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National Traction Power Training Consortium Hosted by Metro Transit
Nineteen traction power subject matter experts (SMEs) from ten transit agencies convened for the third in-person consortium meeting on September 18-22, hosted by Metro Transit, a service of the Metropolitan Council, Minneapolis/St. Paul. ITLC’s Program Manager Amri Joyner and Instructional Designer Brandon Liu led the meeting which was held at Metro Transit. The consortium, meeting at the Green Line Operations and Maintenance Facility in St. Paul, opened with warm welcoming remarks by Metro Transit’s Deputy General Manager and Chief Operating Officer Brian Funk, ATU Local 1005 President Ryan Timlin, and Metro Transit’s Director of Rail Systems Maintenance Carlos Canchola.
| Traction Power SMEs visit Metro Transit’s Blue Line Maintenance Facility | |
Metro Transit’s Manager of Rail Training and Development Ona Pradhan helped plan the entire week, arranging for the group to use three training rooms for full group and coursework development team (CDT) meetings. The SMEs provided technical reviews and significant edits of traction power courses focusing on Overhead Catenary and Power Distribution courses. Midway into the week, the group toured Metro Transit’s Rail Support Facility, the Blue Line Maintenance Facility, and the Light Rail Training Center. In addition, the group also visited Metro Transit’s Rail Control Center and Light Rail Vehicle maintenance areas. It was an impressive tour where the SMEs inspected several substations, comparing technologies and layouts to their locations. Ona Pradhan spoke highly of the work of the Traction Power Maintenance Consortium stating that “Our curriculum has been strengthened by the knowledge base of all the Traction Power professionals who engage in this group.”
ITLC appreciates all who have contributed to the development of training courses for the Traction Power Training Consortium since its inception in 2020. For more information, please contact Amri Joyner.
|  | ITLC’s Program Manager Amri Joyner addressing SMEs at Metro Transit's Green Line Operations and Maintenance Facility training room | |
ITLC Attends ZEBCon
Late last month, ITLC’s Deputy Director Xinge Wang, Program Manager – Technical Training James Hall, Instructional Designer Brandon Liu, and Researcher Douglas Nevins attended ZEBCon in San Diego hosted by the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE). ITLC’s Transit Workforce Center (TWC) featured its new Battery-Electric Bus (BEB) Familiarization Course, along with other TWC-focused projects, and team members spoke with attendees from transit agencies, government organizations, and other industry stakeholders. On the last day of the conference, James served as a panelist in the “Preparing Your Team: Strategic Workforce Development Planning” session, alongside CTE's Engineering Services Manager Jay Woodbeck, Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District’s (AC Transit) Director of Maintenance Cecil Blandon, the World Resources Institute’s (WRI) Senior Manager, eMobility Strategy and Manufacturing Engagement Stephanie Ly, and Amalgamated Transit Union’s (ATU) Workforce Development Coordinator Eliseo Acosta Jr.
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ITLC staff members working at their exhibit booth during ZEBCon | ITLC's Program Manager James Hall presenting on a panel during the Preparing Your Team: Strategic Workforce Development Planning session at ZEBCon | |
From September 25-28 ITLC’s Communications Manager David Stephen, Research Associate Shayna Gleason, and Senior Workforce Development Advisor Maurice Beard traveled to Anchorage for the National Transportation in Indian Country Conference to learn about tribal transit and life in tribal communities in the “lower 48” and Alaska. The ITLC team benefitted greatly from the conference sessions, the connections made, and the tribal members who generously shared their experiences. | |
ITLC's Senior Workforce Development Advisor Maurice Beard and Research Associate Shayna Gleason | |
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ITLC Visits Philadelphia for USDOL Convening
As part of the U.S. Department of Labor's (USDOL) "ETA Vision 2030," ITLC’s Executive Director Jack Clark visited Philadelphia in mid-September to lead a panel on "Joint Labor and Management Partnership Solutions to Public Transit Workforce Needs," highlighting joint labor-management strategies designed to recruit, hire, train, and retain front-line workers in transit. Jack was joined by Cape Cod's Regional Transit Authority’s (RTA) General Administrator Kathy Jensen, and General Manager John Kennedy, along with the Amalgamated Transit Union’s (ATU) Director of Apprenticeships and Workforce Development Jamaine Gibson who all spoke about ATU Local 1548 and Cape Cod RTA's partnership work, focusing on their bus operator recruitment initiatives aimed at seniors. Participants also heard from the Maryland Department of Transportation's Program Manager Brandee Gross, ATU Local 1300's President/Business Agent Michael McMillan, and Assistant Business Agent Devin Clinton, who described how they worked together to develop their new joint apprenticeship program for mechanics.
