seminars. Summary findings and conclusions are reported herein. The research revealed a widespread belief that the availability of requisite professional capabilities will be an important factor influencing the pace of ITS deployment in the near term. |