Schaub, J. G.

English

Purdue E-Pubs

The Highway Career Plan in MichiganJ. G. S chaubSpecial Assignment Engineer Michigan State Highway Department Lansing, MichiganThe Michigan State Highway Department has since 1949 carried on an engineering training program called “The Highway Career Plan,” which we feel has been very successful in recruiting and retaining engineers for our increasing highway program. A total of 111 graduate engineers have entered this program up to January 1, 1953 with 87 of this total still with the department. Most of those who did not stay with the department were from the first class in 1949. Of those entering the program since August 1, 1950, only two have resigned from our employment.We experienced the same problem and difficulty in recruiting and holding engineers that most all highway departments were faced with after the war, and especially in 1949 and 1950, in the face of compe­tition from industry and other sources. All personnel in state employ­ment in Michigan is under the jurisdiction of the Civil Service Com­mission which was established by constitutional amendment. Classifi­cation of positions and salaries are under their control. The Civil Service Commission has been very cooperative in reviewing engineer­ing salaries and there have been a number of increases which have helped the situation, but salaries paid by industry are still generally higher than our established rates.EN G IN EERIN G  STUDENT PLANIn order to attract graduates from engineering schools in Michi­gan, the State Highway Department, in cooperation with the Civil Service Commission, worked out the highway career plan or trainee program. This program begins with a student plan, under which engineering students may obtain engineering work with the State Highway Department during their summer vacations. Freshmen en­ter this plan at $218 per month, sophomores at $224, juniors at $240. They are required to pass a Highway Engineering Aid B civil service examination and are placed in bridge or road construction crews, road survey parties or assist in aggregate inspection under the Test­ing and Research Division. If their assignments take them away from9798home, they are allowed an additional four dollars per diem expense. This student plan has been helpful in encouraging engineering stu­dents to become interested in highway engineering, to complete their college courses and later obtain employment with the State Highway Department, county road commissions or municipalities.GRADUATE ENG IN EER PLAN The graduate engineer plan under the trainee program begins after the engineer has completed his engineering course. He is re­quired to pass a civil service Engineer Trainee I examination and his starting salary is $334 per month plus the four dollars per diem additional expense allowance when away from home on assignments. The trainee program consists of one year of extensive rotational on- the-job practical work. It is emphasized to the trainee that he already has the ability and capabilities of the graduate engineer and needs only obtain practical work experience and knowledge of highway organiza­tion and operation. To accomplish this he is assigned in seven separate functional sections of the department during his first year. Each cycle lasts seven weeks and the trainee performs the same duties as is expected of other employees of the squad or party. These duties are varied or rotated as much as possible by his immediate supervisor thus broadening his experience. It also enables his supervisor to determine his outstanding characteristics and abilities. A performance rating is given in each assignment. This covers job intelligence which includes a variable number of work items that are applicable to the individual section concerned. It also includes job aptitude ratings which cover work quantity, work quality, work attitude and work habits.GENERAL SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNM ENTS There is no standard procedure for handling the trainee in the different operating sections. Each has devised its own method in utilizing the services of the trainee during the seven weeks of his assignment. In general the following practices are observed.Bridge Construction. Trainee is assigned to an active bridge project under immediate supervision of a bridge project engineer. Usually larger type projects are selected and, without hindering progress, the trainee is given an opportunity to perform the various duties or jobs encountered. No set plan is followed and the practical experience gained on the job plus close observation of the individual abilities and capabilities are the determining factors in grading his seven week service rating.99Bridge Design. Each trainee is assigned to a separate bridge design squad leader. He is usually given a third or fourth priority structure which he handles from beginning to end. Each phase of design is processed as usual for approval so that plans completed in seven weeks are usually final. Trainees do not participate in squad work on the board. The seven weeks allows them just about sufficient time to complete their job if it has been reasonably simple and with­out too many changes.Road Construction. Similar to the set-up in bridge construction.Road Design. Trainees are assigned to a squad of their own under the immediate supervision of an experienced squad leader. A third or fourth priority job is developed from beginning to end, allowing approximately one plan sheet per man. A progress schedule is maintained covering all common items in the complete production of a set of road plans. Seven weeks is just sufficient time to complete the above layout satisfactorily.Road Surveys. An all trainee survey party functions on survey assignments under the immediate supervision of a regular survey chief. An effort is made to keep job assignments typical, and mem­bers of the party rotate performing the various duties. The only special consideration given this party over other survey parties is that job progress schedules are more elastic.Maintenance. A trainee is transferred to maintenance and assigned to two different type districts during his seven week period. In each district he gains experience by working in a garage as helper on varied operations such as equipment repair, servicing, material inspection, checking and reports. He then works with a field crew on tree trimming, gravel re-surfacing, ditching, patching, crack filling, snow and ice removal blading and other maintenance crew activities. In the sign shop he becomes familiar with size, shape and type of signs and paint material used. He spends some time with county maintenance superintendents on general organization and administra­tion. About one week is spent in one of the district offices to get the overall picture of maintenance operations.Planning and Traffic. A combination of group schooling, special problems and individual practical training in the various sections of this division, constitute the course in the Planning and Traffic Divi­sion. Two weeks are spent in the field with a district Planning and Traffic Engineer.Testing and Research (Soils). In this section the engineer trainee is assigned for seven weeks to one of our districts under the100supervision of the District Soils Engineer. An effort is made to acquaint the trainee in the procedure of the following