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Apprenticeship Academy – A Florida Partnership

In collaboration with the University of South Florida’s Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), TWC held an inaugural Apprenticeship Academy January 30-31, 2024 in Tampa. According to CUTR’s Workforce Development Manager Stephanie Lewis, the Apprenticeship Academy represented a “capstone partnership achievement in our ongoing work on recruitment and retention, helping agencies grapple with real needs and real challenges.” 
 
The Academy had its origins in prior TWC presentations on mentoring and apprenticeship programs at the summer 2023 Florida Public Transportation Association’s (FPTA)/FDOT/CUTR annual Professional Development Workshop & Transit Safety and Operations Summit sparked an agency to request more in-depth training. This inspired FDOT, CUTR, and TWC to begin designing an interactive and intensive Apprenticeship Academy model to provide in-depth assistance for selected agencies in establishing registered apprenticeship programs for bus technicians and transit coach operators.  
 
Participating agencies choose to send teams to work on bus technician or operator apprenticeships, or both. Before their arrival at the Academy, they were provided materials to review, so all participants had significant background context that helped them arrive prepared and oriented. The labor-management Academy teams came from: City of Gainesville Regional Transit System (RTS) and ATU Local 1579; Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART) and ATU Local 1593; Broward County Transportation Department and ATU Local 1591; Votran (Volusia County) and Teamsters Local 185; Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works and TWU Local 291; and Palm Tran (Palm Beach County) and ATU Local 1577.  
 
The first half-day of the Academy began with welcomes and program overviews from CUTR’s Stephanie Lewis, FDOT Transit Operations Manager Tony Brandin, CUTR Associate Director Lisa Staes, and TWC Executive Director Jack Clark, with guidance on how to get the most out of the upcoming sessions. TWC’s Senior Policy Analyst Karitsa Holdzkom and Senior Workforce Advisor Maurice Beard presented an overview of the registered apprenticeship model and its benefits for public transit careers. TWC’s Executive Director Jack Clark then facilitated a panel discussion on the role of education and workforce development partnerships, an overview of state apprenticeship guidelines and processes, and funding opportunities featuring John Meeks, Hillsborough Community College; Steven Lindas, Florida Department of Education Office of Apprenticeship; Mario Rodriquez and Karoline Guerrero, Career Source Tampa Bay; and Karitsa Holdzkom. 

After an evening dinner that provided opportunities for connection and conversation, participants spent much of the second day diving into the “how-to” of apprenticeships, including how they could establish these programs at each of their agencies. Because there are significant differences in the development and implementation of operator vs. maintenance apprenticeship programs, attendees were separated into two groups. Maurice and Amalgamated Transit Union’s Director of Apprenticeships and Workforce Development Jamaine Gibson facilitated the operator group, while Jack and Stu Bass, Principal at Progress Worx, engaged with those working on maintenance apprenticeships. In each group, the leads broke down the steps required to create a program that would work for each location and to get it approved as a registered program by the Florida Office of Apprenticeship. Customized assistance was provided to each location’s team, and participants were encouraged to develop a game plan they could implement upon returning to their agencies. To continue to help agencies and their unions as they work towards registered apprenticeship, TWC staff scheduled follow-up meetings with each labor and management group. 

FDOT’s Tony Brandin observed that the Apprenticeship Academy “demonstrates the tremendous impact when we work together on the state, federal, and local levels and make these connections through a well-designed program in the right environment.” CUTR’s Stephanie Lewis seconded Tony’s point, noting that the Academy demonstrated “how powerful these networks are that we have established here, with frontline employees and senior management willing to spend this kind of time moving their agencies and the industry in Florida forward.” 

TWC’s Jack Clark expressed his appreciation. “We are grateful to our Florida partners for this significant collaboration in launching the Apprenticeship Academy and to the local agencies and unions for putting in the time and commitment on this critical area of workforce development,” he said. “Florida has pioneered a model that can be adapted across the country.” Jack also noted TWC’s intention to run the Apprenticeship Academy in connection with Making Connections 2024 in November.  

TWC looks forward to continuing to work with all of the agencies and unions in their endeavors. For more information on the Apprenticeship Academy or apprenticeship programs generally, contact Karitsa Holdzkom at kholdzkom@transportcenter.org.