Our speakers included: 

• Mark Kemp, Director of Local Transport at WSP, Past President of ADEPT, and trustee of Rees Jeffreys Road Fund.
• Zahra Ali, Senior Strategic Transport Planner at London Borough of Hounslow, Rees Jeffreys Road Fund MSc bursary recipient, and selected as one of CILT (UK) Next Generation Forum’s “35 under 35” for 2023.
• Douglas Gilmour, TomTom’s Global Business Development Manager – Traffic and recipient of a Rees Jeffreys Road Fund grant to study for an MA in Transport Economics.
• Chacasta Pritlove, Google’s Cloud Head of Public Sector Transport

Top takeaways 

• Successful careers are not necessarily planned but can be the result of seizing opportunities and thinking about how to acquire skills to fill skills gaps in a team or organisation. Seek out job moves that can help you fill a skill gap. Be your authentic self and follow your interests and passions. #NoWrongPath
• Soft skills can be key to successful careers:
  • Being curious and asking questions – what, why, when, how, where, who?
  • Enthusiasm and drive.
  • Being able to communicate effectively - story telling and active listening.
  • Being innovative and creative to find solutions to problems that are effective and save money. 
• The value of networks to support learning, keep up to date in a rapidly changing world and build relationships across industries and differing parts of the transport sector. Networks can also be a source of support in times of challenge.
• Having a high-level appreciation of new technologies is valuable and will enable you to understand how you can deliver for your customers and work more effectively with specialist experts. Transport professionals will need to be able to handle the complexities of tomorrow’s tech landscape

Future skill areas

Our guest speakers highlighted several skill areas they felt will be key for transport professionals in future:

• Behavioural sciences – being able to support people to learn to change the way they use public spaces and change their model of travel.
• Climate – being able to understand the whole life cost and whole climate cost of proposals to support better decision making. Being carbon literate.
• Data science – data is integral and mission critical to transport – it’s as essential as a road or a bridge. Being able to understand metrics and measure impact.
• AI, machine learning and optimisation – transport professionals need to be able to discern true from false.
• Becoming more comfortable with uncertainty and being able to exploit scenario planning.
• Software engineering –a shortage of people skilled in software engineering and developers who can apply their skills to “wicked” transport problems.
• Business skills – the skills and commercial awareness that is acquired through studying for an MBA. 
• Using technology to better communicate can help people visualise project proposals.

How can emerging professionals upskill themselves, ready for the future?

Don’t shy away from topics that are unfamiliar – sign up for short introductory courses such as carbon literacy, AI, GIS, and other new technologies and skills.

Funding

Rees Jeffreys Road Fund is launching a new grant scheme for highways and transport professionals to support them to gain the emerging skills needed for the future in the transport sector.  

Aimed at filling the future skills gap, applicants can apply for funding to learn about things such as AI and data through to behavioural science, accessibility and inclusion. The scheme is about supporting people to add new skill areas to their existing transport skills.

Applicants can apply for funding for any type of course or level of qualification, as long as it meets the overall objective of the scheme, which is to fill skills gaps that are needed for the future of highways and transport. There are lots of examples of the type of skills and courses on our website.

The grants are aimed at people who would not otherwise be able to afford to study and who can use their newly acquired skills in an impactful way in the transport sector. The scheme is aimed at people who can contribute to the future of highways and transport in the UK.

Transport professionals at any point in their career can apply for funding.

Transport professionals can apply online, via the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund website.  They also need to send in a CV.

The deadline for applications is 4 October 2024.  

More information about the scheme is at Ready For The Future Grants - Rees Jeffreys Road Fund
Rees Jeffreys Road Fund has a separate bursary scheme for people who wish to specifically study for an MSc in transport.