Transportation technicians are professionals who help engineers to plan highway designs and maintain bridges and roads. These individuals should be detail-oriented and have strong communication skills. If you would like to become a transportation technician, you must complete at least a year of training beyond high school, although completing two to four years of college can make you more marketable. In addition, you need to acquire field experience before applying for positions in this industry.
Someone who plans to become a transportation technician should look for a post-secondary training program that leads to a certificate, which typically lasts about a year. This constitutes a suitable alternative to completing a two-year associate degree or a four-year bachelor’s degree in the civil engineering industry, although a degree can make you more attractive to employers. Completing some higher education is necessary if you lack practical experience in this field. Certificate training programs usually require applicants to simply have a high school diploma or the equivalent certification and to fill out an enrollment application. Degree programs also ask that you submit your high school transcript and recent standardized test scores.
Training program courses will teach you the basics of the industry so that you can excel in your future job position. Some programs actually feature online classes so that you can study at your own convenience. Classes cover topics such as the proper ways to inspect how streets are erected as well as how to apply math such as geometry and algebra to construction projects — skills that you must master if you want to become a transportation technician.
Gaining hands-on experience during your educational program increases your chances of being employed in this career area. While training in the field, you need to practice using surveying and drafting equipment, which are used to measure land areas and to create illustrations of new highways, respectively. In addition, you must perform traffic counts to determine how many vehicles travel in a certain vicinity, as you need to present this information when applying to start a highway building project there. You also have to practice maintaining your technician equipment — a task required of someone who seeks to become a transportation technician.
After completing training in this field, you can apply for permanent job roles. You should ask your instructors if they know of any employers in your area that are hiring. Job opportunities often are available at government departments of transportation if you desire to become a transportation technician. To apply for these positions, you typically must submit a resume detailing your education and work experience and provide proof of having a current driver’s license for your region.
