1-855-888-NTWC (6892)
twc@transportcenter.org
The COVID crisis has put a spotlight on the concentration of Black, Latina, and Afro-Latina women in low-wage jobs, including in many essential healthcare and retail jobs. The skilled construction trades have given many women an alternative to the poorly paid jobs in the service sector that many had to turn to before finding the trades. The skilled construction trades provide opportunities to build careers that are both challenging and fulfilling, pay a family sustaining wage with benefits, and can be accessed through ‘learn as you earn’ apprenticeships. This brief discusses the experiences of early career Black, Latina, and Afro Latina women in the trades.
Topics
RESOURCE TYPE: Funding Opportunity | TRANSIT MODE: All Modes
Notice of Funding Opportunity: DOL Building Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs Grant Program
Administering Agency: US Department of Labor
Posted Date: April 5, 2023
Closing Date for Applications: July 7, 2023, 11:59 pm Eastern Time
Funding Range: Estimated Total Program Funding: $80,000,000 — Award Ceiling: $5,000,000 — Award Floor: $500,000
Geographic Scope: National
July 2023
Description: The purpose of the DOL Building Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs Grant Program is to fund public-private partnerships to develop, strengthen, and scale promising and evidence-based training models in H-1B industries and occupations critical to meeting the goals of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and to maximize the impact of these investments.
Updated April 5, 2023 on TWC Resource Center. Please refer to the link below for the most up to date information from the funder.
RESOURCE TYPE: Tools/Toolkits | TRANSIT MODE: All Modes
Workforce Mini-Guides
These six workforce development mini-guides are designed to help develop and implement successful strategies to address the critical workforce shortages seen across the public transportation industry. They cover these topics: advancing awareness of transit careers; creating internships and apprenticeships; recruiting and hiring transit workers; serving the underserved in the workforce; onboarding, training, and retaining workers; and building a transit curriculum.
American Public Transportation Association (APTA)
April 2023
An October 2022 survey conducted by APTA revealed that 96 percent of transit agencies of all sizes are experiencing workforce challenges, and 84 percent said these shortages are impacting their ability to provide service. APTA developed these mini-guides building on their 2021 Transit Workforce Readiness Guide and combining industry insights and stories, case studies, lessons learned, and best practices.
TWC’s Transit Workforce Data Dashboard
Launched in March, 2023, the Transit Workforce Data Dashboard presents quantitative, descriptive data about the composition of the transit workforce and trends in transit employment using a series of charts and graphics. This information is relevant for industry discussions in a range of contexts, including: strategic workforce planning in recruitment, retention, and other areas; examining and addressing opportunities and challenges related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access; and identifying training and funding needs.
Transit Workforce Center
March 2023
Transit Workforce Shortage: Synthesis Report and Toolkit
The Transit Workforce Shortage Study builds a framework for APTA, its members, and its partner organizations to better understand the workforce shortage’s causes and provides best practices for recruiting, hiring, and retaining transit operations workers.
APTA’s Transit Workforce Shortage Study combines information from a survey of public transit workers and interviews with public transportation agencies to provide insight into ways to address the national shortage of transit workers. The report provides information on actions agencies have taken to address the workforce shortage, and the toolkit provides step-by-step answers to workforce shortage scenarios agencies are facing every day.
American Public Transportation Association (APTA)
March 2023
TOPICS: Hiring and Recruitment
Bus Operator Workforce Management: Practitioner’s Guide
This practitioner’s guide provides recommendations and resources enabling transit agencies to better assess, plan, and implement their operator workforce management programs.
Eno Center for Transportation, International Transportation Learning Center (ITLC), Huber & Associates
January 2023
RESOURCE TYPE: Presentations | TRANSIT MODE: All Modes
Making Connections 2022 – Program Overview
The Transit Workforce Center hosted Making Connections 2022: The National Transit Workforce Conference in Washington, D.C. on December 13-14, 2022. This conference brought together participants from urban, suburban, rural, and tribal public transportation and industry stakeholders in plenaries, workshops, networking, and ongoing dialogue. Discussions and sessions featured topics including recruitment and retention, training, mentoring and apprenticeships, new technologies, preparing today’s and tomorrow’s workforce, and advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.
Session materials from Making Connections 2022 are hosted on the TWC Resource Center. Please click here to view all related materials. A PDF copy of the conference schedule is linked below.
Transit Workforce Center
December 2022
TOPICS: Apprenticeship , Career Pathways , Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion , Hiring and Recruitment , Labor-Management Partnerships , Making Connections 2022 , Program Evaluation and ROI , Retention , Safety and Health , Trainer and Mentor Development , Training and Development , Zero Emission Buses
RESOURCE TYPE: Presentations | TRANSIT MODE: Bus - Fixed Route
Making Connections 2022 – Driving Bus Operator Recruitment and Retention: Challenges, Opportunities and Innovation
This session was presented as part of TWC’s Making Connections 2022 transit workforce conference in December, 2022.
