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twc@transportcenter.orgResource Center
The Transit Workforce Center is pleased to host a curated collection of publications and other materials to assist stakeholders engaged in transit workforce development. The Resource Center includes case studies, training materials, research reports, and other materials of interest, including publications produced by federal government agencies, transit organizations, and independent research entities. Resources may be filtered by topic, resource type, and transit mode. This TWC blog post explains how to use the Resource Center.
We are continuing to update the Resource Center regularly. Please contact us via the Request Help menu option if you would like assistance using the Resource Center or are looking for resources on a particular topic. We also welcome suggestions of topics or specific resources to add.
3 Ways to Make Bus Driving a Better Job
This report highlights ways that bus driving can be improved for workers to help increase retention and recruitment. The report explains three specific ways: redesigning the job for health and success, raising pay and creating opportunities for advancement, and making a more flexible schedule.
The National Campaign for Transit Justice
March 2024
TOPICS: Hiring and Recruitment, Policy and Planning, Retention, Safety and Health, Workforce Shortage
Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) Programs
Administering Agency: Transportation Research Board
Closing Date for Applications: May 15, 2024
Funding Range: Grant award maximum: $100,000
Geographic Scope: National
TOPICS: Funding Opportunities
Description: The Transit IDEA Program is a part of the Transit Cooperative Research Program and is designed to foster innovative concepts that have the potential to enhance security, increase ridership, improve efficiency for transit agencies, and protect the environment. IDEA programs differ from traditional research programs in two ways: IDEA projects are initiated by researchers rather than by a request for proposals, and funding can support initial testing of unproven concepts. One of IDEA’s high priority areas is “improving transit patron and employee environment for health and safety.”
Public transit agencies can’t apply directly, but can be partners in developing proposals, participate in the project generally, and test prototypes.
Intelligent Transport Podcast: Discussing the creation of ‘Mentors Moving Metro’
“Mentors Moving Metro” is a partnership between Metro and the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 587 that will match experienced operators with new, part-time operators for six to 12 months. In this podcast discussion, Metro’s Director of Bus Operations, Phil DeVault, and transit operator and ATU member, Patrick Brady, talk about how “Mentors Moving Metro” is helping foster relationships and provide knowledge that can only come those who have been “in the seat.” They discussed the origins of the program, how mentors can be a morale boost for operators, and how it can foster greater interaction between operators and management. They finished the podcast by discussing their vision on developing it from a mentorship program to an apprenticeship program for drivers joining Metro in the future.
Intelligent Transport
March 2024
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Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program
Administering Agency: Environmental Protection Agency
Posted Date: Nov 21, 2023
Closing Date for Applications: Nov 21, 2024
Funding Range: Total funds available: $2,000,000,000 — Grant award maximum: $20,000,000
Geographic Scope: National
TOPICS: Funding Opportunities
Description: The Community Change Grants will fund community-driven projects that address climate challenges and reduce pollution while strengthening communities through thoughtful implementation. There will be two tracks of funding under this opportunity. Track I will fund approximately 150 large, transformational community-driven investment grants of $10 million – $20 million. Track II will fund approximately 20 meaningful engagement grants of $1 million – $3 million. Grants cannot exceed 3-years in duration. These programs will address the diverse and unique needs of disadvantaged communities by:
- Reducing and preventing pollution;
- Building resilience to climate change and mitigating current and future climate risks;
- Enhancing meaningful involvement in government processes related to environmental and climate
justice; - Expanding access to high-quality jobs and economic opportunity through workforce development;
and - Bolstering community strength by ensuring that local residents receive the benefits of investments
and have the opportunity to build on them for current and future generations.
Joint Office of Energy and Transportation Workforce Development Resources
The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation (Joint Office) supports the deployment of zero-emission, convenient, accessible, and equitable transportation infrastructure. In addition to providing direct funding support for workforce development, the Joint Office has collated example resources to support workforce development activities for an electrified transportation system.
Joint Office of Energy and Transportation
TOPICS: Apprenticeship, Funding Opportunities, Policy and Planning, Training, Workforce Shortage, Zero Emission Buses
Creating a Skilled and Diverse Workforce for Infrastructure Projects through Registered Apprenticeship
The expansion of Registered Apprenticeship and pathways that lead people into apprenticeship is an important workforce strategy for many infrastructure projects. Agencies can take steps to make Registered Apprenticeship more accessible to populations that have been underrepresented in the infrastructure workforce including women, people of color, people with disabilities, and others.
The questions and answers in this resource focus on expanding the workforce for installing and maintaining electric vehicle chargers, but the information provided is applicable to many other areas of infrastructure and transportation.
Department of Labor, Department of Transportation
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Transit Workforce Data Dashboard Webinar: Harnessing the Power of Data for Transit Workforce Development
TWC hosted a webinar titled “Transit Workforce Data Dashboard Webinar: Harnessing the Power of Data for Transit Workforce Development” on February 28, 2024. The Dashboard features innovative visualizations of transit and transportation workforce statistics and demographics from the National Transit Database (NTD) and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It can be used to highlight key issues, like the high proportion of transit workers nearing retirement age, the potential for greater participation of women in key transportation occupations, and the need to hire extensively in the coming decade. A new interactive page launched in February, allowing users to filter NTD employment data by agency.
TWC demonstrated the full dashboard, discussed lessons learned from working with NTD and BLS data, and opened up a Q&A for participants to ask questions or share their unique data needs.
Transit Workforce Center
February 2024
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At the end of the webinar, TWC shared a survey to collect unique transit workforce data needs and feedback for potential additions to the Data Dashboard. The survey continues to accept responses and can be found below.
Webinar Recording
Webinar Slides
Transit Workforce Data Needs Survey
Transit Workforce Data Dashboard
Mental Health, Wellness, and Resilience for Transit System Workers
TCRP Research Report 245: Mental Health, Wellness, and Resilience for Transit System Workers, a pre-publication from TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program, provides a detailed summary of common factors that influence the mental health, well-being, and resiliency of frontline transit workers and includes a range of solutions that transit agencies can implement to address them. Findings were determined using a mix of research methods, including multiple interviews and focus groups with frontline employees, transit agency management, and union leadership at two different points in the project.
Transit Cooperative Research Program
February 2024
TOPICS: Policy and Planning, Safety and Health
Contributor(s): Sandy Brennan, Elias Frantz Orjuela, Kyle Hearing, Sofie Rhoads, Lori Zeller, Samantha G. Farris, Andrea Lubin, Soumitra S. Bhuyan, Lilly Derby, Koshy Koshy; Transit Cooperative Research Program; Transportation Research Board; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine