News

CUTR’s Florida Transit Safety and Operations Network Summit Meeting

Posted June 2023

ITLC was invited to the Center for Transportation Research (CUTR), University of South Florida Professional Development Workshop & Transit Safety and Operations Summit, where team members led three sessions on June 5-7. The event was coordinated by CUTR’s Instructional/Multimedia Project Manager, Stephanie Lewis, along with the Project Manager for Florida Statewide Transit Training and Technical Assistance Program Paul Goyette, and covered topics across all facets of public transportation, including front-line worker issues, the increase in homeless passengers, new Federal drug testing parameters, and grant writings. ITLC’s Maurice Beard moderated a panel during the "Apprenticeship Programs for Bus Operators: A Joint Approach to Strengthen Retention, Recruitment, and Workforce Development” session, composed of: ATU International Director of Apprenticeship and Workforce Development Jamaine Gibson; ATU Local 1005 Apprenticeship Coordinator Alec Johnson; and Interim Assistant Director-Bus Administration, Metro Transit, Minneapolis Antoinette Brasson.  



The following day, ITLC Program Manager for Technical Training James Hall led a similar session on apprenticeship for the bus maintenance workforce, joined by: ATU’s Jamaine Gibson, Eliseo Acosta, Jr., ATU Local 265, Maintenance; and Michael Vaughn, Service Manager, City of Tallahassee-Fleet Manager-Star Metro. On the summit’s final day, James and Maurice led a session, “Preparing Your Workforce for Transition to Battery Electric Buses,” examining how to meet the challenges of preparing a workforce as agencies integrate Battery Electric Bus (BEB) technologies into their existing fleet.