operations:Identification of soil profiles, making soil maps, swamp and peat soundings, borrow surveys, soil survey reports, grade check of plans for soil and drainage design and problems, sub-grade inspection and check during construction, bridge borings and studies, office reports, files, organization and administration. By assisting the District Soils Engineer, the trainee is given as much practical work as possible. Thus there are eight classifications of work assignments, which allows some flexibility in assigning the trainee for the seven cycles of his one year training period.At the end of the year covering the seven cycles of various depart­mental assignments the trainee is eligible for an Engineer Trainee II rating which begins at $355 per month and by step increases over an eighteen month period rises to $379 per month. He must pass the civil service Engineer Trainee II  examination. Depending upon his aptitudes, his interest and personal desires he is placed in one of the department divisions on regular assignment.The salary range for the regular Engineer Class II  is from $379 per month with step increases over a four year period, automatically received for satisfactory work performance, to $443 per month. Future promotions of course are dependent on the individual s ability, his initiative and his attitude toward his work. Table I illustrates various engineering classifications up to and including Class VII.RESULTSAs pointed out in the beginning of this discussion, the department up to January 1, 1953, has gained 87 engineers, as a result of this program. The bulk of these men have expressed a preference for road and bridge design or construction, although 15 of them are working in other divisions such as planning and traffic, maintenance, testing and research and on special assignments. The largest number of resignations from the trainee program were from the first class and occurred mostly in 1950 and 1951 when there was such a rapid increase in salaries offered by industry and others, and our Civil Service salary rates had not been raised.The Michigan State Highway Department has also over a period of many years with the cooperation of our engineering schools, sent representatives to meet with the various classes to explain the highway engineering work and possibilities of a career in that field. The es­tablishment of the trainee program has been very helpful in interest­ing the young men in engineering schools in a highway engineeringcareer.1 0 1PLAN FOR H IGH SCHOOL GRADUATESA further step in this direction was taken this year as a result of an offer from the University of Michigan to set aside one eight week period at its Camp Davis Surveying summer school at Jackson, Wyoming, for qualified high school graduates. The Michigan State Highway Department and the Michigan Road Builders Association cooperated with the University of Michigan in working out this plan. High school graduates who have completed a course in trigonometry and are able to meet entrance requirements at the University of Michigan Department of Civil Engineering, are required to pass a Michigan Civil Service Examination for Engineering Aide B, to qualify for the summer school.The Michigan Road Builders Association is providing a grant in the amount of $100 for each applicant accepted for this summer sur­veying camp, which represents approximately one-half of the mini­mum cost for eight weeks maintenance, tuition and transportation to and from the camp at Jackson, Wyoming. There has been an excel­lent response and it is anticipated that the enrollment will be filled for the first school this coming summer. Enrollment and completion of this summer surveying course will enable the student to start work- with the Michigan State Highway Department under the student plan during summer months at a salary of $240 per month rather than1 the normal beginning student plan salary of $218 per month. Students who complete this summer surveying camp program and then decide to continue the study of civil engineering at the University of Michi­gan, when admitted, will be given credit for work successfully com­pleted at the camp. Other engineering schools in Michigan are dis­playing interest in this summer surveying camp plan. We feel that this plan will interest many young men in following through with a highway engineering course in college and a future career.EXPANDED HIGHW AY PROGRAMIn 1951, the legislature of the State of Michigan increased the gasoline taxes from three cents to four and one-half cents per gallon and increased the license fees and weight tax on certain classes of commercial trucks bringing in additional revenue for highway pur­poses. Together with the increases in revenues the legislature in Act 51, provided for the distribution of this motor vehicle highway fund to the State Highway Department, county road commissions and incorporated cities and villages. It also provided for the administra­tion and expenditure of the revenues under the direction of the state highway commissioner. This legislation is one of the most outstand­ing in the country for the administration and control of state collected1 0 2revenues and the coordination of state highway department with the local agencies. This entire program was developed as a result of an intense engineering study of highway needs in Michigan under the auspices of the Good Roads Federation. The State Highway Depart­ment, county road commissions, municipalities, Bureau of Public Roads, user groups and legislative representatives cooperated in carrying out this study and rendering the final report. All of this provided for an increased program of road and street construction in the state which required an increase in the engineering personnel of all agencies. Under conditions prevailing for the past several years with the extreme shortage of engineers and higher rates of pay offered by industry, we would not be able to carry out our stepped up high­way programs without the help of the trainee program we have instituted. We feel we have developed a group of young engineers in our trainee program who will be capable of advancing in the depart­ment and provide us with future leaders in this field.TABLE I Former and New*Monthly Salary Rates for Engineering Classes in the Michigan State Classified ServiceClass Begin­- End of End of End of End of End ofLevel Rate ning 1 year 18 Mos. 2 yrs. 3 yrs. 4 yrs.I Old 300 320 330 340 350 360New 334 355 366 377 387 398II Old 345 365 375 385 395 405New 379 401 411 422 433 443Ila Old 375 395 405 415 425 435New 411 433 443 454 465 475III Old 415 445 460 475 490 505New 452 484 500 516 532 548I lia Old 450 480 495 510 525 540New 486 519 535 551 567 583IV Old 500 530 545 560 575 590New 540 572 588 604 620 636IVa Old 545 575 590 605 620 635New 588 620 636 652 668 684V Old 605 655 680 705 730 755New 652 706 733 759 786 813Va Old 670 720 745 770 795 820New 722 775 802 829 856 882VI Old 740 790 815 840 865 890New 797 850 877 904 931 957VII Old 875 925 950 975 1000 1025New 941 995 1021 1048 1075 1102* Adopted by Civil Service Commission December 13, 1951. EffectiveJanuary 13, 1952.

The Highway Career Plan in Michigan

https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2707&amp;context=roadschool

The Highway Career Plan in Michigan

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Purdue E-Pubs