Transit Workforce Center
December 2022
Session Summary: A headline issue confronting all transit systems today – how to attract and retain bus operators in a tight labor market. This lively session began with presentations from the TCRP F-28 research team and TransitCenter on their recently published national research findings on recruiting, developing and retaining transit bus operators. Labor and management industry practitioners from multiple locations then shared their recruitment approaches and strategies that have been most effective on the ground, and TWC staff summarized the National Transit Frontline Worker Recruitment Campaign.
Moderators
Rob Puentes: President and CEO – The ENO Center for Transportation
Speakers
Julia Castillo: Executive Director – Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Agency
James Duff: Assistant Vice President, Human Resources – Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Jeff Hazen: Executive Director – Sunset Empire Transportation District
Steve Jovel: Transportation Superintendent – Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
Robin Phillips: Executive Director – National Rural Transit Assistance Program
Harpreet Singh: JWI Director – Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265
David Stephen: Senior Communications Specialist – International Transportation Learning Center /Transit Workforce Center
Chris Van Eyken: Program Manager – TransitCenter
Making Connections 2022 – Meeting Industry Needs: Feedback Session on FTA’s Draft Strategic Workforce Development Plan
This handout was shared with participants in a feedback session held during TWC’s Making Connections 2022 transit workforce conference in December, 2022.
Transit Workforce Center & Federal Transit Administration
December 2022
Session Summary: The Federal Transit Administration, assisted by the Transit Workforce Center, is developing a strategic plan to support, strengthen and advance the transit industry’s workforce development programs. In this working session, participants heard about the current draft version of the plan and provided feedback and input that will shape the final document and direction.
Speakers
Mary Leary: Acting Associate Administrator for Research, Demonstration and Innovation – Federal Transit Administration
Employers can support workers’ economic mobility and their own bottom lines
This article provides a concise description of several strategies employers can use to create clear advancement pathways in their workplaces, which will help attract and retain quality candidates. It discusses research around what modern-day employees are looking for in a workplace and a position. It also links to a related article, which provides an overview of the framework created by Jobs for the Future (JFF) to describe the components of a good job.
WorkRise
November 2022
Building Pathways to Infrastructure Careers: Framework for Preparing an Infrastructure Workforce
This resource provides a framework for all workforce stakeholders, including infrastructure project leads, to engage the public workforce system in implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law with strong workforce commitments and proven strategies that produce high-quality education, training, and employment opportunities for all workers.
U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
October 2022
Steps for Transportation Workforce Diversity Outlined in TRB’s Research
This blog post highlights resources for improving inclusion and diversity in the transportation workforce.
Transportation Research Board
October 2022
RESOURCE TYPE: Publications | TRANSIT MODE: All Modes
Transit Workforce Shortage: Root Causes, Potential Solutions, and the Road Ahead
Public transit providers across North America face a shortage of operators and mechanics during a period of economic instability and reshuffling exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, agencies’ ability to respond to the worker shortage has been hampered by inadequate information about its causes and effects. The Transit Workforce Shortage Study builds a framework for APTA, its members, and its partner organizations to better understand the workforce shortage’s causes and provides best practices for recruiting, hiring, and retaining transit operations workers. The study is comprised of two phases. This document, the Interim Findings Report, synthesizes the findings from Phase 1, which included a survey of transit agencies and background research into the macro causes of the shortage.
American Public Transportation Association (APTA)
October 2022
TOPICS: Hiring and Recruitment
ATTAIN Rail/Signals/Traction Power and Facilities/Elevator-Escalator Committees Meeting
The American Transit Training and Apprenticeship Innovators Network (ATTAIN), run by the Transit Workforce Center (TWC), is a peer network created for transit agencies and labor unions to explore new apprenticeship programs or enhance existing programs for their frontline workforce.
This recorded meeting of the ATTAIN committees for Rail/Signals/Traction Power and Facilities/Elevator-Escalator serves as a resource for transit industry stakeholders and includes presentations on apprenticeship and case studies of successful programs across the country.
Transit Workforce Center
September 2022
RESOURCE TYPE: Case Studies | TRANSIT MODE: All Modes
Recruiting Seniors and Retirees – Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority
Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) & Transit Workforce Center
September 2022
Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority in Massachusetts serves 15 towns within a 400 square miles area in an area where the population triples in the summer with seasonal residents. CCRTA runs seven year-round fixed route lines, several on-demand and hybrid on-demand services, and three summer shuttle services. In 2021, CCRTA served approximately 2.5 million people with 98 drivers.
