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ATTAIN Bus Operator Apprenticeship 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 Bus Operator Committee 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
May 2023
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.
ATTAIN Bus Maintenance Apprenticeship 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 Bus Maintenance Committee 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
March 2023
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
Making Connections 2022 – Engines to Inverters: Preparing Technicians for ZEB Deployment
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: As transit agencies integrate zero-emission technologies into their fleet, many are experiencing difficulties in preparing their frontline workforce to properly maintain and operate the equipment. In this workshop, panelists explored lessons learned, best practices, and available resources to upskill their technician and maintenance workforce and prepare the future frontline workers to safely and effectively work with ZEB technologies. Presentations by industry experts, early-adopters, and successful rollouts offered insight for an audience seeking guidance on first steps and follow-through.
Moderators
James Hall: Program Manager, Technical Training – International Transportation Learning Center/Transit Workforce Center
Lisa Jerram: Director of Bus Operations and New Vehicle Technologies – American Public Transportation Association
Speakers
Joseph Gamez: Assistant Chief Maintenance Officer Maintenance Training – New York City Transit, Department of Buses
Walter Kirkland: Service Manager – StarMetro Tallahassee
Obed Mejia: Senior Bus Equipment Instructor – Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Making Connections 2022 – Growing Your Own Through Apprenticeship: A Joint Approach to Building Skills
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: Apprenticeship programs create a foundation for strong, effective workforce development programs. The ability to build and sustain these programs requires strong labor-management partnerships, or, in the case of nonunion agencies, ongoing involvement of, and management engagement with, the frontline workforce. In this session, panelists from a diverse group of transit agencies presented examples of challenges met and lessons learned as they designed and implemented their apprenticeship programs. Attendees heard how apprenticeship can support a variety of frontline transit occupations and the benefits that apprenticeship offers.
Moderator
Jamaine “G” Gibson: Director of Apprenticeships and Workforce Development – Amalgamated Transit Union
Speakers
Dexter Bishop: Elevator/Escalator Journeyman – Amalgamated Transit Union/Local 689
Stephanie Deiger: Chief Human Resources Officer – Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
Brian Funk: Chief Operating Officer and Deputy General Manager – MetroTransit Minneapolis
Michael Hanssen: Supervisor of Technical Skills Training – Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Alec Johnson: Bus Operator Apprenticeship Coordinator – MetroTransit Minneapolis/Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005
Apprenticeship Building America: Mentoring Guide
Mentoring is a key staple of a successful apprenticeship program. This guide provides an overview of the qualities of a good mentor, the activities a mentor undertakes, tips for mentoring youth apprentices, and more.
U.S. Dept of Labor, Apprenticeship Building America Grant Program
December 2022
TOPICS: Apprenticeship , Trainer and Mentor Development
Train-the-Trainer Level 1: Adult Learning Theory and Teaching Techniques
The International Transportation Learning Center’s week-long, highly engaging train the trainer course takes subject matter experts and gives them the skills to convey their vast knowledge to others in a classroom setting. Topics include: adult learning theory, teaching techniques and presentation skills. Participants will spend most of the week applying what they’re learning through rounds of practice teaching in a classroom, lab and field setting. They’ll also give and receive feedback from peers – one of the most important skills of a trainer!
Subsequent learning opportunities include Train-the-Trainer Level 2: Creating Courseware that Works.
International Transportation Learning Center (ITLC)
August 2022
Train-the-Trainer Level 2: Creating Courseware that Works
This week-long, interactive course, Train the Trainer Level 2, builds on Train the Trainer Level 1 by giving experienced trainers the skills to define, design and develop an effective and engaging training course and accompanying courseware and assessments, incorporating established adult learning principles. Participants apply this new knowledge by starting to develop materials for a course of their choosing, which would ultimately be taught at their location.
International Transportation Learning Center (ITLC)
August 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
TWC Mentor Training
Overview: This workshop is designed for employees or journeyworkers designated as mentors to support on the job learning for apprenticeship programs. The content includes a review of mentor roles, an introduction to learning styles, and a facilitated discussion about communication and problem solving. The second half of the workshop includes role playing exercises for the participants to practice what they learned. The instructor leads the participants through a structured review of that experience and review of the mentoring concepts presented. The program acknowledges the wisdom of the mentors and encourages them to view themselves as ambassadors for the apprenticeship and advocates for the apprentices.
Please click to expand and follow the link below for additional details and to submit a mentor training request.
Transit Workforce Center
June 2022
Strategic Workforce Planning in Transit: Fundamentals of Mentoring
This is the third in the Transit Workforce Center’s webinar series on strategic workforce development planning in transit. Labor and management leaders from across the country discussed the impact of mentorship programs in their agencies.
A video recording of the webinar and the associated slides are attached below. Please follow the link below to view all past TWC webinars and to register for upcoming events.
Transit Workforce Center
June 2022
TOPICS: Apprenticeship , Retention , Trainer and Mentor Development
Mentor programs provide a powerful and effective tool for workforce development and retention. For maintenance occupations, mentors deliver hands-on training support, putting skills in diverse workplace contexts beyond the classroom. For bus operators, mentors provide guidance that addresses real world situations, building and expanding on basic training and creating ongoing support for each new operator. In every transit agency across all occupations, seasoned employees have stores of knowledge waiting to be shared. Without mentorship, this knowledge can be lost when workers retire or move on. A well-structured mentorship program, designed in partnership with the workers, ensure this expertise is passed on. Strong mentorship programs also provide mentors with leadership opportunities and mentees with the skills and confidence they need to succeed, increasing expertise and morale throughout the organization.
Higher Education Practices to Prepare Future Transportation Professionals Regarding Disability, Accessibility, and Mobility Management
This NCMM Information Brief, Higher Education Practices to Prepare Future Transportation Professionals Regarding Disability, Accessibility, and Mobility Management provides the results of a NCMM study regarding content in higher education preparation programs and offers recommendations regarding how to integrate disability-related content in preparation programs. The brief also includes recommendations regarding the recruitment and retention of individuals with disabilities into the transportation industry.
Please click the link below to view NCMM’s Mobility Management in Practice Series; this report is one of several 2022 publications listed.
National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM)
April 2022
Preparing for and Capturing Video Footage for Instructional Video
Digital and video instruction are two ways in which transit agencies can enhance their current training methods for their frontline employees. In a previous skill booster event, we showcased video editing software Filmora™. But before you can edit video, you need to capture it. As videography expert and the presenter of this session Kenyon Corbett says, “there is no replacement for good audio and video.”
This event used real world examples to demonstrate the Dos and Don’ts of capturing video and audio for instructional videos as well as outline how best to prepare for this process.
This is one of several skill booster events held by the International Transportation Learning Center (ITLC). Other webinars can be found by filtering by resource type.
International Transportation Learning Center
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
Creating and Editing Instructional Videos to Engage Learners
Beyond the traditional classroom environment, one way transit trainers can enhance delivery is through video instruction. This recorded webinar demonstrates Filmora™, an affordable and easy-to-use platform that helps you create video instruction modules.
This is one of several skill booster events held by the International Transportation Learning Center (ITLC). Other webinars can be found by filtering by resource type.
International Transportation Learning Center
November 2020
ITLC Elevator/Escalator Training Consortium
The International Transportation Learning Center (ITLC) organizes multiple national training consortia to develop standards-based national training courseware for frontline occupations in public transportation organizations.
The Transit Elevator-Escalator Training Consortium (the Consortium) was the first in an ongoing series of industry-wide collaborative programs to develop integrated systems of training for key frontline occupations in public transportation. Building on national training standards developed by industry Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from 2006 to 2010 and then adopted by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the Consortium developed a full set of standardized national courseware to support training and apprenticeship programs for transit elevator/escalator (El-Es) technicians. The curriculum and courseware development team was composed of subject matter experts (SMEs) from five member agencies and unions from across the country. Membership of the Consortium consists of transit systems that maintain their vertical transportation equipment in-house, rather than relying on outside contractors. Equipment manufacturers contributed access to their technical drawings and manuals to enrich the courseware.
