The Current List of Making Connections 2022

Plenary and Workshop Sessions is Here!

Plenary Sessions

• A Dialogue with FTA on Transit Workforce Development
• Rethinking Recruitment: Converting Our Challenges to Opportunities 
• Navigating New Directions: Emerging Technologies and the Future of Transit Workforce
• How Do We Pay for All These Good Workforce Development Programs?

Confirmed Plenary Moderators and Speakers include:

• Veronica Vanterpool, Deputy Administrator, Federal Transit Administration
• India Birdsong Terry, General Manager & Chief Executive Officer, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
• Scott Bogren, Executive Director, Community Transportation Association of America
• Randy Clarke, General Manager and CEO, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority 
• John Costa, President, Amalgamated Transit Union
• Sarah Fox, Assistant Professor, Carnegie Mellon University
• Raymond Jackson, President, ATU Local 689
• Madeline Janis, Executive Director, Jobs to Move America
• Nik Martelaro, Assistant Professor, Carnegie Mellon University
• Karen Philbrick, Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute
• Greg Regan, President, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO
• Jeff Rosenberg, Director of Government Affairs, Amalgamated Transit Union
• John Samuelsen, President, Transport Workers Union of America
• Beverly Scott, Founder and Director, Introducing Youth to American Infrastructure
• Paul Skoutelas, President, American Public Transportation Association
• Paige Shevlin, Strategic Advisor, DOT
• Yvette Trujillo, Executive Vice President, Amalgamated Transit Union

    More speakers will be announced next week.

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 Development
• Designing Safety: Bus of the Future and Beyond

Early Bird Registration is extended to Nov. 11. Group registration discounts, hotel and sponsorship information are available on the Making Connections 2022 registration page.

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.

Online Learning and Learning Technologies Webinar is Live

Participate in Research on Bus Barrier Designs by Virginia Tech Transportation Institute

The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) is conducting a research study to identify traditional and novel barrier designs to support bus operator security and safety for new and existing transit buses. This information will provide practical guidance to public transportation agencies on designing, procuring, and installing bus operator barriers to prioritize the health and safety of essential operators and the public they interact with. VTTI is recruiting representatives from North American and European transit agencies and unions to complete the online Transit Bus Barrier Design Survey (IRB #22-696) by November 9, 2022. The time commitment to complete the survey is 20-25 minutes. If you are interested in participating, please click this link to access this secure online Transit Bus Barrier Design Survey information sheet.

The Weekly Update will now be bi-weekly. Look for our next regular edition on November 17, and visit transitowrkforce.org to sign up for the TWC e-newsletter “TWC Pulse.”