On February 23rd, Center staff joined Jim Reid of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM & AW) for a tour of the Transportation Communications Union/International Association of Machinists (TCU/IAM) - Job Corps campus in Southwest Washington, DC. During the tour, Job Corps staff members introduced how the program helps prepare young people for careers in the transportation sector. The TCU/IAM Advanced Training Program immerses students in an atmosphere where they are able to learn the soft-skills necessary to succeed in a transportation industry position at the same time they are receiving the technical training and earning certifications for the career path of their choice. As students advance through the program, TCU/IAM works with their nationwide network of employers and contacts, offering assistance in finding internships, and ultimately, a well-paying job.
After the tour, Center staff sat down to discuss ways the two organizations can find synergies in our work. The Center looks forward to helping connect Job Corps graduates with transit employers in its network. The two organizations will also explore the possibility to integrate components of the Center's Transit Core Competencies Curriculum (TC3) into the Job Corps program. TC3 serves as a bridge leading from general academic and personal competencies developed in school or through workforce development programs to specifically transportation and transit-focused training and education.
For more information about the TCU/IAM Advanced Training Program, visit: http://tcu.jobcorps.gov/, for more information about our Transit Core Competencies Curriculum (TC3) contact Pat Greenfield at: [email protected].
The Center Will Be Presenting at the NTI Transit Trainers' Workshop
March 26-28, 2017 Nashville, TN
Reminder: Join us and over 200 transit professionals at the only national event focused on training in the transit industry. During the conference, the Center will be delivering three workshops and providing information about our various training consortia and other services at our conference display. Our workshops include a half-day "boot-camp" version of our very well received "Train-the-Trainer" course, an information session on implementing competency-based apprenticeships, and a presentation on a newly developed, competency-based bus apprenticeship framework. Visit the National Transit Institute's website to register and for further information.
In her speech Chao said economic gains that the transportation system brought in the past are now "jeopardized by infrastructure in need of repair, the specter of rising highway fatalities, growing congestion and by a failure to keep pace with emerging technologies."
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao hit the brakes on the big Caltrain project after all 14 Republicans in the California congressional delegation asked that the government first audit the state's high-speed rail effort. Republicans are hoping to kill the bullet-train project, which would need an electrified line up the Peninsula to make it all the way to San Francisco.
The Bridj project was a bit different, in that it used unionized transit employees driving American Disabilities Act-compliant vehicles. "I think this was a bridge to inspiring a lot of transit agencies to start looking at public-private partnership," says Susan Shaheen, a UC-Berkeley civil engineer who studies mobility innovation. The results, however, prove the model needs revising, and a lot more data.
"Capital Metro's board of directors today approved the agency's Connections 2025 draft transit plan, allowing the agency to move forward with a bold, new vision for its transit system," reports the Capital Metro's blog.
A new report and recommendation released by Seattle's King County Executive Dow Constantine shows how Metro Transit could completely transition the bus fleet to zero-emission powered by renewable energy between 2034 and 2040.
The future of transportation in Boston includes fewer cars on the road, heavy reliance on public transit, and lots of so-called microhubs, one-stop access points where commuters can share a bus, bike, or car.
The project is aimed at maintaining the historical significance of the 1940s-era cars while keeping them viable for the next decade, MBTA officials said in a press release.
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Paul Wiedefeld yesterday released a revised fiscal-year 2018 budget plan that eliminates some previously proposed service cuts.
"SEPTA's Sustainability Program has helped the Authority save millions of dollars in operating costs," said SEPTA Board Chairman Pasquale T. Deon. "It has also been extremely valuable in positioning SEPTA to be competitive in grant programs for new initiatives."
San Francisco's over-budget and oversize $2.4 billion Transbay Transit Center will open in December - but it's going to cost an estimated $20 million a year to run the place, and no one knows where all the money will come from.
Following a disastrous launch, Santiago's ambitious Transantiago network became widely hated across Chile's capital city. But a determined group of transit fans is trying to rescue it.
The letter, which was signed by 285 bus transit systems from 49 states, includes many systems from less populated areas that have seen a decline in federal resources and face a growing backlog of older buses and facilities.
Department of Transportation officials on Monday explained to the Senate Finance Committee Governor Jim Justice's proposal to sell $2.8 billion of infrastructure bonds for highways construction. Justice's plan would include continuing and increasing tolls on the West Virginia Turnpike for 20 years as well as increasing the gas tax and the DMV vehicle registration fees.
Nearly 90 percent of public transit trips impact the economy by connecting people to employers, retail and entertainment venues, according to a recent study by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).
A bill authorizing up to $1 billion in bonding over four years to speed up transportation projects passed the Senate 28-0 Monday and is headed to the House. The sponsor of SB277, Sen. Wayne Harper, R-Taylorsville, said it will be up to the Utah Transportation Commission to choose the projects that will give the state the "biggest bang for the buck."
Maybe the automation of jobs will eventually create new, better jobs. Maybe it will put us all out of work. But as we argue about this, work is changing.
