What’s new with TAC’s Workforce Development Council

This is one in a series of six articles on TAC’s Fall Technical Meetings that were held in Edmonton on October 1 and 2, 2022. Each article will profile one council and its committees.

TAC’s Workforce Development Council welcomed 25 attendees to its first-ever face-to-face meeting.

Task Force on Developing Highly Qualified Personnel

Following a presentation by Council Chair Sean Nix, the Council approved terms of reference for a new task force that will advance the recommendations in TAC’s recently published Developing Highly Qualified Personnel for an Era of Connected and Automated Vehicles. By fall 2023, the Task Force members will consult with stakeholders inside and outside TAC, then report back to the Council with suggested priority actions for TAC’s Board of Directors, Secretariat staff, and volunteer councils and committees.

Invited speakers

The Council received an invited presentation from Emily Cheung, a member of the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB), on the Board’s objectives and processes. Council members asked questions about the latest trends in accreditation, and about how industry needs are reflected in the design of engineering programs.

The Council also heard presentations from Suzanne Woo and Nancy Badeau on the work of TAC’s Vision Zero & Safe System Subcommittee, and from Jean-François Gysel on the TAC Foundation which offers scholarships and internships for post-secondary students among its other activities.

Committee updates

The Workforce Development Council is supported by three committees that met the previous day.

The Education Committee meeting attracted 11 attendees. It featured a discussion of ways that TAC and its peer organizations engage with college and university students, and a session on transportation education with invited guests Professor Karim El-Basyouny and graduate student Maged Gouda from the University of Alberta. The committee also discussed its work with the TAC Secretariat to improve post-secondary classroom use of the Geometric Design Guide for Canadian Roads.

The Human Resources Committee meeting involved eight participants, who heard a presentation from Brittney Speed on how the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is supporting its employees through critical incident stress management. The committee also advanced its efforts on employee retention and engagement. It continues to seek new members, especially human resources practitioners from TAC member organizations who are interested in sharing information and best practices.

The Professional Development Committee attracted 12 participants and featured discussions on preparing for the knowledge impacts of the “grey wave”, maximizing the benefit of networking events for participants, and developing meaningful online training programs. The committee also continued its work on helping TAC member organizations improve their mentoring and knowledge transfer practices.

Workforce Development Council Executive volunteers

• Chair – Sean Nix (Mohawk College)
• Vice-Chair – Brittney Speed (British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure)
• Chair, Education Committee – Jon Regehr (University of Manitoba)
• Chair, Human Resources Committee – Heather Evoy (Ontario Ministry of Transportation)
• Chair, Professional Development Committee – Janelle Warren (Catalis)
• Past Chair – Jean-François Gysel (Cogytum)
• Board Liaison – Patrick Puccini (AECOM Canada)