Workforce Development Program

Current Activities

  • State of the Workforce Survey: Getting feedback on instrument now to launch in early 2019.
  • Awards: 2022 awards will be presented at the 2022 TRB Annual Meeting Zephyr Reception
  • Blog: Want to contribute? We are looking for contributions of all kinds including research notes and industry member profiles.
  • Slack Community: Please join, add the app, and chat amongst ourselves.
  • Newsletter: monthly briefs about what Zephyr is up to as well as things around the industry.
  • Sage Musings blog series
  • Tutorials: Machine Learning intro is currently in development.
  • Graduate Student Engagement: First annual blast to graduate students about Zephyr activities and to welcome them to the community. Did we miss you? Add your school to our list
  • Young Professional Engagement: Young professionals have their own private slack channel to communicate about issues pertinent to them and give them latitude to ask questions they might not otherwise feel comfortable with.

Have an idea or want to help with any of these things? Let us know!

Goals for Workforce Development

Recruit

Increase awareness and create a career pathway for students interested in related university fields.

  • Create and maintain a “front door” to the community + a brand for the field
  • Host guest lecture database
  • Host useful recruitment tools and strategies

Educate

Create, disseminate, maintain, and update a list of field “fundamentals.

  • Research current education gaps
  • Identify common tools and standards
  • Create library of teaching tools and for professors who aren’t primarily travel analysts.
  • Hold tutorials and classes

Collaborate

Create and promote cross-sector, cross-institution collaborations.

  • Create fellowships modeled on Data Science for Social Good and Code for America
  • Package research developments for practitioner consumption
  • Package “calls for assistance” to other research communities

Keep

Incentivize people to come and stay in the field.

  • Curate a fun and welcoming community. Start a mentoring program.
  • Reward and recognize outstanding contributions. Develop an awards program.
  • Conduct a State of the Workforce Survey every two years to track defection, job satisfaction, skill needs, and competitor fields.