Keystone Transit Career Ladder Partnership
A Joint Project of Transit Unions and Transit Systems in Pennsylvania
|
|
|
Keystone
Transit Career Ladder Partnership Background Rapidly changing transit technologies, related skill shortages and job vacancies pose critical challenges to public transportation systems throughout the State of Pennsylvania. The most effective way to resolve these skill shortages is a collaborative approach to providing training for incumbent workers to move up industry career ladders targeted to areas of shortage. At the center of the Keystone Partnership are Pennsylvania's largest mass transit union - the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Pennsylvania's largest mass transit system, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) - who will work together in developing and piloting new curriculum across a range of occupations experiencing skill shortages in this first program year. Facilitating this partnership is the Community Transportation Development Center (TRANSPORT CENTER), a nonprofit organization created to support transportation industry partnerships for workforce development and industry development. To extend this partnership to the other mass transit systems in the State, TRANSPORT CENTER will work with the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, the Amalgamated Transit Union, which together represent the transit workforce in Pennsylvania's smaller mass transit systems. Providers of post-secondary education, including community and technical colleges, will be brought into the Partnership as potential training delivery and certification organizations. As the fiscal agent, the TRANSPORT CENTER will ensure effective partnership development and delivery of career ladder training. As the Partnership program makes it possible for larger numbers of incumbent workers to receive training needed to progress into middle and higher rungs of industry career ladders, larger numbers of entry-level job openings will become available for community members. As the Partnership develops and provides that training for incumbent workers, it will then also recruit, train and provide support for new hires starting their transit industry careers. Both efforts address important public goals: The incumbent worker training can avert layoffs as new technology is introduced and strengthen the delivery of community transportation services, and potential new hires will be recruited among dislocated workers, youth, and those re-entering the workforce from public assistance and from other sources. Additional community organization partners will be brought into the Partnership to help build community outreach for recruiting potential new hires and supporting their entry into transit careers. Mass Transit is a Critical Industry for Pennsylvania's Communities Mass transit systems across Pennsylvania provide invaluable service to urban and rural populations, seniors and youth, the disabled, those without transportation services and the public at large. Total mass transit employment in Pennsylvania is 17,000. These numbers are expected to rise as Pennsylvanians continue to shift to rail and bus transportation alternatives for local transportation needs. Presently mass transit is the chosen mode of transportation in Pennsylvania at a level second only to New York, Illinois and the Washington D.C. metro area. Pennsylvania transit systems account for the fourth and the thirteenth largest mass transit systems in the nation. The two largest systems have the bulk of employees - SEPTA with 9,031 and PAT Transit with 3,188. The rapid integration of new propulsion and communications technologies is transforming the world of transit and the skill requirements of its occupations. At the same time the booming economy of the nineties, worsening road congestion and the promise of rider-friendly transit technologies have generated a resurgence in transit ridership - up 21 percent nationally in the past five years. Shortages of skilled workers are a common feature of transit systems nationwide. As of the first quarter of 2001 total transit ridership in Pennsylvania has grown to an estimated level of over 416 million trips annually. Collaborative work among transit unions, transit management and community groups is necessary for a successful transition to 21st century transit systems with 21st century skills. A partnership linking management and transit unions can be a powerful catalyst for creating effective, reliable, modern systems and building quality training and career ladder systems. This partnership can be the most effective way to assess training needs from the perspective of front line employees in concert with operations management and design the most efficient systems to deliver services to Pennsylvania's communities. The Keystone Transit Career Ladder Partnership will build upon activities undertaken to date in Southeastern Pennsylvania, then expand to involve transit systems and labor organizations throughout the State in building the career ladder program. The Community Transportation Development Center, with support from the US Department of Transportation, is working in Pennsylvania and four other initial states to develop high quality transit career ladder training programs focused on new technologies and skill shortages. San Francisco, California, Houston, Texas, Miami, Florida and New York City are other areas where such programs are in development. As part of this broader U.S. Department of Transportation-funded transit technology/skills planning program, TWU Local 234 in Southeastern Pennsylvania and SEPTA have been working with the Community Transportation Development Center to explore approaches for:
