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On Friday, the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) announced its University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program is heading the creation of a national transportation workforce development strategy. The aim: to foster a “well-trained, diverse, collaborative, multi-disciplinary and highly skilled workforce for the future,” U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) officials said in a news brief.

RITA is developing the strategy in collaboration with the Federal Transit Administration, Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Highway Administration, Maritime Administration and Council of University Transportation Centers, as well as other transportation stakeholders.

UTC program officials plan to conduct regional summits sponsored by various universities to review and discuss regional, state and local transportation workforce development needs, opportunities and best practices.

“The conclusions and recommendations of these summits will become valuable input for a national transportation workforce development strategy that will focus on not only the workforce of today, but encourage the workforce of tomorrow,” RITA officials said.

Meanwhile, the USDOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics recently released “Freight Transportation: Global Highlights 2010,” a report on worldwide freight transportation activity. The report provides an overview of trends in international freight movements among the top 25 world economies; statistics on freight activity by leading global ocean and air carriers, seaports and airports; and an overview of major trends in U.S. international goods trade, and freight and port services.

The report also examines how U.S. international freight activities compare with other nations.