CITT News

Scott Jakovich is a foundational member of the workforce development team at the Center for International Trade and Transportation (CITT) and the Project Manager in Workforce Development. His range of project management expertise and initiative plays a crucial role in the assortment of projects that the Center produces. CITT’s editorial team recently sat down with Scott to talk about his position at the Center and his outlook on the future of CITT.

Pure Culture Shock
I spent most of my professional career working as an electrical engineer designing data acquisition systems for large aerospace programs. It was interesting and leading-edge work that led to roles in sales and executive management, offering me a valuable perspective over the organization and operation of private corporate America.

Transitioning that experience over to the world of workforce development was pure culture shock. It’s a world of entrepreneurs and individuality, not common corporate allegiance. Learning to lead by cultivating individual interests, acknowledging individual contributions, and developing better and more nuanced communication skills has easily been the most valuable experience of my career.

A Week in the Life of a Workforce Development Project Manager
In a field rich with big-picture thinkers and the development and maintenance of relational partnerships, it’s important to keep focus on the objectives, timelines, deliverables, status, and other contractual details of a project. That’s the weekly job of project management.

Proudest Achievement at CITT
For me, the greatest accomplishment comes from collaborating with sharp-minded teammates to tackle new challenges, like developing grant proposals or laying out new program designs. I’m proud to be a part of our success in designing and delivering programs for FHWA, USDOT, and Caltrans.

Working With the Best to Shape the Future of Education
I’ve been really lucky to work with some of our best progressive thinkers in education and workforce development, leaders who understand the limitations of classic educational delivery and who are working to improve the way we learn. I’m excited to play a small part in helping to innovate the learning systems of tomorrow.

Expanding the Reach of CITT
I think CITT has uniquely established itself at the center of regional trade and transportation, in terms of delivering relevant industry research, establishing critical public/private partnerships, and impacting student career development across the K-16 continuum. As we work to expand the scope and reach of CITT across California and the nation, my goal is to help us scale to meet that expansion in a way that keeps our core culture and unique talents at the heart of everything we do.

The Power of a Team-Focused Mindset
Throughout my career in workforce, industry has repeatedly shared one common sentiment: the education and training are nice, but we need candidates who know “how” to work--knowing how to apply what you know to solve day-to-day problems, knowing how to communicate with your team/supervisor, understanding your role in the larger context of an organization, and being responsible for the quality and timeliness of your work. These are skills that will set you apart from the pack. Often thought of as “soft skills,” I see this more as making an intentional shift away from the self-focused mindset of the student journey to a team-focused mindset of an invested and reliable collaborator.

Screen-Free Decompression
With so much of our time spent behind a desk, my wife and I try to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible. That includes walks along Dana Point Harbor with our two huskies, running 5K’s (with our two huskies), and generally hiking around SoCal.