ITLC Update

ITLC Welcomes New Research Assistant 

ITLC/TWC is excited to welcome our new research assistant, Michaela Boneva. Michaela holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science from Northeastern University and comes to us with previous transportation experience from her internships at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Eno Center for Transportation. Since joining the team last month, Michaela has worked on a range of research team projects, including TWC’s Resource Center and Data Dashboard, as well as case study development, blog posts, and overall support to the team. We're fortunate to have her contributing her knowledge and passion for public transportation to help advance ITLC’s mission and goals!  

Kick-Off Session Leads Charge on ATU Implementation of Large-Scale Mentor Training    

The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689 and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) kicked off the first training session for a large-scale mentorship program on June 14 at ATU 689’s office in Forestville, Maryland, with plans to place 300 new transit operator mentors. At this first session, seven enthusiastic motor coach operators were led through the interactive mentor training toward their future as mentors by the facilitator and ATU Director of Apprenticeships and Workforce Development Jamaine “G” Gibson, with support from ITLC team member Maurice Beard. 

ATU Local 689 led this effort with many contributors. Second Vice President/Safety Officer Theus Jones played a pivotal role, utilizing her connections with mentors-to-be and sharing her own experience as a motor coach operator, while Jerard Simms ensured all audio visual worked smoothly. President Raymond Jackson and Recording Secretary and Organizing Director Barry Wilson joined virtually to voice their support, as did WMATA’s Director of Bus Transportation Training Elmer Coppage Jr.    

ITLC instructional designers Dr. Chuck Hodell, Julie Deibel-Pundt, and Kristen Ribaudo are supporting this Transit Workforce Center (TWC) initiative, pulling together the best mentor training materials and practices from across the country to create a scalable, standardized program that can be used by ATU locals across the country.



For more information about this exciting program, email [email protected]. 

CUTR’s Florida Transit Safety and Operations Network Summit Meeting 

ITLC was invited to the Center for Transportation Research (CUTR), University of South Florida Professional Development Workshop & Transit Safety and Operations Summit, where team members led three sessions on June 5-7. The event was coordinated by CUTR’s Instructional/Multimedia Project Manager, Stephanie Lewis, along with the Project Manager for Florida Statewide Transit Training and Technical Assistance Program Paul Goyette, and covered topics across all facets of public transportation, including front-line worker issues, the increase in homeless passengers, new Federal drug testing parameters, and grant writings. ITLC’s Maurice Beard moderated a panel during the "Apprenticeship Programs for Bus Operators: A Joint Approach to Strengthen Retention, Recruitment, and Workforce Development” session, composed of: ATU International Director of Apprenticeship and Workforce Development Jamaine Gibson; ATU Local 1005 Apprenticeship Coordinator Alec Johnson; and Interim Assistant Director-Bus Administration, Metro Transit, Minneapolis Antoinette Brasson.  



The following day, ITLC Program Manager for Technical Training James Hall led a similar session on apprenticeship for the bus maintenance workforce, joined by: ATU’s Jamaine Gibson, Eliseo Acosta, Jr., ATU Local 265, Maintenance; and Michael Vaughn, Service Manager, City of Tallahassee-Fleet Manager-Star Metro. On the summit’s final day, James and Maurice led a session, “Preparing Your Workforce for Transition to Battery Electric Buses,” examining how to meet the challenges of preparing a workforce as agencies integrate Battery Electric Bus (BEB) technologies into their existing fleet.  

Workforce Development at APTA Rail Conference  

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Rail Conference, hosted June 11-14 in Pittsburgh, drew a large audience from rail agencies, business members, and university research programs. ITLC played a significant role in APTA's two major workforce development sessions during the conference's opening day. More than 300 people attended the morning session on “Addressing the Workforce Crisis: Strategies, Models, New Generations and Great Stories,” moderated by Collie Greenwood, CEO at MARTA (Atlanta). Leading off that panel, ITLC Board Member and Mineta Transportation Institute (San Jose State University, CA) Executive Director Karen Philbrick discussed outreach to students from kindergarten to Grade 12, describing a wide range of activities including age-appropriate learning materials, summer internships, and a nationwide competition for students. Faragis Kakar, of WSP in California, recounted her own experience as an immigrant from Afghanistan seeking a professional-level job in the U.S., similar to many immigrants coming to the U.S. with experience and credentials in fields like engineering; she noted that transportation employers concerned about labor shortages should welcome immigrants. Founder and CEO of GenZ Planet Hana Ben-Shabat spoke last, providing data and stories into how transportation employers can appeal to Gen Z, the youngest segment of our workforce.  



