Get your resume: Caltrans has 1,100 job openings

Attention job seekers: It’s a good time to send a resume to California’s transportation department.

Caltrans has more than 1,100 job openings this summer in wide a range of white collar and blue collar careers. It’s making the rounds at dozens of career fairs at universities and military bases to spread the word.

“We’re constantly hiring,” said Michelle Tucker, the department’s chief of human resources.

Caltrans recruiters are expected to attend two job fairs in San Luis Obispo in the next few months. They will be at the Cal Poly Fall Career Fair from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sept. 27 and 28 and will be at the Cal Poly Winter Career Fair from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Jan. 24 and 25.

The jobs are available all over the state, with high concentrations near hubs of Los Angeles, Fresno, Marysville and Oakland.

To apply for jobs with Caltrans, go to the state’s human resources website, jobs.ca.gov. State jobs tend to require some kind of exam; in most cases, it’s a written description of an applicant’s work experience.

Two trends are driving the department’s hiring spree.

First, Caltrans has a somewhat older workforce than most other state departments and it’s seeing a wave of baby boomers retire.

Second, it’s planning for a heftier workload while it prepares for a slate of projects that are to be funded through the state’s new transportation tax. The tax, a 12-cent increase to the state’s base gasoline tax, is expected to deliver an additional $52 billion in funding for transportation projects over the next 10 years.

“We’re having a real focus on making sure we are recruiting and are ready to process this increased workload,” Tucker said.

The department is in the market for civil engineers, electrical engineers, surveyors, right-of-way agents and environmental planners.

It also has about 250 openings for blue collar maintenance, mechanic and heavy equipment operator positions. The department has apprenticeships for some of those jobs.

This story was originally published August 7, 2017 at 1:42 PM with the headline "Get your resume: Caltrans has 1,100 job openings."