The list of courseware as of Summer 2020 is contained in the attached catalog.
International Transportation Learning Center
September 2020
Integrating eLearning in Transit Frontline Learning
In this webinar, guest speaker Ron Thiele, Xpan Interactive, presented on ways in which some transit organizations use eLearning.
This is one of several skill booster events held by the International Transportation Learning Center (ITLC). Other webinars can be found by filtering by resource type.
International Transportation Learning Center
May 2020
ATU Setting the Standard for Transit Apprenticeships
This article summarizes ATU’s and the International Transportation Learning Center’s (ITLC’s) efforts to promote transportation mentorship and apprenticeship program development.
Amalgamated Transit Union
September 2018
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
Training for New Technologies – workshop slides
Slide presentation from “Training for New Technologies” workshop held during the International Transportation Learning Center’s Making Connections conference held on October, 26, 2017.
International Transportation Learning Center
October 2017
Training Syllabus to Instruct/Prepare for the ASE Transit Bus Electrical/Electronics Test
This Recommended Practice provides guidelines for establishing a standardized bus maintenance training related to the ASE certification program syllabus for the electrical/electronics systems used in transit buses and coaches.
American Public Transportation Association
October 2016
Training Syllabus to Instruct Bus Technicians on Hybrid Drive Systems Operations and Maintenance
This Recommended Practice provides guidelines for establishing a standardized bus maintenance training program related to the theory of operation, maintenance and troubleshooting of bus hybrid drive transmissions and related equipment
American Public Transportation Association
October 2016
Training Syllabus to Instruct/Prepare for the ASE Transit Bus Diesel Engines Test
This Recommended Practice provides guidelines for establishing a standardized bus maintenance training program related to the ASE certification program syllabus for the diesel engines used in transit buses and coaches.
American Public Transportation Association
October 2016
TOPICS: Trainer and Mentor Development
Training Syllabus to Instruct/Prepare for the ASE Transit Bus Air Brake Systems Test
This Recommended Practice provides guidelines for establishing a standardized bus maintenance training program related to the ASE certification syllabus for transit bus and coach air brake systems.
American Public Transportation Association
October 2016
Training Syllabus to Instruct/Prepare for the ASE Transit Bus Electrical/Electronics Test
This Recommended Practice provides guidelines for establishing a standardized bus maintenance training related to the ASE certification program syllabus for the electrical/electronics systems used in transit buses and coaches.
American Public Transportation Association
October 2016
Training Syllabus to Instruct/Prepare for the ASE Transit Bus HVAC Test
This Recommended Practice provides guidelines for establishing a standardized bus maintenance training related to the ASE certification program syllabus for HVAC systems used in transit buses and coaches.
American Public Transportation Association
October 2016
Training Syllabus to Instruct/Prepare for the ASE Transit Bus Transmission and Drive Train Test
This Recommended Practice provides guidelines for establishing a standardized bus maintenance training related to the ASE certification program syllabus for transmissions and drivetrains used in transit buses and coaches.
American Public Transportation Association
October 2016
The Transit Elevator-Escalator Training Consortium: A Model for Successful Training Development
A report on the process, products and outcomes related to the first National consortium for development of training for public transportation maintenance employees. This joint labor-management effort set a proven model for multiple other similar consortia. Products include – instruction ready courseware, a nationally recognized apprenticeship program for transit maintenance elevator/escalator maintainers and train-the-trainer program.
International Transportation Learning Center
September 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
TCRP Report 178: A National Training and Certification Program for Transit Vehicle Maintenance Instructors
TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 178: A National Training and Certification Program for Transit Vehicle Maintenance Instructors provides a proposed national program structure and plan for training and certifying transit bus and rail maintenance instructors. The report also provides best practices used in the public and private sectors to prepare and certify technical instructors, as well as the attributes and instructional delivery methods found most effective for maintenance instructors.
Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)
January 2015
TCRP Report 170: Establishing a National Transit Industry Rail Vehicle Technician Qualification Program—Building for Success
TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 170: Establishing a National Transit Industry Rail Vehicle Technician Qualification Program—Building for Success describes a system of qualification that has been developed for rail vehicle technicians. This qualification system is available for implementation through the Transportation Learning Center.
The program integrates national training standards, progressive classroom curricula and introductory courseware, on-the-job learning modules, an apprenticeship framework that combines well-designed sequences of learning, mentoring to support learners, and coordination of classroom and on-the-job learning. The qualification system also includes written and hands-on certification assessments to confirm that technicians have the practical knowledge and skills required to perform their jobs at the highest level of expertise.
Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) & International Transportation Learning Center
January 2014
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
Transit Maintenance Mentoring Guidebook
The purpose of this report is to serve as a guidebook, offering information that transit agencies can use to establish mentoring as a training method with guidance, suggestions, and examples to implement or expand upon existing mentoring programs. It is based on a generic mentoring guidebook developed by the USDOT, modified and enhanced to reflect transit maintenance applications.
International Transportation Learning Center
November 2012
Quality Training Pays: Training Investment Pays for Itself Six Times Over
You never know how well you are doing until you find metrics with which you can measure outcomes. The Transportation Learning Center has capitalized on this insight through a series of in-depth research reports chronicling work by labor-management partnerships in Philadelphia, PA and Albany, NY. This fact sheet outlines these findings and shows a substantial return on training investment.
International Transportation Learning Center
June 2011
Training Partnerships That Work: An Emerging National Network
Training Partnerships That Work provides vivid summaries of successful labor-management training partnerships at sites across the country. The cases included here represent a diverse set of transit systems and unique training partnerships. Most importantly, they illustrate how labor and management can work together successfully on issues of training, and provide valuable lessons for other industries facing the problem of retiring baby boomers and inadequate capacity to train replacement workers.
International Transportation Learning Center
February 2010
Electrical Standards Fundamentals
A document of electrical safety standards and fundamentals. The fundamentals include Electrons, Static Electricity, and Magnetic fields. It also covers how power is transmitted to buildings through the power grid and how grounding is built into delivery systems.
International Transportation Learning Center
January 2010
Signals Training Standards Curriculum Map
A curriculum map of the Signals Training Standards released on January 22, 2008.
International Transportation Learning Center
January 2008
Transit Bus Certification Tests
ASE initiated this Test Series to identify and recognize those Transit Bus Technicians who demonstrate knowledge of the skills necessary to diagnose, service, and repair various systems on transit buses.
Automotive Service Excellence (ASE)
West Coast Center of Excellence in Zero Emission Technology
Funded by the FTA, this center serves to bring education to transit agencies looking to establish or increase their zero-emission fleets and technologies. Course Offerings:
• Leadership and Employee Relations
• Zero Emission Bus Overview
• Zero Emission Bus Operations
• Zero Emission Bus Maintenance
• Financial Management
• Zero Emission Bus Procurement
• Zero Emission Bus Policies and Regulations
• Planning for ZEB Operation
SunLine Transit Agency
Rail Signals Training Content and Standards
Overview of the signals training course (2 modules—level 100 and 200). Related resources can be found by entering “signals” in the search bar.
International Transportation Learning Center
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
National Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee (NJAT) – Job Function 2: Electrical and Electronic Systems
Matrix of training materials available to members of the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) through other Committee members and from third-party resources. This document refers to JOB FUNCTION 2: Electrical and Electronic Systems of the Center developed, Department of Labor Apprenticeship Framework for Bus Maintenance.
Interested parties should contact the provider of each resource directly. Some resources may not currently be available.