News

Building the Foundation and Filling the Gaps: The Story Behind Transit Core Competencies Curriculum (TC3)

Across the transit industry, agencies are working to recruit, train, and retain the skilled workforce needed to keep their systems moving. Along the way, many face the same challenge: employees don’t always come to the job with the foundational skills they need to succeed or move on to more advanced training. Sometimes the need is technical, like electrical concepts, mechanical principles, or shop math. In other cases, an employee may need help with computer skills, communication, workplace readiness, or simply understanding more about the transit industry and how their work fits into the bigger picture.

Needs can change over time, as well. Some may need to build a foundation before advancing, while others may just need a refresher on a skill they haven’t used in a while. As jobs and technologies change, the need for new knowledge and skills emerges.

To help meet these needs, TWC worked with subject matter experts at local transit organizations across the country to develop the Transit Core Competencies Curriculum (TC3). This nationally developed, locally informed, and freely available curriculum supports the development of foundational skills that help employees grow and develop, helping the industry meet critical skills needs.

TC3 mechanical pilot participants in Maryland (2026)

What is TC3?

TC3 brings together foundational technical skills, industry awareness and “soft skills,” into one transit-focused, ready-to-use, and easily adaptable modular curriculum. Courses include:

  • Electrical Foundations – Covers core electrical concepts, including electrical laws, AC and DC power, circuits, magnetism, electrical measurement, tools, and safety. 
  • Mechanical Foundations – Develops understanding of fundamental mechanical concepts and applications, including mechanical principles, fasteners and hardware, hydraulics and pneumatics, and common tools. 
  • Shop Math – Provides practical instruction in whole numbers, fractions, decimals, measurement, and other math skills commonly used in the workplace. 
  • Computer Basics – Builds foundational computer skills in identifying key components to a computer, operating systems, hardware and software, and staying safe online. 
  • Transit Industry Awareness – Introduces the transit industry and helps employees understand the different functions that work together to provide safe and reliable service. 
  • Workplace Success – Focuses on communication, interpersonal, and workplace skills that support employee success. 

TC3 courses include accompanying resources to help any transit organization put them into practice. Each module comes with the materials needed to deliver the training, including instructor and participant resources, presentations, activities, and assessments. 

Making TC3 Work for Your Agency, Now and in the Future

A major strength of TC3 is its flexibility. Organizations can use the materials however best suits their workforce, whether that means delivering a full course or pulling out a module or activity to address a specific need. Organizations can also incorporate TC3 into current agency training, whether for new hires, apprentices, incumbent workers, or employees who need a refresher in a particular area. TC3 is also structured to allow for delivery in partnership with educational or workforce organizations that help create career pipelines in the industry.

Transit workforce needs will keep evolving, from new technology changing the nature of the work to employees entering the industry with a wide range of backgrounds and experience. TC3 gives organizations ready-to-use, transit-focused methods to support their workforce and help workers build the foundational skills they need to succeed and grow.

Learn More About TC3

Want to learn more or see how TC3 could fit into your agency’s training? Visit the TC3 webpage to explore the freely-available curriculum and accompanying resources, or reach out to Kristen Ribaudo at kribaudo@transportcenter.org. TWC’s team is happy to answer questions, walk you through the materials, and talk about ways to put TC3 to use at your agency.