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Powering Connections: Traction Power Consortium Meets in St. Louis
From September 9–11, ITLC Program Manager for Technical Assistance and Training Amri Joyner and Program Manager of Instructional Design Kristen Ribaudo led the Traction Power Consortium in St. Louis, hosted by Bi-State Development Metro Transit (Metro). Metro Chief Operating Officer Ron Forrest welcomed participants on Tuesday morning, sharing brief remarks with the group. The consortium also welcomed the American Public Transportation Association Senior Director of Standards and Rail Engineering Bryan Sooter, who actively participated in group discussions and activities throughout the meeting.
Throughout the course, 15 subject matter experts from eight agencies advanced several key projects:
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Substation Relays Course: Developed, refined, and reviewed content, including an instructional video to enrich the learning experience.
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Overhead Catenary System Course: Provided detailed feedback and edits to ensure technical accuracy and clarity.
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Field Visit: Toured a local substation to connect classroom lessons with real-world applications.
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2026 Planning: Set priorities and define the scope of work to guide the consortium’s efforts in the coming year.
| | Traction Power Consortium members and ITLC staff | | |
Held at Metro’s Emerson Park Transit Center in East St. Louis, the meeting was marked by collaboration, lively discussion, and camaraderie. As with all in-person consortium gatherings, participants enjoyed valuable opportunities to share and network across agencies. When traction power substation experts come together, they dive deep into the details of power distribution systems, with an enthusiasm that continues to fuel the development of a growing library of high-quality, standardized training designed to meet the needs of traction power maintenance professionals nationwide.
For more information about the Traction Power Training Consortium, upcoming events, or to become a member, please contact Kristen Ribaudo at kribaudo@transportcenter.org.
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Open Enrollment Recap
Last month, Program Manager of Instructional Design Kristen Ribaudo and Training Specialist Frank Burnett facilitated an open-enrollment Train-the-Trainer course in Tacoma, WA, delivering a week of productive learning and collaboration. Over five days, participants from transit agencies across the country came together to strengthen their skills as trainers through hands-on activities, collaborative discussions, and practice facilitation sessions.
The program equipped participants with practical tools for designing lesson plans, engaging adult learners, and building effective training programs that can be immediately applied at their home agencies. Participants also highlighted the value of connecting with peers who face similar challenges, leaving the course energized and ready to introduce fresh ideas and strategies within their organizations.
| Train-the-Trainer open enrollment course participants | |
Eleven participants attended, representing EMBARK (OK), High Valley Transit District (UT), Metro Transit (MN), San Joaquin Regional Transit District (CA), Sound Transit–Tacoma Link (WA), SunLine Transit Agency (CA), and Whatcom Transportation Authority (WA).
Open-enrollment classes like this one bring the benefits of Train-the-Trainer to agencies that may not have the staff or resources to host a session on their own. By convening participants from multiple agencies, these sessions expand access to professional development while fostering a nationwide community of trainers committed to strengthening workforce development in public transportation. As one participant shared, "I really enjoyed this class. I feel like it has given me a solid foundation to start building a training program and also comfortably present lessons."
Interested in a private Train-the-Trainer for your team, or in hosting a future open-enrollment class? Email Kristen Ribaudo at kribaudo@transportcenter.org.
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Empowering Transit Trainers at Keolis
From September 22–26, Program Manager for Technical Assistance and Training Amri Joyner and Instructional Designer Brandon Liu were in Somerville, MA, to lead a Train-the-Trainer Level One class with Keolis Commuter Services, the company that operates the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s 14 commuter rail lines serving Greater Boston and Rhode Island. The class brought together eight experienced Keolis training instructors from the Transportation and Mechanical Departments. Each participant arrived with a strong background in leading hands-on instruction and classroom training for new hires and experienced personnel, including engineers, maintainers, and conductors.
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Throughout the week, participants expressed appreciation for the ITLC Train-the-Trainer course and the practical tools it provided. They were eager to explore new ways of delivering training, with a strong interest in boosting new-hire motivation and retention through greater use of interactive activities and structured lesson plans.
Feedback at the close of the course was overwhelmingly positive. One participant summed up the experience by noting, “The instructors were engaging and spoke well. They had a lot of knowledge on the subjects we learned.”
Train-the-Trainer Level One builds a foundation in adult learning theory and principles while equipping participants with methods, tools, and guidelines to strengthen their effectiveness as instructors. The course explores both classroom and hands-on training strategies and gives participants multiple opportunities to practice delivering lessons throughout the week.
Explore the Train-the-Trainer page on TWC's website or contact Kristen Ribaudo at kribaudo@transportcenter.org.
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Building Foundations for the Future at the Midwest Transit Conference
Last month, Program Manager of Instructional Design Kristen Ribaudo and Training Specialist Frank Burnett attended the Midwest Transit Conference in Kansas City, MO. During the conference, they staffed a table, led a session, and met with transit agencies and industry partners, sharing information about national workforce development initiatives.
Their workshop presentation focused on the Transit Workforce Center’s newly updated Transit Core Competencies Curriculum (TC3), which will be available later this year. This combination skills enhancement and transit frontline career program provides agencies with freely available, ready-to-use foundational skills training materials covering mechanical, electrical, and computer fundamentals, accompanied by an introduction to the industry for prospective and new members of a transit workforce. The session sparked thoughtful conversation about workforce challenges and offered practical strategies for helping new maintenance employees build confidence and core skills early in their careers.