Faced with driver shortages, CCRTA and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1548 worked together and negotiated driver raises and $1,000 bonuses paid after 90-days. In addition, a six-step salary scale to reach the top pay grade was reduced to two steps. Drivers can now reach the top pay level within two years.
Barnstable County’s senior population is among the largest per capita in the country, and CCRTA has instituted hiring initiatives aimed toward the senior and retiree population. In connecting with this population, CCRTA has taken a variety of actions, including:
- Reaching out through Cape Cod Elder Services to communicate CCRTA’s interest in hiring seniors. CCRTA’s Human Services Transportation Manager sits on this organization’s board, facilitating ongoing contact.
- Targeting recruitment of retiring teachers, firefighters, police, and school bus drivers. Cape Cod RTA staff visited schools, fire houses, police stations, and municipal offices to share recruitment information.
- Visited each town on Cape Cod, talked with local retirement agency officials, and posted and mailed banners and notices.
- Overall increase in the agency’s traditional and social media presence generally, including advertising explicitly aimed at seniors, including on social media. Developed advertising, messaging, and imagery to make seniors and retirees feel welcome. To see samples of advertising, visit Cape Cod RTA Jobs on Facebook, the ad on their website’s front page, and see the video, featuring older drivers, on the CCRTA career page.
- Emphasizing the short time it takes to reach the highest salary level, a compelling message for seniors and retirees, who often value salaries more than benefits, as well as the ability to reach the highest level within their time at the agency.
- Offering various employment options, including full-time and part-time, and seasonal. The agency has found that individual needs lead to varied choices; they estimate their senior employees have split 50-50 in what scheduling option they choose.
- Providing full CDL training, testing and additional agency-specific training for all employees without CDLs. The agency pays for all training.
- Offering options for non-CDL drivers, who operate smaller vans. The agency encourages the CDL route because it gives drivers more flexibility in shifts and allows them to work and get paid at a higher rate.
- Currently exploring working with the Barnstable County Retirement Commission to arrange for a notice about CCRTA employment options to be part of the Commission’s information packet when an employee puts in for retirement.
CCRTA values its older workforce and their commitment to the job; through its efforts, it has been able to hire a dozen seniors and retirees as drivers. The agency notes that with this population, it is reasonable to expect excellent attendance, while also allowing for the potential of more short-term disability and time for medical appointments. COVID-19 saw CCRTA lose about half of its senior workforce, given seniors’ sensitivity to exposure. However, CCRTA is renewing its recruitment efforts in this area through the various methods noted.
For more information, contact:
Penny Grossman, H.R. Manager – Pgrossman@capecodrta.org – 508-385-1430, ext. 106
Come Drive with (B)us – Akron METRO Operator Recruitment Event
Akron METRO Regional Transit Authority & Transit Workforce Center
September 2022
TOPICS: Hiring and Recruitment
Organizations
Akron METRO Regional Transit Authority (METRO): Transit agency serving Summit County, Ohio and the city of Akron, with a fleet totaling 231 vehicles: 140 large buses and 91 smaller paratransit vehicles. METRO employs 425 team members.
Stark State College: Local event venue and partner in advertising campaign. METRO is currently in the final stages of an agreement with Stark State to supplement its CDL training program.
Program Summary
METRO’s “Come Drive with (B)us” event was a major initiative designed to recruit bus operators. Held at Stark State College, the event featured on-site bus-related activities, interviews and job applications. Extensive outreach activities before the event through diverse outlets, combined with the themed ad campaign, brought 99 interested participants and resulted in 71 contingent offers. The key “draw” to this event was the ability to test drive our vehicles on a closed course alongside our staff. METRO’s idea was that if the thought of driving a bus was keeping people from applying, they could offer a nontraditional mechanism to overcome that hesitancy. Once that challenge was overcome, the process could focus on the soft skills related to empathy and great customer service that are critical to success.
Key Program Elements
- Pre-event publicity
- Pop Art themed ad campaign (viewable on Facebook; an example is attached below as a PDF)
- Free and purchased advertising through social media, including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter posts
- Information on METRO’s website
- Print ads in local daily and weekly publications
- Two digital billboards, and flyers on buses and posters at METRO’s transit center
- A radio ad on several local radio stations
- Two days before to the event, Stark State College promoted the event on their digital sign, readable from the expressway
- Four radio personalities from four different stations drove the bus two to three weeks prior to the event and promoted on the air, including one station that put together its own video.
