Publications

International and Domestic Comparisons: Building Capacity for Transit Training - Updated Edition

"International and Domestic Comparisons: Building Capacity for Transit Training" outlines the Center's initial findings on how other countries and industries implement labor-management training systems. The paper explores workforce development practices in countries including Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. In addition, the report identifies the US based industries of electrical work, masonry, pipefitting and iron working that also promote a joint structure for workforce training.
Download: International and Domestic Comparisons: Building Capacity for Transit Training - Updated Edition

Establishing Guidelines for Quality Training - Elements of Effective Training Programs

A system of training elements can provide a framework of guidelines for the implementation of quality transit training programs. This paper describes a system of training elements based on several national models for training program review and accreditation. In the future, the use of training program guidelines may lead to an established process for industry training program accreditation for college credit and apprenticeship, as well as an established precondition for possible future testing and certification
Download: Establishing Guidelines for Quality Training - Elements of Effective Training Programs

Training for Transportation Technicians - Which Delivery Methods Work Best?

This paper explores the question, what is the most effective way to train transit technicians? The most common method is classroom lecture where instructors talk and students just listen and desperately try to grasp all of the conceptual information delivered to them in rapid succession. At the other end of the spectrum is the ‘sink or swim’ approach where students are thrown into the job to work alongside veterans to pick up their good … or bad methods. Somewhere in the middle is a better, blended approach, where classroom lecture is continually complemented by interactive hands-on demonstrations and followed by structured on the job training (OJT) and mentoring.
Download: Training for Transportation Technicians - Which Delivery Methods Work Best?

Training Partnerships that Work: An Emerging National Network

The partnerships profiled here range from long-established training systems such as that between Chicago Transit Authority and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 9 to Pennsylvania’s broad, statewide Keystone Transit Career Ladder Partnership, which encompasses over 25 transit agencies and local unions. In contrast, relatively young joint efforts, such as that between Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Transportation Authority and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 732 are also included. 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. When labor and management work
together, both labor and management win.
Download: Training Partnerships that Work

Transit Partnership Training: Metrics of Success - Expanded Edition

You can’t know how well you’re doing until you find ways to measure outcomes. The Center followed through on this basic insight by developing a series of five in-depth research reports on the work of the Keystone Transit Career Ladder Partnership in Pennsylvania and Project Empire Partnership in Upstate New York. The key findings of this research are highlighted in this overview.
Download: Metrics of Success

Building Effective Education and Training for America’s Workers - Issue Briefing

President Obama has issued a challenge for all Americans and all those involved in education and training: He has called for all Americans to complete at least one year of education or training beyond high school. He has particularly urged that unemployed workers should be able to use their time not working to build skills to advance their careers when they return to employment. The Center has just released a short issue brief calling attention to the value of workplace training partnerships and apprenticeship.
Download: Building Effective Education and Training for America’s Workers - Issue Briefing

Transit Partnership Pays: Working Together - Everybody Wins

The Center's partnership-based, data-driven model for developing training reaps enormous gains for transit agencies, workers and the customers of public transportation. This report highlights the abundant evidence that the most successful, cost efficient and durable training systems come from industry based labor-management partnerships.
Download: Transit Partnership Pays: Working Together - Everybody WinsThe Cen

Transit Jobs: Building Green Careers and Helping the Environment

Green collar jobs in transit are blue collar jobs that improve environmental quality and build strong communities. The Center’s green jobs fact sheet highlights the ways that transit jobs are investing in sustainable communities. Green collar jobs are good posed that are posed for dramatic growth well into the future!
Download: Transit Jobs

Pennsylvania Transit on the High Road

This 2003 report reviews the early development of the Keystone Transit Career Ladder Partnership from the earliest discussions in 2001 to the end of its second program year in June 2003.
Download: Pennsylvania Transit on the High Road

Measuring Up

This report uses objective data to demonstrate the positive impact of Keystone training on job performance and transit operations. The Center's research found that enhanced maintenance training through Keystone has raised the knowledge and skill levels of transit maintenance employees, improved effectiveness of diagnostics and repair, and yielded reduced maintenance costs and improved vehicle reliability.

Check out the Center's full Measuring Up report series.
MeasuringUpVol1.pdf
MeasuringUpV2_5-4-2007.pdf
Download: Measuring Up Interim Report

People Make the Hardware Work: Transit Experts Call for Labor Management Training Partnerships

A summary of findings from the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP), a service of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Public Transportation Association.
Download: People Make the Hardware Work

Transportation Industry Environmental Scan

The transportation industry has been identified as a high-growth industry, with Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting nearly 22 percent employment growth between 2002 and 2012. This report provides a comprehensive scan of the transportation industry including overall industry structure, major sector definitions, key associations, unions and joint workforce development initiatives, and statistics on the industry, its employers, and its workforce.
Download: Transportation Industry Environmental Scan

Keystone: Making a Difference In Pennsylvania Transit

Published in June 2004, this report uses survey data to show that the Keysotne Transit Career Ladder Partnership has generated broad support from supervisors and workers in both large and small Pennsylvania transit agencies.
Download: Keystone: Making a Difference in Pennsylvania Transit

Passing on the Legacy

Training transit workers reaps benefits for transit agencies, workers and those who ride public transportation. Our most recent research report, Passing on the Legacy: The Benefits of Mentoring in Transit Training, explores the role of mentoring in transit training. The Center profiled three mentoring programs at Portland, Oregon’s TriMet system, Alameda Contra-Costa Transit District and at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. Varying in size, location and training programs, these three locations use mentoring as a tool to hone worker skills. Check out the report at http://www.transportcenter.org. Also, view other Center publications about the benefits of transit training including our research series Measuring Up.
Download: Passing on the Legacy

Working Together:  A Systems Approach for Transit Training

Working Together: A Systems Approach for Transit Training outlines how constructive training partnerships provide the most effective way for the transit industry to address its skill challenges. National labor-management committee have met regularly for several years to develop consensus training guidelines. These joint committees have been focusing on five transit maintenance occupations: bus, rail signals, traction power, rail vehicles and elevator/escalator. A parallel joint effort has been crafting a national framework for transit apprenticeship.
Download: Working Together

Project Empire:  Smart Investment Partnership

Project Empire is a transit training initiative developed through cooperative efforts on the part of labor and management. The Center’s report, “Smart Investment Partnership: New York State’s Transit Training Workforce Proves Its Worth,” outlines the gains that come from joint training partnerships. Project Empire includes the Central New York Regional Transportation Authority (CENTRO) and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 580 as well as the Capitol District Transportation Authority (CDTA) and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1321. Forged in 2006, this partnership aims to alleviate transit’s skill crisis by providing continuing education and training opportunities for workers. Through cooperation transit can identify the most effective training practices and maximize the industry’s training resources.
Download: Project Empire: Smart Investment Partnership