News

Center Delivers Mentor Training at TARC in Louisville, KY

Posted April 2019

On behalf of the Center, Stuart Bass, Executive Director of the Keystone Development Partnership, delivered transit coach operator Train-the-Mentor at TARC in Louisville, KY on April 16, 2019. Stu trained transit coach operators/mentors using the curriculum developed by the Center under the American Apprenticeship Initiative (AAI) project. Five transit coach operators received the one-day training, which focused on the qualities, essential skills, and the five primary roles of a successful mentor. It included an in-depth review of adult learning styles and their impact on building and maintaining positive mentoring relationships. Also discussed was the importance of helping mentees to develop balanced work-life behaviors, and the necessity of using a variety of health and wellness techniques. Participant evaluations of the course were overwhelmingly positive. They enjoyed learning about, practicing and critiquing their listening skills during the interactive scenarios which provided them with an opportunity to simulate real-life mentoring sessions. 

One participant commented that the training will help to keep them focused on the important aspects of engagement with their mentee. Another said that there was a lot of positive and constructive criticism during the program that helped them understand the best ways to handle situations with their mentees.

The Operator Mentor training was developed as an additional component to the Transit Coach Operator Apprenticeship program that the Center is currently working on through a U.S. DOL American Apprenticeship Initiative grant. TARC recently registered its Coach Operator apprenticeship program which emphasizes continued mentorship of transit coach operators, even after they have completed their initial training. The goal is to provide support for transit coach operators so that they can be successful in their careers as operators and reduce turnover rates for the agency. The Center will be working with other transit agencies committed to developing a coach operator apprenticeship to provide additional transit coach operator mentor training.
 
For more information on Transit Coach Operator apprenticeship, contact Kenyon Corbett.