- Television interviews that resulted in a full story and a variety of mentions of the event on other stations
- Creating two bus wraps with the pop art feel (see PDF below) on careers, though not event-specific
- Outreach to past applicants
- Videos of three in-house of staff driving for the first time, along with videos featuring County Executive and Representative Casey Weinstein, and an invite video from METRO’s CEO
- Event activities and design (see PDF of signage below)
- Participants were told to bring a valid driver’s license
- Four clearly-marked stations for applicants to go to where they had the opportunity to:
- Apply
- Interview
- Secure a mobility device
- Drive a bus
- Every applicant moved through all four stations
- At final stop, attendees received:
- Bag of information
- Swag
- Digital and paper copies of the CDL training booklet for them to start studying
- Event planning activities
- Started six to eight weeks before event
- Committee was made of HR, Marketing, Operations, Maintenance and Safety/Security
- Eighteen staff members worked the day of the event – five working check-in/applications, five doing on-site interviews, two working the mobility station, five running the “test drive” station, and one runner to move between all stations to relieve backlog
- Used seven 40 foot buses (2 spares) and 2 paratransit vehicles
Outcomes
- Ninety-nine event attendees interviewed and were able to test drive
- Twenty-five additional people applied who could not attend; follow up interviews were planned
- 71 of the 99 were moved through to a “contingent offer” pending background checks with a start date of September 26th
- Twenty-three of the 99 had areas of their application that required reviewing before proceeding
For more information on this event, contact: Jarrod Hampshire – Chief Operations Officer, METRO RTA 330.808.0144
More recruitment advertising materials and resources can be found here.
Recruiting and Retaining the Best: Transit Workforce Best Practices
This blog post from Transportation for America details successful strategies and best practices employed by transit agencies to empower their operator and maintenance workforces.
Transportation for America
September 2022
RESOURCE TYPE: Case Studies | TRANSIT MODE: All Modes
Transit Recruitment and Second Chance Programs
Several transit agencies across the country have established Second Chance programs to support formerly-incarcerated individuals as they reenter the workforce; these programs set pathways into frontline transit positions, often focusing on driver recruitment. These initiatives involve active collaboration between transit agencies and departments of corrections. Agencies have also worked with other partners, including their local unions, state and local workforce development agencies, ex-offender support programs, and local community organizations. Basic descriptions of some current state and local programs can be found at these links, discussing Chicago, Iowa, Oregon, and Indianapolis.
Transit Workforce Center
August 2022
RESOURCE TYPE: Case Studies | TRANSIT MODE: All Modes
IndyGo’s Website – Recruitment
The IndyGo transit agency, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, offers high-quality career information on its website. This resource summarizes effective elements of the career page.
IndyGo
August 2022
TOPICS: Career Pathways , Hiring and Recruitment
IndyGo’s career page helps site visitors to understand what it’s like to work at the agency and how to apply. The page also highlights key job benefits and emphasizes the opportunity to serve the community. Overall, the employment section of IndyGo’s website demonstrates a number of key communication elements that support effective outreach to potential applicants. These elements include:
- An easily accessible and identifiable section on the website. “Employment” has its own clickable category, not a subcategory that may be harder to locate.
- Clear statements about IndyGo’s mission, emphasizing community service, connection, and working together to make a difference in people’s lives. These messages attract a range of potential target audiences, and they make clear the difference between a public service career, as opposed to other careers applicants may be considering.
- A detailed list of benefits, with additional specific benefits for drivers noted. Among those benefits, the list includes unique aspects of the driver position that distinguishes it from other potentially competing careers (e.g., long-haul trucking), noting benefits such as “all local work.”
- Highlighted aspects of the driver position that emphasize the connection with and support provided to riders.
- A thoughtful list of questions for potential applicants to consider about themselves and the type of work they might want before they decide to move ahead with the application.
- Detailed information on how and where to apply, basics of how to prepare for and what to bring to an interview, and important specifics about the steps of the hiring process and initial orientation and training programs.
- IndyGo’s Why I Drive segment on their website includes a video featured in the National Frontline Workforce Recruitment Campaign Toolkit video library elsewhere on this website. That link on IndyGo’s website also features brief worker profiles, another summary of benefits, and a note on IndyGo’s Second Chance Initiative.
- IndyGo’s website includes a prominent option to translate the site into Spanish.
Bus Operators in Crisis
TransitCenter’s report, entitled Bus Operators in Crisis: The Steady Deterioration of One of Transit’s Most Essential Jobs, and How Agencies Can Turn Things Around, analyzes the nationwide phenomenon of bus operator shortages and advocates for enhanced job quality in the occupation.
This resource includes links to the report as well as to a webinar from July, 2022.
TransitCenter
July 2022
National Transit Frontline Worker Recruitment Campaign
Across the United States, whether large, small, urban, rural, or tribal, transit agencies are facing the challenge of recruiting and retaining drivers, mechanics, and technicians who can operate and maintain the buses of our public transit systems. To help support local transit efforts, TWC is developing the #ConnectingMyCommunity national frontline worker recruitment campaign, coordinated with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and industry, labor, and community partners from around the country.
