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twc@transportcenter.orgResource Center
The Transit Workforce Center is pleased to host a curated collection of publications and other materials to assist stakeholders engaged in transit workforce development. The Resource Center includes case studies, training materials, research reports, and other materials of interest, including publications produced by federal government agencies, transit organizations, and independent research entities. Resources may be filtered by topic, resource type, and transit mode. This TWC blog post explains how to use the Resource Center.
We are continuing to update the Resource Center regularly. Please contact us via the Request Help menu option if you would like assistance using the Resource Center or are looking for resources on a particular topic. We also welcome suggestions of topics or specific resources to add.
Pathway to Promote Diversity within Public Transit Workforce
Considering the transit industry’s existing diversity and inclusion toolkits and guidelines, this project emphasizes lessons from in-depth interviews with leaders from 18 transit agencies across the country. The report highlights: the critical factors that impact the current level of diversity and career mobility within transit agencies; how diversity efforts help explore resources and provide opportunities for effective and robust employee engagement; and the significance of evaluation systems in creating a more transparent recruitment process that initiates structural shifts, resulting in better recruiting.
Mineta Transportation Institute
August 2022
TOPICS: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access, Hiring and Recruitment, Policy and Planning, Program Evaluation and ROI
Bus Operators in Crisis
TransitCenter’s report, entitled Bus Operators in Crisis: The Steady Deterioration of One of Transit’s Most Essential Jobs, and How Agencies Can Turn Things Around, analyzes the nationwide phenomenon of bus operator shortages and advocates for enhanced job quality in the occupation.
TransitCenter
July 2022
TOPICS: Apprenticeship, Career Pathways, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access, Hiring and Recruitment, Retention
This resource also includes a link to a webinar hosted in July, 2022 presenting information from the report and slides from the webinar.
Bus Operators in Crisis Webinar Slides
Webinar: Operators in Crisis: How Did We Get Here?
Bus Operators in Crisis Report
How to Improve EV Battery Performance in Cold Weather
This article provides advice and recommendations to transit agencies for maintaining electric vehicle battery performance in cold weather.
Government Fleet
July 2022
TOPICS: Zero Emission Buses
Traction Power Training Consortium
The International Transportation Learning Center (ITLC) organizes multiple national training consortia to develop standards-based national training courseware for frontline occupations in public transportation organizations.
Launched by the ITLC in March 2020, the Traction Power Training develops introductory and advanced instruction-ready and interactive courses on traction power maintenance that build on APTA-approved and industry-recognized training standards. Course topics include: worker safety, troubleshooting traction power systems, power distribution, substations, overhead and third rail power distribution, and lifting and rigging operations.
International Transportation Learning Center
TOPICS: Safety and Health, Training
National Transit Frontline Worker Recruitment Campaign
Across the United States, whether large, small, urban, rural, or tribal, transit agencies are facing the challenge of recruiting and retaining drivers, mechanics, and technicians who can operate and maintain the buses of our public transit systems. To help support local transit efforts, TWC is developing the #ConnectingMyCommunity national frontline worker recruitment campaign, coordinated with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and industry, labor, and community partners from around the country.
Transit Workforce Center
July 2022
TOPICS: Apprenticeship, Career Pathways, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access, Hiring and Recruitment, Labor-Management Partnerships, Retention, Safety and Health, Trainer and Mentor Development, Training, Zero Emission Buses
Mentor Training
This workshop is designed for employees or journeyworkers designated as mentors to support on-the-job learning for apprenticeship programs. The content includes a review of mentor roles, an introduction to learning styles, and role playing exercises for the participants to practice what they learned.
Transit Workforce Center
TOPICS: Mentorship, Trainer and Mentor Development, Training
This workshop is designed for employees or journeyworkers designated as mentors to support on-the-job learning for apprenticeship programs. The content includes a review of mentor roles, an introduction to learning styles, and a facilitated discussion about communication and problem solving. The second half of the workshop includes role playing exercises for the participants to practice what they learned. The instructor leads the participants through a structured review of that experience and review of the mentoring concepts presented. The program acknowledges the wisdom of the mentors and encourages them to view themselves as ambassadors for the apprenticeship and advocates for the apprentices.
Please follow the link below for additional details and to submit a mentor training request.
Strategic Workforce Planning in Transit: Fundamentals of Mentoring
This is the third in the Transit Workforce Center’s webinar series on strategic workforce development planning in transit. Labor and management leaders from across the country discussed the impact of mentorship programs in their agencies.
Transit Workforce Center
June 2022
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This is the third in the Transit Workforce Center’s webinar series on strategic workforce development planning in transit. Labor and management leaders from across the country discussed the impact of mentorship programs in their agencies.
Mentor programs provide a powerful and effective tool for workforce development and retention. For maintenance occupations, mentors deliver hands-on training support, putting skills in diverse workplace contexts beyond the classroom. For bus operators, mentors provide guidance that addresses real world situations, building and expanding on basic training and creating ongoing support for each new operator. In every transit agency across all occupations, seasoned employees have stores of knowledge waiting to be shared. Without mentorship, this knowledge can be lost when workers retire or move on. A well-structured mentorship program, designed in partnership with the workers, ensure this expertise is passed on. Strong mentorship programs also provide mentors with leadership opportunities and mentees with the skills and confidence they need to succeed, increasing expertise and morale throughout the organization.
Linked below are a video recording of the webinar, the associated slides, and a webpage where all past TWC webinars are available.
Strategic Workforce Planning in Transit: Fundamentals of Mentoring Presentation Slides
All TWC Webinars
Bus Operator Recruitment and Retention: Confronting Obstacles and Creating Opportunity
This multimedia case study details a high-road training partnership jointly operated by Golden Gate Transit and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1575.
Transit Workforce Center; Golden Gate Transit; Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1575
June 2022
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Golden Gate Transit (GGT) serves four counties in San Francisco’s North Bay. GGT suspended approximately 90% of its commute service during COVID. As of Spring 2022, the agency was operating at roughly 50% of pre -COVID service levels, but needed to hire and retain large numbers of bus operators as ridership demand returned. To achieve this goal, a GGT and ATU labor-management partnership created a high-road training partnership that worked with local colleges and California Transit Works to establish bus operator mentorship, pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs. To guide its initiatives and actions, the partnership also examined data and asked underlying questions about the root causes of their employment challenges, resulting in reevaluating and adjusting some of its pathways to employment and hiring guidelines.
This resource contains presentation slides and video of a Golden Gate Transit/ATU presentation. The entire June 7, 2022 TWC webinar, Recruiting and Developing Today’s Transit Workforce, can be found here. It includes a question and answer session, beginning at 51:53, that covers more detail on this and other recruitment initiatives discussed in the webinar.