TC3 materials and resources will be available to the public through TWC upon completion this fall. For additional information regarding the program, please contact Kristen Ribaudo at kribaudo@transportcenter.org.
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Mentorship in Motion: Train-the-Mentor in Texas
ITLC Senior Workforce Development Advisor Maurice Beard delivered a Train-the-Mentor program at Star Transit in Terrell, TX, as part of the agency’s September 10 launch of its new bus operator mentor program. Star Transit provides fixed-route, demand-response, and paratransit services across eight counties, with three additional counties added as of October 1.
| | With a large geographic service area, the Guiding Star Mentor Program will be led by three regional mentor coordinators, who are also current operators. They will mentor new hires while acting as coordinators for their respective regions. In addition to the mentors, Executive Director Tommy Hendricks and Deputy Executive Director Kim Britton joined the session, along with other key members of the agency's executive team from Human Resources, Transportation, and Safety/Training. | | Train-the-Mentor course participants | | |
The group reviewed the roles and responsibilities of a mentor and explored challenges and strategies for mentorship through interactive activities and engaging discussions. Reviews of this one-day, 8-hour program were consistently positive, with participants describing it as “great,” “helpful,” and “insightful.”
ITLC congratulates Star Transit’s Guiding Star Mentor Program on its launch! If your agency is interested in learning more about mentorship or scheduling a Train-the-Mentor at your location, please contact Maurice Beard at mbeard@transportcenter.org.
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Building Pathways: Report on Apprenticeship Office Hours
The Transit Workforce Center (TWC), FTA's technical assistance center for workforce development operated by ITLC, serves and supports the public transportation industry in creating and strengthening apprenticeship programs. TWC continued this work by holding a series of Apprenticeship Program Office Hours following Labor Day.
TWC’s experienced and knowledgeable team members met with transit agencies from all over the country, ranging in size and geography from large urban to small rural communities and everything in between. Discussions addressed apprenticeship for a variety of frontline occupations, including bus operators, bus technicians, traction power workers, and more.
For more information about apprenticeships, contact Karitsa Holdzkom at kholdzkom@transportcenter.org, and visit TWC's Apprenticeship and Mentorship page.
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ITLC Engages with Transit Leaders at CTAA SUN Conference
In August, Senior Director for Workforce Education Pat Greenfield participated in the Community Transportation Association of America’s (CTAA) Small Urban Network (SUN) Conference in St. Cloud, Minnesota. CTAA’s Executive Director Scott Bogren invited ITLC to host Technical Assistance Pop-Up sessions with agencies interested in discussing recruitment and retention challenges.
Attendees engaged with leaders of small urban transit systems, exchanging ideas, strategies, and solutions on a range of critical issues impacting the industry. The conference also featured the first official public address by the Federal Transit Administration's newly appointed Administrator Marc Molinaro, who outlined the agency’s priorities moving forward. Pat also had the opportunity to join in-depth tours of St. Cloud’s Metro Bus facility, as well as the city’s New Flyer manufacturing plant.
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A Note from Transit Workforce Center on the Making Connections Conference
The Transit Workforce Center (TWC) will not be holding the Making Connections conference in 2026. We will continue to connect with you at state, regional, and national events through presentations and technical assistance tables. We also look forward to sharing details soon about upcoming national webinars on critical workforce development topics as we continue to work closely with our partners on key priorities and activities. You can, as always, reach us at twc@transportcenter.org with inquiries and requests for support.
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TCRP—Project F-32: Enhancing Transit Organizational Culture to Improve Employee Psychological Health and Safety, Recruitment, and Retention
The International Transportation Learning Center (ITLC), the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, and Beverly Scott Associates are conducting a research project funded by the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) titled "Enhancing Transit Organizational Culture to Improve Employee Psychological Health and Safety, Recruitment, and Retention.” The goal for the project is to produce a guide by Fall 2026 that public transit agencies can use to improve their workplace culture, and in turn, improve workforce recruitment and retention.
You are invited to participate in a survey as part of the project to identify practices at transit agencies that impact organizational culture and workers’ psychological health and safety. Multiple responses from an agency and/or union are welcome, including from agency or contracted employees in administrative, frontline, human resources, management, and safety/security roles, and transit labor union officers.
If you choose to take the survey at this link, please consider the following:
- The survey is optional. You may stop taking the survey at any time. After opening the survey, you should click “YES” to advance to the questions.
- Survey responses will be kept confidential, and identifying factors will be destroyed after completion of the guide; no individual will be identified in the guide or other publicly available project materials.
- The survey should take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete.
- Your participation will help ensure that the project’s research is robust, representative, and reflects the realities faced by transit agencies.
- The team requests that surveys be completed by October 15, 2025.
Thank you for your time and consideration. If you have any questions, please contact Xinge Wang at xwang@transportcenter.org.
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Transit Agency Survey: CDL Licensing Procedures
Calling all staff members who recruit, train, or work with transit operators, or those who are otherwise knowledgeable of the Commercial Driver Licensing (CDL) requirements, processes, and challenges.
Foursquare ITP and MLD Services are conducting research with Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) to highlight challenges and best practices related to CDL testing and training for public transportation vehicle operators. This research will address both (1) the benefits and strengths of current successful CDL programs and (2) the barriers, challenges, and improvement opportunities that transit agencies and operators face in the CDL process.
The results of this survey will help the research team identify key issues and develop a toolkit of solutions for practitioners to improve CDL testing and training processes. Learn more about TCRP F-34: Public Transportation Vehicle Operators.
The survey will take 10-15 minutes and will be open until November 7, 2025. Thank you!
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