Transit Workforce Center
July 2022
Bus Operator Recruitment and Retention: Confronting Obstacles and Creating Opportunity
This multimedia case study details a high-road training partnership jointly operated by Golden Gate Transit and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1575. This resource contains a brief written summary, presentation slides, and video of a Golden Gate Transit / ATU presentation, which can be accessed by clicking here, or the “Learn More” button. The entire June 7, 2022 TWC webinar, Recruiting and Developing Today’s Transit Workforce, can be found here. It includes a question and answer session, beginning at 51:53, that covers more detail on this and other recruitment initiatives discussed in the webinar.
Transit Workforce Center, Golden Gate Transit, & Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1575
June 2022
Golden Gate Transit (GGT) serves four counties in San Francisco’s North Bay. GGT suspended approximately 90% of its commute service during COVID. As of Spring 2022, the agency was operating at roughly 50% of pre -COVID service levels, but needed to hire and retain large numbers of bus operators as ridership demand returned. To achieve this goal, a GGT and ATU labor-management partnership created a high-road training partnership that worked with local colleges and California Transit Works to establish bus operator mentorship, pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs. To guide its initiatives and actions, the partnership also examined data and asked underlying questions about the root causes of their employment challenges, resulting in reevaluating and adjusting some of its pathways to employment and hiring guidelines.
The Power of Partnership: Automotive Technology/Collision Career Technical Education Program
This multimedia case study details an internship program developed by the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) and Transport Workers Union Local 208. This resource contains a brief written summary, presentation slides, and video of a COTA-TWU Local 208 presentation. The entire June 7, 2022 TWC webinar, Recruiting and Developing Today’s Transit Workforce, can be found here. The complete webinar recording includes a question and answer session, beginning at 51:53, that covers more detail on this and other recruitment initiatives.
Transit Workforce Center, Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), & Transport Workers Union Local 208
June 2022
Summary:
To meet its need for vehicle maintenance technicians, COTA leadership partnered with TWU Local 208 and Columbus City Schools to provide a Vehicle Maintenance Internship Program, helping students already enrolled in an automotive program to develop additional technology competencies and prepare them for entry level positions. The COTA Vehicle Maintenance Internship Program provides career technical center high school students who have completed their junior year in a participating career-technical program the opportunity to work as paid interns in the Vehicle Maintenance Department at COTA. Students receive classroom training, hands-on training, laboratory experiences, and are partnered with mentors in preparation to enter the workforce as entry level automotive/collision technologies service technicians. From this foundation, COTA has now established a state-registered pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship program to support vehicle technician hiring, retention, and workforce development.
Strategic Workforce Planning in Transit: Recruiting and Developing Today’s Transit Workforce
This is the second in the Transit Workforce Center’s webinar series on strategic workforce development planning in transit. The TWC’s first webinar examined workforce development for the incumbent workforce. This second webinar focuses on how transit agencies and partner organizations are working to meet the significant recruitment challenges across the country and how to best turn these challenges into opportunities to reach, attract, and retain a diverse workforce. Two transit agencies and their labor partners discuss their innovative outreach and recruitment programs–including mentoring, pre-apprenticeships, and community college partnerships–followed by a presentation from a national organization leader who has coordinated cross-sectoral recruitment initiatives with agencies across the U.S.
A video recording of the webinar and the associated slides are attached below (if you are on the main Resource Center page, click “Learn More” to view the video). Please follow the link below to view all past TWC webinars and to register for upcoming events.
Transit Workforce Center
June 2022
RESOURCE TYPE: Tools/Toolkits | TRANSIT MODE: Bus - Fixed Route
Transit Manager’s Toolkit: Driver Recruitment, Training, and Retention
This section of the toolkit introduces both requirements and suggested practices in the areas of driver recruiting/hiring, retention/motivation, and training.
National RTAP
May 2022
TOPICS: Hiring and Recruitment , Retention , Training and Development
RESOURCE TYPE: Briefings | TRANSIT MODE: Bus - Fixed Route
TWC Briefing Report: Bus Driver Recruitment and Retention in Challenging Times
The TWC released this brief in spring 2022 discussing challenges facing transit agencies in recruiting and retaining bus drivers.
Transit Workforce Center
April 2022
TOPICS: Hiring and Recruitment , Retention , Safety and Health
RESOURCE TYPE: Briefings | TRANSIT MODE: Bus - Fixed Route
Statewide Bus Operator Attraction, Hiring, & Retention Research
These slides were used in a presentation outlining research conducted to better understand the shape and scale of the bus operator shortage in Massachusetts public transit, and the adjustments agencies are making to confront these challenges.
