With a shortage of civil engineers looming in Washington state and beyond, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is helping a new generation see the potential of civil engineering by offering internships to high school and college students. In late June, a second round of internships ended successfully, with constructive outcomes and positive comments from both students and WSDOT staff mentors.

Washington state’s ability to deliver infrastructure programs is being constrained by a widening shortage of civil engineers and land surveyors. This study quantified current and future workforce gaps, diagnosed their root causes, and proposed education-centered solutions.

The demand for transportation-related workforce development programs has never been greater. In addressing this issue, the 2023 and 2024 WSDOT-PacTrans Summer High School Transportation camps were a significant effort toward attracting the next generation of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals to the field of transportation.