U.S. Department of Transportation

GARRETT A. MORGAN

Technology and Transportation Futures Program
"Educating Tomorrow's Transportation Workforce."

TALKING TO STUDENTS ABOUT
TRANSPORTATION CAREERS

Grades 9-12

Talking Points

Message: Transportation is something which children use in their everyday activities. For example, they use it to get to school, to go to their friends' houses, to participate in after school activities. The transportation system they use requires many people to make it work. The things they are learning in school are important to using the transportation system and working in the transportation area. To make them aware of how important math, science, and technology are to the field of transportation and of opportunities in transportation, Secretary Slater has initiated the Garrett A. Morgan Technology and Transportation Futures Program.

• Who Am I? (Describe where you work and what you do).

• What is Transportation?
  • Can you give me examples of the different types of transportation we use?
  • Do you know what kinds of jobs are in the transportation industry?

• What Do You Need to Learn?
  • You need to learn math, science and technology to:
    • get an interesting job that pays well;
    • design and build cars, ships, airplanes, bridges and roads;
    • pilot ships and airplanes;
    • manage transportation systems - with traffic signals and travel routes;
    • understand the impact of transportation on the environment;
    • solve everyday transportation problems - with mass transit;
    • explore new transportation technology - the Global Positioning System;
    • improve international trade - the global economy requires worldwide transit.

• Why I am Here
  • In January, President Clinton gave the State of the Union Address. In his address, he said he wants all Americans to have the best education in the world. That is his number one priority.
  • My boss, Transportation Secretary Slater cares very much about your education, because he needs workers for the 21st century, people who have the skills and the desire to be pilots, or truck drivers, or railroad engineers. He needs good people to build highways; to work in automobile plants; to build airplanes and to server our country in the U.S. Coast Guard.
  • So he wants to get 1 million students thinking about pursuing transportation careers. In May, Secretary Slater kicked-off the Garrett A. Morgan Technology and Transportation Futures Program.
  • How may of you know who Garrett A. Morgan is? Garrett Morgan was an African-American inventor. When he was born, he was not free to pursue a quality education. While slavery had ended, African-Americans could not find jobs, they could not vote, and although he attended school he completed his education in the 6th grade. But Garrett Morgan was determined not to be defeated by the hardships that surrounded him. He started his own business. He established his own community newspaper. He invented tools that helped make transportation safer.
  • One of Garrett Morgan's greatest inventions was the automated three-phase traffic signal. This signal laid the foundation for managing traffic flows in the 20th century, and while this technology has been electrified, and then computerized, it has never been replaced. Garrett Morgan had the ability to see beyond his day to the scientific future. As we near the 21st century, we must work to ensure that you also have the math, science and technology skills needed to run the transportation systems of tomorrow.
  • Did you know that one in seven jobs in America is transportation related?
  • The Morgan Program will help all students, from preschoolers to professionals, to improve their math, science and technology literacy skills. And although you're not quite ready to get a job you can start thinking about "What I want to be when I grow up."
  • You can start by taking school seriously and building on your math and science skills you have already learned.