ITLC Executive Director Jack Clark moderated an afternoon session on “Rail Apprenticeship Programs—East Coast/West Cost: Common Goals, Proven Approaches at the MTA NYCT and the Santa Clara VTA” where Chief Operating Officer at VTA Derik Calhoun and Transportation Superintendent at VTA Steve Jovel spoke about the very successful Joint Workforce Investment (JWI) program that ATU Local 265 and VTA operate together. Through JWI, ATU and VTA have developed mentoring and apprenticeship programs for occupations including bus operator, bus mechanic, rail technician, overhead power, and signals. Chief Officer for Operations Training at MTA New York City Transit Monica DaCosta then spoke about an apprenticeship program specifically geared toward young people and Managing Partner of Knowledge Architects Sheila Jordan explained some of the innovative teaching tools that have helped accelerate learning for these apprentices. Programs in both San Jose and New York City have put a high priority on the retention of apprentices. Both panels were followed by lively audience discussion. 

ZEB Regional Subcommittee Meeting 

On June 15, ITLC’s Executive Director Jack Clark gave a presentation at the Zero Emission Bus (ZEB) Regional Subcommittee's second meeting, comprised of local transit agencies and transportation departments from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. Among those in attendance were Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland, the Maryland Department of Transportation, the District of Columbia’s Department of Transportation (which operates the DC Circulator), DASH (Alexandria, VA), and the Fairfax Connector in Northern Virginia. The subcommittee seeks to be a collective group of agencies furthering the development of regional workforce development and training efforts while raising awareness of funding and partnership opportunities and collaborating on resource-sharing. 

TWC’s Blog Launch  

This month, the Transit Workforce Center (TWC) debuted its latest online resource, the TWC Blog, featuring Transit Career Stories, Research Roundups, and TWC Research. Transit Career Stories spotlights frontline workers’ experiences, career trajectories, and their thoughts on what makes their public transportation careers exciting and beneficial. Research Roundups will highlight new publications and reports on transit workforce development, while TWC Research posts will feature original research and analysis from the ITLC/TWC team. The blog’s first story features Kyisha Bond, who is among the first to take part in IndyGo’s apprenticeship program for mechanics. Click here to view Kyisha’s story, and check out our latest blog post, presenting several agencies’ metrics on some initial transit operator mentoring program outcomes here. 

National RTAP - Presentation on Successful Strategies for Hiring  

The National Rural Transit Assistant Program (RTAP) hosted a webinar on June 15 on Successful Strategies for Hiring Rural and Tribal Transit Operators, highlighting helpful strategies to combat the obstacles many transit agencies face when recruiting and retaining drivers that can help increase the applicant pool. ITLC/TWC’s Senior Communications Specialist David Stephen had the opportunity to present on TWC’s National Recruitment Campaign and answer questions about recruitment challenges. He was joined by Executive Director of Heart of Iowa Transit Agency (HIRTA) Julia Castillo, who spoke about the changes her agency has made to its policies and procedures that have widened the applicant pool and made it easier for people to apply.   

Transit Community Partnerships: Advancing Workforce Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion Webinar 

On June 7, ITLC’s TWC partnered with the Transportation Equity Caucus (TEC) on a webinar, "Transit-Community Partnerships: Advancing Workforce Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion," part of the 2023 TEC Learning Series. After a TEC overview by Beth Berendsen of Chicago Women in the Trades, ITLC/TWC’s David Stephen introduced the presenters, who discussed a variety of ways community-based organizations, transit agencies, and unions can engage in creating a strong workforce that fully reflects their communities. Panelists were: Rich Diaz, Bus Operator Mentor Lead, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1575; Aaron Koski, Senior Manager – Workforce Development, Metro Transit (MN); Anna Penland, Assistant Transportation Manager – OECC Coordinator, Metro Transit (MN); Chris VanEyken, Director, Research and Policy, TransitCenter; and Hector Gutierrez, Manager, LA Metro's Office of Equity and Race. To view the webinar in TWC's Resource Center, click here. 

2023 CTAA Expo 

From May 21- 25th, ITLC/TWC’s Senior Communications Specialist David Stephen and Communications Associate Sudan Smith joined the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) for their 2023 Expo in Oklahoma City. David and Sudan staffed an exhibit table during the expo, and David presented a workshop on TWC’s National Transit Frontline Recruitment Toolkit and engaged in discussion with participants. 

Upcoming Webinar

Creating a Local Workforce: Use of Local and Economic Hiring Provisions 

Join the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on June 29 from 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm EST as it hosts the webinar, Creating a Local Workforce: Use of Local and Economic Hiring Provisions. Representatives from DOT and local jurisdictions will speak about the Local Hire Provisions outlined in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The session will highlight existing local hire programs in cities, as well as workforce development and other tools that can be developed to create a local hire program.

Register here to join the virtual discussion on Creating a Local Workforce. 

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