THE ENGINEER-IN-TRAINING PROGRAM
To be considered for ODOT's EIT Program, applicants must possess a bachelor of science in Civil Engineering and have registered to take, or have taken the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination administered by the Ohio Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors. Previous engineering experience is strongly encouraged.
ODOT established the Engineer-In-Training (EIT) program to provide entry-level engineering applicants a thorough introduction to the department’s core engineering disciplines. By passing down the knowledge of seasoned engineers through a balance of continued education and hands-on transportation experience in Planning, Production, Construction, and Highway Management, the 12 month training program helps ensure each participant matures professionally. Each year, EIT employment opportunities are available at ODOT districts throughout the state, as well as the Central Office, offering a varying degree of projects in appealing geographic locations.
EIT TRAINING
Your professional development and career goals are important to ODOT. The EIT Program remains educational-in-scope taking into consideration your cumulative experience and engineering interests while developing a supervised training plan. In preparing for succession planning and your career ladder, the EIT Program provides exposure to the core disciplines of ODOT engineering including planning, production, highway management, and construction. The following is a brief description of each area of emphasis:
PLANNING/PRODUCTION: Technical services; urban and corridor planning; systems analysis; research and development; roadway safety and mobility; geotechnical engineering; CADD design; environmental services; real estate inspection.
HIGHWAY MANAGEMENT: Traffic studies; lighting and sign placement; roadside rest area design; maintenance and management; interface with county operational activities; bridge maintenance; inspection and upkeep.
CONSTRUCTION: Construction administration; materials management and testing; resurfacing; contractor compliance; supervision of projects; plan and design approvals.
SAMPLE EIT TRAINING PLAN
A 12 month training schedule is uniquely designed for each EIT upon hire. It is important to note that training schedules and rotations are unique and will vary in length and exposure depending upon the new employee's previous engineering experience, the district/division's workload, and future plans for the EIT. The following schedule is an example of one EIT's training rotation.
DAY 1: ORIENTATION: January 3, 2011
Report to Central Office for Session 1 Orientation.
13 WEEKS: PRODUCTION: January 4, 2011 - April 5, 2011
EIT will be assigned to a design team for an active project. The project selected will allow the EIT to gain familiarity with ODOT processes involving: Hydraulics, Pavement Design, Structural Design, Right of Way, Acquisitions, General Roadway Design, Microstation/Geopak, Plan Review, and Surveying
13 WEEKS: CONSTRUCTION: April 6, 2011 - July 6, 2011
The EIT will be assigned to the District Construction Office to become familiar with the current process for administering ODOT construction contracts. Experiences will include: Overall contract administration process; CMS and TMS procedures; familiarity with ODOT construction manuals and procedures; change order process; audit process; district construction office processes; construction materials testing process.
13 WEEKS: HIGHWAY MANAGEMENT: July 7,2011- October 6, 2011
EIT’s assignment will be determined at the time of entry into this department and will be based upon what items need to be addressed at that time. This assignment and any future assignment in the Highway Management area will introduce the EIT to the functions of a section which has the responsibility to maintain our district's highway infrastructure. They will involve working with the District Highway Management Staff and the County Managers. The EIT will also work with the County Managers and Roadway Service Manager in assessing and evaluating actual pavement conditions and PCR numbers to ensure confidence in their consistency and their relationship to routine maintenance operations. During this phase of the training the EIT will work under the direct supervision of two P.E.’s
13 WEEKS: PLANNING/PROGRAMS OFFICE: October 7, 2011 - January 6, 2012
NOTE: This rotation includes a 2-day attendance to the Ohio Transportation Engineering Conference (OTEC), October 25-26, 2011
EIT's major assignment in the District Planning and Programs Office will be to assist the Studies Engineer with the Traffic related studies. During this assignment EIT will become familiar with the following activities conducted by personnel in the Planning and Program Office: District Work Plan requirements; ODOT funding requirements; Project purpose and need Reports; Programming functions; Program Administration; Liaison with local political agencies; Environmental requirements for projects; Bridge inspection and inventory functions including: BR-86 (inspection) processing, BR-87 (inventory) processing, BARS bridge rating, bridge hydraulic studies, Superload and overload permit function, and Bridge maintenance methods. TRAFFIC STUDIES: Processing traffic counts, maintenance of traffic in Work Zone studies, synchro analysis, Querwz-92 analysis, signal warrant analysis, accident studies, speed warrant analysis, no parking zone analysis, signal design, construction, and operation, rate of return analysis.