MBTA / MassDOT
April 2022
Policy Brief: Workforce Shortages Impacting Public Transportation Recovery
This recent report summarizes results from a survey APTA conducted with transit agencies in early 2022. The majority of responding agencies reported difficulties with hiring, with bus operator recruitment being the biggest challenge.
American Public Transportation Association
March 2022
TOPICS: Hiring and Recruitment
The Road to Zero Emission Buses — National Coordinated Effort to Prepare Frontline Technicians
Transitioning from work with the 12- and 24-volts electrical systems in traditional diesel and CNG buses to Zero Emissions Buses (ZEBs), with upwards of 800 volts, requires a significant commitment to additional skills training and development. The Transit Workforce Center is producing critical resources as part of a nationally coordinated effort to help prepare frontline technicians with the training needed to meet the challenges and demands of this new technology. This document summarizes our ZEB resources.
Transit Workforce Center
March 2022
Invisible Disabilities in the Workplace
These two resources provide insight for employers into what “invisible” or “hidden” disabilities are, how to provide opportunities for employees to voluntarily disclose them, and how to support individuals with such disabilities to be successful in the workplace.
BetterUp; SHRM
February 2022
RESOURCE TYPE: Publications | TRANSIT MODE: All Modes
Managing the Labor Shortage at Transit Agencies
This article examines labor shortages in the public transit industry. It focuses on the following points:
- Transit agencies across the United States are experiencing a significant shortage in labor, that the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened. This shortage is negatively impacting the services they provide to the public.
- Employees at transit agencies have a significantly higher median age than employees in other industries.
- Transit agencies should use data and information to consider recruiting and retaining employees for the long term.
Shared-Use Mobility Center
November 2021
TOPICS: Career Pathways , Hiring and Recruitment
RESOURCE TYPE: Publications | TRANSIT MODE: All Modes
Identifying Current and Future Training Needs of the Public Transportation Industry (Report 0191)
This report documents a study commissioned by the National Transit Institute (NTI) as part of its work to address training needs. The study investigated skills gaps among the workforce of the U.S. public transportation industry, identified strategies to address those gaps, and explored approaches to more successfully recruit and retain the full spectrum of the transit workforce, from frontline to technical to professional staff.
Federal Transit Administration & National Transit Institute
June 2021
RESOURCE TYPE: Publications | TRANSIT MODE: All Modes
The President’s National Advisory Council Workforce and Talent Management Study
An in-depth examination of the U.S workforce development system. The Education/Career Readiness Continuum graphic on page 11 of the report has particular applicability as agencies consider comprehensive workforce development plans.
National Infrastructure Advisory Council
March 2021
APTA Transit Workforce Readiness Guide
APTA’s Transit Workforce Readiness Guide is a highly interactive and easy-to-use online resource for executives and their staff to assist organizations in building a more diverse talent pipeline by attracting high school students, especially those coming from underserved communities, into entry-level transit positions.
American Public Transportation Association (APTA)
March 2021
Here to Stay: Black, Latina, and Afro-Latina Women in Construction Trades Apprenticeships and Employment
Chicago Women in the Trades & Institute for Women's Policy Research
March 2021
RESOURCE TYPE: Publications | TRANSIT MODE: All Modes
TCRP Research Report 228: Resource Guide for Improving Diversity and Inclusion Programs for the Public Transportation Industry
Examines industry diversity programs, including how inclusion has been incorporated, and what policies, plans, and practices have been successfully implemented.
Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)
January 2021
RESOURCE TYPE: Publications | TRANSIT MODE: All Modes
Advancing Frontline Workforce Development Meeting: Synthesis
This report synthesizes findings from a two-day gathering of more than two dozen transit industry labor and management representatives who engaged in in-depth discussions on frontline workforce training needs across the U.S. The purpose of the meeting was to identify immediate, short-term, and long-term training needs for the frontline public transportation workforce in the U.S. and ways to connect apprenticeship and formal training programs to support these needs.
National Transit Institute and Federal Transit Administration
February 2020
Innovative Transit Workforce Development Projects of 2015: Summative Evaluation (Report-0153)
This report provides the results of an evaluation of Innovative Transit Workforce Development Program projects awarded in Fiscal Year 2015. Based on a competitive application process, FTA awarded 16 workforce development projects to transit authorities, higher education institutions, Native American tribes, and nonprofit organizations individually or as a consortium.
Federal Transit Administration
February 2020
TCRP Synthesis 147: Attracting, Retaining, and Advancing Women in Transit
Explores the strategies that have been deployed in transit and other related industries in order to attract, retain, and advance women in a variety of roles.
Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)
January 2020
RESOURCE TYPE: Publications | TRANSIT MODE: All Modes
Attracting and Retaining Women in the Transportation Industry
Examines recruitment and retention strategies and emphasizes importance of community-orientation and mentoring.
Mineta Transportation Institute
February 2019
RESOURCE TYPE: Publications | TRANSIT MODE: All Modes
Innovative Transit Workforce Development Projects of 2012: Summative Evaluation (Report 0128)
This report provides the results of the Innovative Transit Workforce Development Program Evaluation of projects awarded in Fiscal Year 2012. FTA awarded a total of $7,048,898 for 16 workforce development projects. Recipients included transit authorities, higher education institutions, Native American tribes, and nonprofit organizations.
Federal Transit Administration
February 2019
RESOURCE TYPE: Case Studies | TRANSIT MODE: Bus - Fixed Route
Behind the Wheel
Behind the Wheel: A case study of Mission College and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s Coach Operator Apprenticeship Program, is part of SPR’s evaluation of the California Apprenticeship Initiative. The case study describes the development of the Coach Operator Apprenticeship program including why the partners chose an apprenticeship model to meet their training needs, how the program was developed and structured, and what apprentices and employers report about their experiences in the program. It concludes with a discussion of the program’s sustainability.
Foundation for California Community Colleges & Social Policy Research Associates (SPR)
January 2019
Equity from the Frontline: Workers’ Insight and Leadership Supports a Network of Apprenticeships in Transit
Equity in Apprenticeship is a report series from COWS at UW-Madison. It highlights programs that use apprenticeship and mentorship to extend occupational opportunity to historically marginalized groups, especially people of color and women. In California, the Joint Workforce Investment in the South Bay Valley Transportation Authority has developed a web of apprenticeships and advancement opportunities.
COWS at University of Wisconsin
August 2018
Troops to Transit: A Resource for Recruiting and Developing Veterans for Public Transportation Careers
The International Transportation Learning Center’s analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data has shown that the transportation industry in large will likely see a massive front-line labor shortage in the next ten years unless it is able to find and hire skilled workers. In fact, it is estimated that 126 percent of today’s transit workforce will have to be hired and trained in the next ten years.
In order to help fill this need, the center has produced a Veterans Crosswalk tool (see Excel document below) which matches skill-sets learned during military service with the kinds of skills that public transportation agencies look for when hiring signals maintainers. This product was produced in cooperation with a Veterans Taskforce made up of veterans who are also Subject Matter Experts in the field of Signals Maintenance. This detailed matrix has been distilled down into a user-friendly Veteran’s Factsheet (see PDF below) which provides at-a-glance information for both veterans interested in a signals career and for agencies looking to hire skilled veterans.
The tool is accompanied by a summary report.
International Transportation Learning Center
November 2016
TCRP Report 184: Maintenance Technician Staffing Levels for Modern Public Transit Fleets
This report identifies existing tools and practices used to determine optimum maintenance technician staffing levels. The report also provides an analysis of variables that influence maintenance technician staffing needs.
A Microsoft Excel calculator is also available, along with a user guide and case study.
Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)
August 2016
RESOURCE TYPE: Publications | TRANSIT MODE: All Modes
Innovative Transit Workforce Development Projects of 2011 Report (0094)
This report provides the results of the Innovative Transit Workforce Program Evaluation of projects awarded in fiscal year 2011. The evaluation was conducted via review of updates and final report submitted by grantees and telephone interviews with grantees.
Federal Transit Administration
April 2016
A Guide for the Development of Career Pathways in Transportation
This Guide outlines the steps that transportation industry stakeholders can take to develop or expand Career Pathways to focus on the skills, competencies, and credentials needed for high-demand jobs in the transportation industry and its subsectors.
U.S. Department of Education (OCTAE), Jobs for the Future, International Transportation Learning Center
December 2015
RESOURCE TYPE: Publications | TRANSIT MODE: All Modes
Strengthening Skills Training and Career Pathways Across the Transportation Industry
STRENGTHENING SKILLS TRAINING AND CAREER PATHWAYS ACROSS THE TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY: Data Report on Future Transportation Workforce Needs.