Afterwards, the panelists engaged in lively discussion responding to questions about adapting, expanding, and evolving their program. For instance, Baltimore is using these current apprenticeship programs to reach out to disadvantaged community residents, particularly young people. While Cape Cod, after successfully engaging older workers, is reaching out to schools on career awareness. Audience members, primarily workforce development professionals working with USDOL, expressed their appreciation for learning more about good jobs in transit and labor-management partnerships.
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ITLC's Executive Director Jack Clark presenting on labor-management partnerships at the USDOL convening, joined in discussion by (table left to right) ATU's Director of Apprenticeships and Workforce Development Jamaine Gibson, Cape Cod RTA's General Administrator Kathy Jensen, and General Manager John Kennedy | |
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ITLC Staff Delivers Speech at the 52nd Annual Legislative Conference
ITLC’s Communications Manager David Stephen and Communications Associate Sudan Smith attended the 52nd Annual Legislative Conference presented by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) on September 20 in Washington D.C., where David had the opportunity to speak on a panel at the “Revving Up Change: Charging Forward for Transportation Equity” session. Environmental Justice Consultant Dr. Regan F. Patterson moderated the discussion, with guest speakers Keith Benjamin, Associate Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, Dr. Richard Ezike, Program Communication Specialist of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, and Samantha Ortega, Government Affairs Manager of ChargerHelp!. David delivered a message on the importance of understanding economic, social, and environmental justice and its interconnections with public transportation, community, the workforce, infrastructure, and equity—a message that received a round of applause from the audience. The session engaged attendees with comments and questions on transportation equity within our communities.
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Speakers and moderator at the “Revving Up Change: Charging Forward for Transportation Equity” session, including (left to right) CBCF's Center Policy Analysis & Research Vice President Dr. Jonathan Cox, Environmental Justice Consultant Dr. Regan F. Patterson, Associate Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration Keith Benjamin, Program Communication Specialist of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation Dr. Richard Ezike, ITLC Communications Manager David Stephen, and Government Affairs Manager of ChargerHelp! Samantha Ortega | |
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ITLC Presents at the Missouri Public Transit Association's Education Series
As part of the Missouri Public Transit Association's (MPTA) Education Series, ITLC's Senior Policy Analyst Karitsa Holdzkom and Senior Director for Workforce Education Pat Greenfield presented a webinar on "Succession Planning - A Frontline Worker Perspective." Building on a previous summer webinar by the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) that provided an overview of succession planning, Karitsa and Pat's September session honed in on mentoring as an effective succession strategy for organizations and particularly for the frontline workforce. Using examples and data collected from existing mentorship programs they noted that mentoring establishes an effective system for transferring knowledge and expertise from more senior workers to newer recruits. They also shared "TWC's Transit Mentorship Metrics: Positive Signs for Retention, Attendance, and Additional Outcomes," which illustrates mentoring's positive impact on retention. Following the presentation, MPTA's Senior Program Manager Travis Wood then facilitated a question and answer session. Research Associate Shayna Gleason developed materials in preparation for the session.
View the webinar in full and check out a recap of the event, including information resources shared during the presentation.
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TWC’s Virtual ATTAIN Meeting
On September 12, the Transit Workforce Center (TWC) held a virtual meeting of its American Transit Trainers and Apprenticeship Innovators Network (ATTAIN), focusing on rail and facilities maintenance occupations. Approximately 80 participants joined the meeting facilitated by ITLC’s Senior Policy Analyst Karitsa Holdzkom and Senior Workforce Development Advisor Maurice Beard, who provided an overview of the registered apprenticeship model and highlighted the resources created by and made available through TWC. ITLC staff then moderated a dynamic discussion with attendees and a panel of apprenticeship experts from the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) and Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). Representatives from labor and management at the two transit locations provided an overview of their rail maintenance programs, describing the benefits, the development, and the continual process of improving the program.
