News

Transit Needs Skilled Workers to Implement State of Good Repair Programs

Posted April 2020

“Let me start with the three take-away points from the end of this presentation:
1.    Our State of Good Repair programs require additional skilled workforce, especially on the frontline
2.    Transit faces major challenges in recruiting, training and retaining skilled frontline workforce
3.    Innovative solutions are being proposed to address transit workforce challenges.”

Those were the opening comments from Transportation Learning Center Executive Director Jack Clark to more than 100 people gathered at the 2020 State of Good Repair conference in Washington DC on March 11-12, 2020. This annual event, sponsored by Global Mass Transit, bringing together public transit officials and wide range of private sector providers of services and equipment, to discuss transit asset management. 

The COVID-19 pandemic certainly affected the conference attendance but participation was nevertheless strong from executives, managers and technical experts committed to learning and sharing of knowledge. The pandemic bears influence but leaders realize they have to reach above and beyond. Of the thirty scheduled speakers, five could not attend in-person but delivered their presentations by Skype instead. Delegate attendance also lagged behind usual levels. The mood at the event was cautious optimism, focused towards continuing essential business while taking precautions for health and safety. The participants benefitted from excellent technical presentations, lively discussions and invaluable networking.

In his presentation, Clark presented the data on workforce and skills shortages, and addressed potential solutions including the multi-site Consortium model for courseware development and registered apprenticeship programs. Apprenticeship, he noted, represents a gold standard for transit workforce development, ensuring that current and future workers master industry-recognized standards for training. His full Power Point presentation can be viewed here: https://files.constantcontact.com/b13fefa3201/edf4fd88-c580-446c-968d-e211db388dfe.pdf