Making Connections 2022 is Less Than One Month Away!

Making Connections 2022 is an opportunity for participants from urban, suburban, rural, and tribal public transportation, along with industry stakeholders to provide feedback to FTA on their strategic workforce plan, as well as participate in active conversations with Making Connections keynote speaker FTA Deputy Administrator Veronica Vanterpool and with the FTA team as they advance the policy objectives and goals of the Biden-Harris Administration. Speakers at plenaries and workshops will explore cutting-edge hot topics, including recruitment and retention, training, mentoring, and apprenticeships, workforce transition for zero emission Buses, new technologies, advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and access and funding for workforce development. Learn more and register.

Keynote Speaker

Appointed in May 2021, Deputy Administrator Veronica Vanterpool brings to FTA, and to our discussion, her experience as the first Chief Innovation Officer at Delaware Transit Corporation, where she launched the state’s first on-demand microtransit service in a rural community and oversaw the autonomous shuttle demonstration program. Her previous roles include being the Deputy Director of the national Vision Zero Network, executive director of the New York City based Tri-State Transportation Campaign, and board member of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Workshop Sessions:

• Driving Bus Operator Recruitment and Retention: Challenges, Opportunities, and Innovation
• Drive to Revive: Preparing Operators for ZEB Deployment
• Engines to Inverters: Preparing Technicians for ZEB Deployment
• Moving Forward Together: Creating and Sustaining Successful Labor-Management Partnerships
• Out of the Box Strategies: Using Partnerships to Strengthen Recruitment, Retention, and the Advancement of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access
• Meeting Industry Needs: Feedback Session on FTA’s Draft Strategic Workforce Development Plan
• The Who, What, How, and Why: Linking Program Design to Classroom Learning and on the Job Training for Transit Workforce Workers
• Hands-On Instructional Training for Transit Trainers 
• Transit Instructional Systems Design Boot Camp 
• Online Training & Learning Technologies
• Growing Your Own Through Apprenticeship: A Joint Approach to Building Skills
• Mentoring: A Great Route to Frontline Workforce Deve

FTA has provided the following guidance for transit organizations seeking to defray costs related to this conference regarding the use of federal funds: 

Section 5314 (Technical Assistance and Workforce Development) of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and enacted in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, states that recipients may use up to 0.5 percent of their Section 5307 (Urbanized Area Formula Program), 5337 (State of Good Repair), and 5339 (Bus and Bus Facilities) funds each fiscal year for direct educational expenses at the National Transit Institute, or to carry out other existing local education and training programs supported by the Departments of Transportation, Labor, or Education for education and training of state and local transportation employees at a federal share not to exceed 80 percent. Direct educational expenses include supplies, tuition, and travel to and from training. 



Finally, please note, recipients are also advised that training and educational expenses, such as travel expenses relating to staff attendance at FTA-sponsored workshops, may also qualify for reimbursement as an operating expense at a 50 percent federal share.

ITLC Staff Travel to Minnesota Public Transit Conference in St. Cloud, Minnesota

ITLC Deputy Director Xinge Wang and Research Associate Shayna Gleason joined the Minnesota Public Transit Conference in St. Cloud on October 24-26, where they networked with transit providers across the state on various workforce development topics. The conference had about 150 participants, many of whom stopped by the booth to learn about TWC's work and outreach. Participants were particularly interested in learning about our recently released #ConnectingMyCommunity recruitment toolkit. Xinge and Shayna also hosted a workshop on staff recruitment and retention, where there were great discussions with participants on issues ranging from CDLs to flexible schedules to childcare and recruiting applicants of all ages. They also thoroughly enjoyed touring St. Cloud Metro Bus' state-of-the-art travel training facility.

WEBINAR TODAY

Webinar: Operators in Crisis: Strategies for Hiring & Retaining Transit Workers

TODAY, Nov 17, 2022 03:00 PM

Introduction by: David Bragdon, Executive Director, TransitCenter

Panelists:

Nuria Fernandez, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration

Pat Greenfield, Senior Director for Workforce Education, International Transportation Learning Center (ITLC)

Brian Wivell, Political & Communications Director, ATU Local 689

Moderator:

Grace Perdomo, Executive Director, Transit Alliance Miami

The Weekly Update will now be bi-weekly. Look for our next regular edition on December 1, and visit transitowrkforce.org to sign up for the TWC e-newsletter “TWC Pulse.”