Transit Workforce Pulse - Jan 2022 E-Newsletter

January 2023

Making Connections 2022 Recap

In mid-December, over 350 transit stakeholders representing labor, management, government, nonprofit, workforce development, and educational organizations came together in Washington, D.C. for Making Connections 2022. Throughout the conference, stakeholders shared experiences, knowledge, and resources about transit's challenges and opportunities. Organized by the Transit Workforce Center (TWC) and co-sponsored by the National Transit Institute (NTI), the conference featured workshops and plenaries that produced lively exchanges and dialogue on recruitment, retention, training, mentoring and apprenticeships, career pathways, labor-management, external partnerships, and transitioning to new technologies. TWC is FTA's national technical assistance center for workforce development and is operated by the International Transportation Learning Center (ITLC).

This conference opened with an invigorating video celebrating the transit frontline workforce. You can view the video (above), produced by ITLC/TWC Deputy Director Xinge Wang.

The conference's opening keynote, delivered by FTA Deputy Administrator Veronica Vanterpool, emphasized the significance of FTA's creation of TWC and the powerful impact when "all of you come together to share best practices and lessons learned. Our collective experiences and perspectives will benefit everyone.” Billy Terry, Director of National Transit Institute, echoed the sentiment that "the very concept of making connections is probably the most profound type of training that we can have."

ITLC/TWC Deputy Director Xinge Wang and FTA Deputy Administrator Veronica Vanterpool

District of Columbia Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (pictured left), member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, shared with conference participants her pride in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, highlighting the law’s “new dedicated funding to train our existing transit workforce” in an industry that “offers fulfilling careers supporting hundreds of thousands of workers and their families.” In her concluding remarks, Congresswoman Norton emphasized that she “will continue to partner with the International Transportation Learning Center to ensure that these historic investments support a diverse workforce that meets the demands of 21st century public transportation.”

Links to the conference presentations can be found below and in the TWC's online Resource Center here.

Conference Resources

To help ensure Making Connections 2022's collective experiences and expertise are widely available, you can access each presentation's materials, organized by general topic, at the individual links below, and also directly through the Transit Workforce Center's Resources page, TWC Resource Center, by selecting "Making Connections 2022" in the dropdown filter menu.

Bus of the Future Design, Automation, and Zero Emission Bus Training

Instructional Design and Training Techniques

Practices and Partnerships for Effective Recruitment, Retention, Skills Development, and Career Advancement

Transit Workforce Center

1-855-888-NTWC

twc@transportcenter.org.

www.TransitWorkforce.org

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