With support from the State of Pennsylvania, this program will grow into a full program of assessment, curriculum development, and delivery of upgrade training and mentoring systems for incumbent workers. As those tasks roll forward, the initial Partnership organizations will reach out to key community organizations and their local Workforce Investment Boards to identify candidates as potential new hires for the initial rungs of transit career ladder programs. There are significant advantages and efficiencies associated with developing this kind of program on a statewide basis. The challenges of widespread skill shortages and rapid technological change are similar across public transportation systems in the state, and significant economies of scale can be achieved by developing related solutions among the transit systems and unions across the state. It is anticipated that assessment, curriculum, and training delivery systems developed in Pennsylvania's largest mass transit systems will accelerate the development of similar activities that are urgently needed in the smaller systems throughout the State. We expect that the underlying system of partnership development can be transferred to the other transit properties, especially given the leadership role of SEPTA and the TWU, ATU, and the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO on a statewide basis. The Partnership will develop a statewide project steering committee for transit skill development and career ladders. We anticipate that curriculum and trainers developed in Pennsylvania's largest transit systems will be in a position to provide training and guidance on training development to smaller transit properties as their programs develop. Within the first six months a joint project committee will be established for SEPTA-TWU and an initial assessment report completed. Following a startup period of workforce survey and focus groups, skills assessment and curriculum development, training on the new curriculum is planned to commence in March 2002. The existing curriculum at SEPTA for bus mechanics will be reviewed and revised early in the process, and expanded training under this revised curriculum will begin in January 2002. Another step in achieving the efficiencies of a statewide approach is the outreach to include the smaller regional systems and their unions, including those in Reading, Harrisburg, Johnstown, Lancaster, York, Erie, the Allentown/Bethlehem/Lehigh Valley area, Williamsport, Wilkes-Barre, as well as rural areas. The initial base of experience would be shared from successful development in Southeastern Pennsylvania. A statewide conference and planning meeting will be held to share experience and resources among all participating systems in Pennsylvania. Although these activities are projected for the state of Pennsylvania, it is anticipated that there will be many beneficial connections with other programs currently under development in other states, namely California, Texas, New York and Florida. As a large jurisdiction with respect to mass transit capabilities, Pennsylvania also has an opportunity to provide a cutting edge program model of training development in new technologies. At the present time Pennsylvania also has the only statewide program. Proposal Summary To get to scale in designing and delivering training for transit career ladders throughout the State, a number of goals have to be addressed through specific activities:
Fostering a Statewide Transit Technology/Skills Partnership To address these skill shortages on a statewide basis, the Partnership will: · Initiate
labor-management-community dialogue on these issues in Philadelphia,
Pittsburgh and other cities and towns with public transportation
systems. Partner Organizations
Critical Career Occupations and Skill Sets Several immediate priority areas have been identified in Southeastern Pennsylvania (and nationally) as heavily impacted by new technology and experiencing critical skill shortages now. These include:
Among incumbent workers, the initial focus will be on moving workers up career ladders in technically oriented occupations - from base level to more advanced positions for mechanics and maintainers - and from entry level positions such as cleaners and helpers into the beginnings of technical career ladders. A special focus will be placed on workers who are threatened with displacement by new technologies. It is estimated that approximately 35 per cent of hourly workers in mass transit in Philadelphia are minorities. Where successful training programs are found to exist already elsewhere in the state or in other jurisdictions for specific classifications of employees, these will be examined closely in developing Partnership curricula and programs. Work Plan: Assessment, Curriculum Development, Training Delivery Initially, through
the SEPTA and TWU and later in other transit systems, the Career
Ladder Partnership will follow a work plan to assess specific areas
of skill needs, and to develop and deliver the curriculum. The steps
in this work plan are as follows
To support this
work, the Keystone Transit Career Ladder Partnership will build
ongoing dialogue linking transit workers and their unions, transportation
agencies, community groups and secondary and post-secondary education
providers. This dialogue will focus on changing transit technologies,
jobs, skill requirements and their impacts on local and regional
communities within Pennsylvania. As this work is developed in Pennsylvania
and other states, the Partnership will aim to develop common standards
for skill certification that can support greater labor market efficiency
in helping workers find new jobs and helping transit systems (and
other employers) identify skilled workers to hire.
|
|
|
