February 1, 2024

Growth and Progress: The ITLC Team Expands

ITLC is excited to announce the addition of Instructional Designer Allie Franklyn to the team. Allie has over a decade of experience in teaching and curriculum development and holds a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from Loyola University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Towson University.

Before arriving at ITLC, Allie taught middle and high school English in the Baltimore and Fairfax County Public School Systems. She looks forward to partnering her understanding of instructional design with learning theories to advance skill development and improve educational and training experiences for a range of audiences. Allie’s addition will contribute to the organization's ongoing journey to support the advancement of training and curriculum development to the transit industry. During her free time, Allie enjoys reading, cooking, and hiking with her dog. To contact Allie, email her at afranklyn@transportcenter.org.

Along with the addition of Allie, ITLC also congratulates Michaela Boneva on her promotion to Research Associate. In her new role, she will continue to work on a broad range of research projects, including the Transit Workforce Center's (TWC) Resource Center, case study development, and blog posts. She will also create and improve visualization tools on TWC's Transit Workforce Data Dashboard. Michaela can be reached via email at mboneva@transportcenter.org.

SEPTA Hosts ITLC Third Rail Course Development Team Meeting

The Traction Power Training Consortium continues its work around the country to develop multiple courseware topics, including power distribution, substations, overhead (catenary), and third rail content, in collaboration with public transit agencies. Early last month, ITLC’s Instructional Designer Brandon Liu traveled to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s (SEPTA) headquarters in downtown Philadelphia to convene with several Traction Power subject matter experts (SMEs). The meeting focused on the continued expansion of the third-rail courses, including specific training content, objectives, and exercises. These courses will be featured as deliverables for the Traction Power Training Consortium.

SEPTA, Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 234, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1021 SMEs have played a major role in developing the third rail materials and other training courses for the consortium, including those under the power distribution, substations, and overhead series.

Please contact Amri Joyner at ajoyner@transportcenter.org for additional information or questions.

SEPTA/TWU's Local 234 Larry Macolly and ITLC's Brandon Liu

St. Louis Bus Mentors and Operators – Driving Towards Success

Thirty enthusiastic Metro Transit (St. Louis) bus operator mentors and members of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 788 participated in a mentor training at Metro headquarters in early January, which was co-facilitated by ITLC Senior Workforce Advisor Maurice Beard, ATU International’s Director of Apprenticeships and Workforce Development Jamaine Gibson, and assisted by ITLC team member Arnett Powell. The mentors engaged in discussions on various strategies that could help combat challenges new hires face, such as offering ride-alongs to help operators learn routes and an adjustment period to address safety concerns with overtime.

ITLC's Maurice Beard and ATU's Jamaine Gibson

ITLC's Maurice Beard and ATU's Jamaine Gibson with a few of Metro Transit's bus operator mentors and mentees

ATU Local 788 President Reginald Howard and Metro’s Executive Director Charles Stewart addressed the group, expressing their optimism for the future, and pledged a firm commitment to their partnership. Stewart emphasized the broader need for operator training and the importance of mentorship programs in addressing these needs. Metro’s Project Manager and Bus Operator Mentor Coordinator Kristin King-Winfrey continues to work closely with ATU Mentor Coordinator Kimberly Hunt to ensure that every mentor's needs are met. Metro hopes to recruit and train over 100 mentors in the coming months.

Metro Transit's bus operator mentors and members of ATU Local 788

ITLC Presents at TRB’s 103rd Annual Meeting

ITLC’s research team members actively participated in the Transportation Research Board's (TRB) 103rd Annual Meeting last month at the Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C. Research Associates Michaela Boneva, Shayna Gleason, and Researcher Douglas Nevins provided an overview and demonstration of TWC's Transit Workforce Data Dashboard to the Bus and Truck Data Subcommittee.

ITLC's Shayna Gleason and Easterseals' Judy Shanley

Shayna and Judy Shanley, Assistant Vice-President and Easterseals' Director of the National Center of Mobility Management (NCMM), also presented a poster on hiring older adults and people with disabilities in transit jobs at the “Workforce Development and Organizational Excellence” poster session. Research team members also engaged with many of the more than ten thousand attendees from transit agencies nationwide, state and local governments, and academic institutions.

A Farewell Celebration: Honoring ATU Local 268 President William Nix’s Retirement

ITLC’s Executive Director Jack Clark attended an event in Cleveland last month honoring ATU Local 268 President William Nix on his retirement from the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA). President Nix completed over 35 years of service at GCRTA, almost half that time spent as ATU Local 268 President. GCRTA CEO and General Manager India Birdsong Terry lauded President Nix for building a strong bargaining and workforce development partnership between ATU Local 268 and GCRTA. She noted his instrumental role in establishing a bus maintenance apprenticeship and effective mentoring programs for operators in bus, rail, and paratransit, along with his role in initial discussions on establishing apprenticeships in all these occupations. President Nix's successor, Clarence King, spoke with emotion about being trained and mentored by his predecessor. President Nix wrapped up the night with reminiscences, recognitions, and the importance of advocacy and partnership.

Upcoming Webinar

Save the Date for TWC’s Transit Workforce Data Dashboard Webinar: Harnessing the Power of Data for Transit Workforce Development

Join TWC virtually on Wednesday, February 28 at 2 pm EST for a webinar presenting TWC’s Transit Workforce Data Dashboard. The Dashboard features innovative visualizations of transit and transportation workforce statistics and demographics from the National Transit Database (NTD) and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It can be used to highlight key issues, like the high proportion of transit workers nearing retirement age, the potential for greater participation of women in key transportation occupations, and the need to hire extensively in the coming decade. A new interactive page launches this month, allowing users to filter NTD employment data by agency. TWC will demonstrate the full dashboard, discuss lessons learned from working with NTD and BLS data, and open up a Q&A for participants to ask questions or share their unique data needs.

For more information contact Michaela Boneva at mboneva@transportcenter.org.