Panelists from MARTA and ATU Local 732 spoke about the positive return on investment seen through registered apprenticeship programs and the existing workforce benefits, including the opportunity for workers to advance their skills and progress to a position with increased pay.
|  | Panel speakers during the virtual ATTAIN meeting including (left to right, top to bottom) ITLC's Senior Workforce Development Advisor Maurice Beard, SMART 206's Auxiliary LRV Maintenance Supervisor Isaiah Zeitske, MTS's Superintendent of LRV Maintenance Andy Goddard, ITLC’s Senior Policy Analyst Karitsa Holdzkom, MARTA's Technical Training Manager Eric Peterson, and ATU Local 732 President/Business Agent Britt Dunams | |
Labor and management at MTS spoke about the upward mobility afforded to the MTS workforce through the electro-mechanical light-rail vehicle technician apprenticeship program and how the program has continuously provided the agency with the well-trained technicians it needs. As MTS's Superintendent of LRV Maintenance Andy Goddard stated, “Apprenticeship has become part of the culture.” A notable attribute shared by the programs and emphasized by the panelists was the partnership between the workforce and management that forms the foundation for apprenticeship and is crucial to the success and longevity of the program. After the panel discussion, attendees had the opportunity to interact and engage with the panelists and TWC staff by asking questions about specific details of the programs, the training partners involved, and helpful recruitment strategies.
View the full video recording of the meeting and presentation slides.
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ITLC in Kansas City for the Midwest Transit Conference
Last month ITLC’s Senior Director for Workforce Education Pat Greenfield and Communications Associate Sudan Smith attended the Midwest Transit Conference in Kansas City, representing TWC at a booth where they handed out materials and responded to various questions and technical assistance requests regarding recruitment and retention, apprenticeship, and labor-management partnerships. In addition, TWC coordinated a plenary session on “Strategies for Recruitment and Retention - Creating Programs and Partnerships That Work.” Pat presented TWC’s National Frontline Transit Worker Recruitment Toolkit session, and Heart of Iowa Regional Agency (HIRTA) Executive Director Julia Castillo discussed Second Chance programs. ATU’s Director of Apprenticeships and Workforce Development Jamaine Gibson then led a conversation with Bi-State Development’s Project Administrator Kristin King and ATU Local 788’s Senior President/Business Agent Reginald Howard about developing and implementing mentorship and apprenticeship programs, along with the range of positive impacts on recruitment and retention. The audience followed up with questions and stayed afterward for post-session conversations on bringing resources and similar programs to their locations.
|  | Panel speakers at the “Strategies for Recruitment and Retention - Creating Programs and Partnerships That Work” plenary session including (left to right) HIRTA's Executive Director Julia Castillo, ITLC's Senior Director for Workforce Education Pat Greenfield, ATU’s Director of Apprenticeships and Workforce Development Jamaine Gibson, Bi-State Development’s Project Administrator Kristin King, and ATU Local 788’s Senior President/Business Agent Reginald Howard | |
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ITLC Staff Represents at the Tristate Conference: Uniting Minds and Transit Visions!
The 2023 Tri-State Conference was an exciting showcase of innovation and collaboration, where ITLC's Executive Director Jack Clark and Communications Manager David Stephen joined transportation representatives from New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine in Killington, Vermont on September 6 and 7. David presented at one of the opening breakout sessions dedicated to workforce recruitment and retention, an active discussion that paved the way for Jack's afternoon keynote address on TWC projects and services. The conference connected key stakeholders in the region’s transportations systems, including managers, employees, and decision-makers from small urban and rural transit systems, along with state Department of Transportation offices, municipal planning organizations, and business associates across New England. Attendees left with a renewed commitment to collaboration in transit planning and many noted their intent to incorporate TWC into their transportation work ahead.
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Recruiting and Retaining Paid and Volunteer Drivers – Oct. 25
Join the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC) for an interactive discussion on October 25 from 1:00-2:00 PM ET. NADTC will host an “Office Hours” session focused on developing an effective campaign to recruit and retain paid and volunteer drivers. This session will feature a presentation from ITLC’s Communications Manager David Stephen. NADTC's Office Hours focus on enhancing training and technical assistance and offer opportunities to interact with peers, topic experts, and NADTC staff. If you are interested in learning about driver recruitment and retention or would like to share information on your organization’s strategies to recruit and retain drivers for your transportation program, please join this interactive discussion.
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