News & Events

The Workforce Development Institute (WDI) provides professional training and continuing education for Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington State’s (Region 10) transportation workforce and also STEM education opportunities to K-12 students.

June 30, 2025

Exploring Spokane’s Streets: Active Transportation & Complete Streets Field Course Highlights

On June 18, 2025, fourteen participants gathered in downtown Spokane, Washington for the Field Course in Active Transportation Safety and Complete Streets Design instructed by transportation engineers, Chris Breiland and Marissa Milam, at Fehr & Peers. After a brief overview of key active transportation design concepts, the group hit the streets for a sunny walking tour of the city’s pedestrian, […]

June 17, 2025

PacTrans WDI Attends TRB Workforce Development Conference

PacTrans WDI staff attended the TRB National Summit on the Future of the Transportation Workforce in the first week of June in Westminster, Colorado. Melissa Amrhein, Assistant Director of the PacTrans Workforce Development Institute, presented an update on the annual Washington Transportation Camp, sponsored by WSDOT and PacTrans, and hosted by the University of Washington and […]

June 7, 2025

June Newsletter

TRB Workforce Summit + MUTCD 11th Edition Update

May 24, 2025

PacTrans WDI Hosts Workshop to Address Transportation Workforce Challenges in Washington State

With support from Washington State proviso funding and in partnership with the Washington State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors and the Washington State Association of County Engineers, the PacTrans WDI and TRAC have completed a comprehensive engineering pathway study. This study identifies critical workforce challenges facing the state’s transportation sector and […]

May 22, 2025

Walking & Riding in WDI’s “Field Course in Active Transportation Design!”

On May 21, 2025, twenty-five participants gathered on beautiful spring day in Seattle, Washington, for a hands-on learning experience as part of the PacTrans WDI’s “Field Course in Active Transportation Design”. Attendees explored real-world applications of active transportation principles in two of Seattle’s most dynamic neighborhoods: University District and Capitol Hill. The course attracted a […]

May 16, 2025

Strong Turnout for Intro & Intermediate Data Courses — Get Ready for the Advanced Session in Fall 2025!

In May, Dr. Ryan Avery, Deputy Director of the Washington State Transportation Center (TRAC) at the University of Washington, taught both Introduction and Intermediate Transportation Data Analysis Courses for the PacTrans Workforce Development Institute (WDI). For the Introduction to Transportation Data and Analysis Tools course, ten students actively participated in discussions on data, geographic information […]

May 1, 2025

PacTrans Hosts Second Offering of “AI 101” for Transportation Professionals

In response to the increasing demand for knowledge and practical skills in artificial intelligence (AI) among transportation professionals, the PacTrans Workforce Development Institute (WDI) launched a short course titled “AI 101: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence for Transportation Professionals.” Following the overwhelming response to the first session held in February— which quickly reached full capacity—PacTrans organized […]

March 20, 2025

Register for Transportation Data and Analysis Tools courses now!

Transportation planning and engineering professionals must now be fluent in data management and analysis techniques to ensure the proper application and interpretation of data to support decision-making processes.