MDOT’s Transportation Career Pathways program reports early hiring results and outreach to 48,000 students

Nathan Anselman, MDOT’s transportation career pathways coordinator, told the commission on Aug. 1 that MDOT’s Transportation Career Pathways program has completed its second summer cycle and reported early hiring outcomes and extensive K–12 outreach.

Anselman described two program components: a summer workforce program (for individuals age 18+ with a driver’s license to gain hands-on field experience) and an educational outreach effort aimed at career counselors, career tech centers and students. He said the program seeks to recruit workers for positions that typically require a high school diploma, certification or license rather than a four-year degree, notably transportation maintenance workers and transportation technicians, which the presentation said represent about 30% of MDOT’s workforce.

Program outcomes presented to the commission included: in summer 2024, 23 participants across five regions led to two full-time MDOT hires and one seasonal maintenance hire; in the most recent summer program staff hired 17 participants and reported one participant accepted for an interview for a potential full-time position this fall. Staff also reported the outreach program reached roughly 48,000 students during the most recent academic year by attending career fairs, construction career events, the Michigan Career Educational Conference for career-technical teachers and targeted career-technical center visits.

Anselman said the program is intended to introduce young people to transportation careers (maintenance, materials testing, surveying and related roles), to partner with industry employers and to build a pipeline to the broader transportation industry beyond MDOT.

Commissioners commended the outreach; no formal action was taken.