A new survey of educators has revealed how they look at transport skills, revealing that only 5% mentioned data & technology when asked about roles in transport.

Organised as part of Project ROUTE, an initiative that is looking to engage 10,000 students in order to promote digital skills in transport, the survey was taken at one of DigData’s (the delivery body for Project ROUTE) Educator Webinars.

Hosted by Rachel Keane, Founder of DigData, the webinar heard from Sam Rose OBE, Director of Data and Advanced Analytics, Department for Transport (DfT) and Helen Stone, Principal Data Scientist, National Highways, both of whom shared their advice, insights and the growing opportunities available within transport, technology and data-careers.

Views from Educators

With 193 educators in attendance and a further 84 having watched the session later on, the interactive surveys led to some perhaps unsurprising, but still interesting results which underscore the importance of initiatives like Project ROUTE.

When asked what comes to mind when thinking of careers in transport, only 5% of respondents mentioned data & technology with nearly three quarters of responses mentioning logistics and supply chains, engineering and infrastructure and driving and operations.

The second question suggested many educators were not aware that data-driven careers in transport existed.

Furthermore, responses also suggest that teachers and educators don’t believe their students are aware of data and digital careers in transport either.

One area the webinars look to improve is perception of the sector. It was positive to see educators were more aware of digital and data careers in transport, more willing to discuss these careers with students, and genuinely interested in the resources and engagements Project ROUTE offers.

Project ROUTE picking up pace

With Project ROUTE gearing up for its official launch, in September, the webinar was highly valuable in providing insights for the programme.

It was also a great opportunity to display the range of free educational resources available to schools. Teachers are encouraged to support GCSE students to begin with Digdata’s Key Stage 4 classroom resources before progressing to employer-led career challenges developed alongside organisations such as National Highways. The session explored how DigData works with volunteers from industry to bring authentic workplace experiences into classrooms.

hese results paint an encouraging picture. While true that awareness of tech careers in transport is low, the results show precisely why ITS UK and DigData launched Project ROUTE and that we are on the right track in how Project ROUTE attempts to raise awareness to attract talent.

It is also fantastic to see so much interest in the resources. From Futures Events, to onsite data days and online careers challenges, Project ROUTE will be empowering teachers and educators throughout the country with the tools to engage students in future careers in the sector.

Get involved

Project ROUTE brings together Digdata’s expertise in engaging young people with data careers and ITS UK’s leadership within the transport technology sector. Together, it is creating a programme that will reach 10,000 students across the UK, provide 5,000 work experience opportunities and support the creation of 100 high-quality industry placements.

There are opportunities for partners to sign up, by September 2026.