Center for Local Aid Support (CLAS)

E-Learning Courses Launched for Local and Tribal Agencies

CLAS’s e-learning courses increased professional development options for transportation professionals.

Transportation professionals in local and tribal agencies now have more options for professional development. The Center for Local Aid Support launched eight e-learning modules on the Every Day Counts initiative “Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP).”

The STEP modules are the first in a growing portfolio of web-based training that focuses on innovative technologies and hot topics. The Center for Local Aid Support is committed to empowering transportation professionals with the skills necessary to deploy new innovations that keep transportation moving into the future. These new e-learning courses allows us to add another way to meet this commitment.

The courses are conducted 100 percent online and are on-demand, allowing users to learn at their own pace and on their own time. Additional topics are coming in 2021. The courses can be accessed on the CLAS website. If you have questions, please contact us at CLAS@dot.gov.

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Building Communities of Thought and Creativity through a ‘Mousetrap’

The phrase, “Build a Better Mousetrap” is not what you think! In transportation, it means going outside the box to solve problems. Each year, FHWA and Local Technical Assistance Program Centers celebrate local agencies all over the country who are building a better mousetrap in their communities. Recently, FHWA recognized four local agencies for their creative solutions to transportation issues. Niles, NY used a simple steel basket to stop flooding along their roadways; Mohave County, AZ developed a mobile application to improve their culvert inspection program; Arapahoe County, AZ discovered the “Jaws of Life” to speed up repairs of damaged culverts; and, in LaMoure County, ND, persistence paid off to improve maintenance of their roadways.

The Build a Better Mousetrap booklet recognizes agencies who find innovative solutions.

Recognizing local agencies not only shines a spotlight on the public service they provide to residents, it also encourages other agencies to move away from the standard ways of conducting business. There are several ways this happens.

1. Motivation: Local agencies who see how others are solving problems begin to look for more innovative ways to address their own challenges. They begin to build a culture of innovation within their agencies.
2. Collaboration: Local agencies can lean on each other for ideas. Sharing stories through peer exchanges and presentations is a great way to network and learn from each other. Agencies who are spotlighted as building a better mousetrap can serve as a resource to others.
3. Improve the way of doing business: Local agencies can truly benefit when it comes to saving time and money while improving the efficiency of a process.
4. Public benefit: The public benefits when a more efficient, fiscally responsible and safer environment is created through creativity and innovative thought.

The FHWA’s Center for Local Aid Support (CLAS) serves as one of several conduits for collaboration among local agencies, through bi-weekly Innovation Exchange webinars, quarterly e-newsletters, and participation in partner virtual events. For more information, visit the Build a Better Mousetrap website. And, be sure to sign up for our e-newsletters.

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