The collection and analysis of employment and skills data highlights the future growth areas and employment “hot spots” in transportation by industry subsectors, occupations, career areas, and geographic areas. It also emphasizes the need for skills training and career pathways across the transportation industry. The report identifies high-demand jobs with good wages, and analyzes the patterns in the education and work experience required for entry, as well as on-the-job training required for new entrants to gain full competency.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education
August 2015
TOPICS: Apprenticeship , Career Pathways , Hiring and Recruitment
Pathways to Equity: Effective Transportation Career Partnerships
Expanding access to quality careers in transit systems and in transit capital construction has been the focus of innovative local programs around the country in recent years. This report presents case profiles of two of the most promising examples – one for youth Career Pathways into transit industry careers, and one for targeted construction hiring and training of disadvantaged workers for transit capital projects. This report focuses on two local case profiles for transit Career Pathways: a Project Labor Agreement in Los Angeles providing expanded access to jobs and training for public transportation capital construction, and a youth Career Pathways partnership in Philadelphia linking career and technical education with future transit careers. Both of these models, if taken to scale in the transit industry, can have positive impacts, locally and nationally, for improving access to family-sustaining careers and training and for improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged groups – urban low-income and minority groups as well as women – who have previously been under-represented in these occupations.
International Transportation Learning Center
December 2013
Promoting Employment in Transit Construction Projects by Members of Minority and Low Income Communities (Report 0080)
This report summarizes research investigating the participation of members of low-income and minority populations in employment generated by transit projects and identifies practices to increase their participation. It features four in-depth case studies of light rail projects.
Federal Transit Administration
July 2013
TCRP Report 162: Building a Sustainable Workforce in the Public Transportation Industry—A Systems Approach
TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 162: Building a Sustainable Workforce in the Public Transportation Industry—A Systems Approach provides a guidebook that addresses contemporary issues in workforce development, retention, and attraction, and public transportation image management.
The guidebook provides practical tools to transit agencies on a variety of workforce issues including workforce strategies that enhance organizational processes, performance metrics to evaluate the impact of workforce strategies, image management techniques that improve perceptions of the public transportation industry, and benchmarking processes that allow for continuous organizational improvement.
The guidebook is separated into modules that may be used independently or together in the form of the fully integrated guidebook.
Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)
January 2013
TOPICS: Hiring and Recruitment , Retention , Training and Development
RESOURCE TYPE: Publications | TRANSIT MODE: All Modes
Dialogue for Women in Blue-Collar Transportation Careers
Short summary report on unique challenges and recommendations regarding women in blue-collar positions in transportation.
US Dept. of Transportation
September 2011
TCRP Report 142: Vehicle Operator Recruitment, Retention, and Performance in ADA Complementary Paratransit Operations
TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 142: Vehicle Operator Recruitment, Retention, and Performance in ADA Complementary Paratransit Operations provides guidance for understanding the relationships that influence and enhance operator recruitment, retention, and performance in Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) complementary paratransit services.
Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)
January 2010
TOPICS: Hiring and Recruitment , Retention , Training and Development
TCRP Research Results Digest 88: Innovative Practices in Transit Workforce Development
TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Research Results Digest 88: Innovative Practices in Transit Workforce Development examines innovative practices in workforce development in several cities in Canada, France, and Belgium.
Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)
June 2008
TCRP Report 103: Public Transportation Operating Agencies as Employers of Choice
TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 103: Public Transportation Operating Agencies as Employers of Choice documents principles, techniques, and strategies that are used in workforce recruitment, development, and retention.
Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)
January 2004
Moving Forward: Toward Women’s Equity and Inclusion in the Rail and Transit Sector
A toolkit for increasing women’s employment in Traditionally male dominated high-wage, high-skill fields on the railroad and in public transit agencies.
International Transportation Learning Center and Chicago Women in the Trades
RESOURCE TYPE: Case Studies | TRANSIT MODE: All Modes
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Joint Workforce Investment (JWI) Program
The Joint Workforce Investment (JWI), established in 2006, is a joint labor management partnership between the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 (ATU). Both organizations operate together as one “JWI” team. Three primary programs were brought together under the JWI initiative: the Maintenance Career Ladders Training Project (MCLTP), New Operator/Mentor Pilot Project, and Health and Wellness Project. This case study reviews details of the programs and data on their benefits.
ICF International
APTA Emerging Leaders Presentation: Recruiting & Retaining Bus Operators
This slidedeck, from an APTA Emerging Leaders Program presentation, provides an overview of research and transit agency case studies to capture key themes on the topic of bus operator recruitment and retention.
American Public Transportation Association
RESOURCE TYPE: Funding Opportunity | TRANSIT MODE: All Modes
Notice of Funding Opportunity: Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies (ARISE)
Administering Agency: Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)
Closing Date for Applications: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis
Funding Range: $73.5M available total
Geographic Scope: Regional
Description: ARISE is an ARC initiative that aims to drive large-scale, regional economic transformation through multistate, collaborative projects across Appalachia.
With the additional funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, ARC launched ARISE to strengthen Appalachian business and industry, and to grow and support the development of new opportunities across multiple states.
Posted January 20, 2023 to TWC Resource Center. Please refer to the link below for the most up to date information from the funder.