Certificate Program in Transit Management and Operations

Transcription

1 Byam and Oldread 1 Certificate Program in Transit Management and Operations Allan Byam (Corresponding author) UMass Transit Services University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA Tel: Fax Aeb@admin.umass.edu Krystal Oldread UMass Transit Services University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA Koldread@student.umass.edu Submitted to the 2013 TRB Annual meeting Word Count: 5448 Tables: 4

2 Byam and Oldread 2 ABSTRACT The overarching goals of this project are to provide college students with an educational and hands-on experience regarding employment opportunities in the public transit industry and to fully prepare them to enter the transit workforce. The project is intended to serve as a model for other transit operators and universities around the country where similar interests exist. While working toward a degree, students will elect to earn a Certificate in Transit Management and Operations, awarded jointly by UMass Transit, UMass Transportation Center, and CTTransit. Requirements include classroom preparation and on the job training. Each student will complete a 400 hour internship split between UMass Transit and CTTransit, or transit facilities of similar size. In addition, students will be expected to enroll in a minimum of fifteen credits (five courses) and various non-credit course offerings. The certificate should be earned over a 12 to 18 month period while the student is enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate. Upon graduation, they will be better prepared to consider professional job opportunities in the transit industry with transit operators and transportation.

3 Byam and Oldread 3 INTRODUCTION According to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), within the next five to 10 years more than 50 percent of transit industry workers are expected to retire [1]. Moreover, APTA s Executive Committee has previously acknowledged that workforce and human capital issues are critical to the continuing success of the public transportation industry. This is largely in part because it s a $48 billion industry which, employs more than 380,000 people and supports 1.7 million jobs. The intent of this project is to assist in attracting and training young, welleducated individuals into the industry by introducing them to opportunities in transit while enrolled in college. According to Dr. Beverly Scott, APTA Chair , attracting and training a diverse workforce able to deliver high quality performance that effectively and efficiently responds to the evolving needs of public transportation customers is key to our industry s continuing success [1]. This project looks to help alleviate these issues by offering a Certificate in Transit Management and Operations at the University of Massachusetts Amherst through a joint effort between UMass Transit Services, The University Transportation Center and CTTransit. The overarching goal of this project is to provide college students with an educational and hands on experience regarding employment opportunities in the United States public transit industry. The project is intended to demonstrate ways local transit operators might work with University Transportation Centers and community colleges to recruit college graduates to work in the transit industry. The objectives of the project are to: 1) offer a Certificate in Transit Management and Operations to college students who may be interested in entering the transit profession 2) serve as a model for public transit operators and universities in New England and other regions of the country where there is interest to encourage college students to consider careers in public transit. Organization of Report This report is organized into five sections. This section gives an overview of the problem and the goals and objectives. The second section is a literature review on the aging workforce, current workforce development programs, and recruitment. Section 3 identifies and provides background information on the three parties involved in this project and past partnerships. The fourth section gives an overview of the certificate program. The last section wraps up the program and describes why it is needed. LITERATURE REVIEW Literature surrounding workforce development can be broken into three categories; 1) why workforce development is a topic in the industry 2) measures taken to alleviate the problem 3) how to solve it. As outlined by APTA the most important challenge the industry faces is workforce development and the central question has become How do we position the industry as an employer of choice? [1] This literature review explores the why, what, and how by looking at the aging workforce (why), industry training (what), and recruiting (how) to identify issues and trends in regards to workforce development. Aging Workforce The aging workforce is an issue and has been at the forefront of concern for numerous industries. In the United States APTA recognizes that the retirement of the baby boomer generation over the next 5-10 years is the underlying problem and critical issue in the workforce. It is attributed to

4 Byam and Oldread 4 demographics, the number of baby boomers, and reasons specific to the industry. In the 60 s and 70 s many properties became public, and that generation was heavily recruited to fill the position. Worldwide, cities such as Paris and Brussels have also acknowledged that significant proportions of their workforce are due to retire by This signifies that it is a worldwide issue and not specific to North America [2]. In a report published by APTA, industry individuals were surveyed regarding their perspective of the industry s workforce development needs [3]. It collected information on work experience, retirement, APTA expectations, and skills and training needs. The survey concluded that the industry is experienced but has an aging workforce, with a significant amount of expected retirements over the next 10 years. The top priority concerns for the industry found were worker retirement, skill gaps at all levels of management, certifications (professional) are needed, and APTA must focus more heavily on workforce development and informing the industry on current projects. Overall the concerns expressed pointed toward the development and implementation of programs that prepare the next generation of workers in the industry because of the high retirement rate expected. Workforce Development Programs Training is a critical issue within workforce development. Over the past 40 years various programs have been implemented to train the transit workforce. These programs have trained all levels of industry workers from in-house mechanic training and certification to the National Urban Mass Transportation Seminars at Northeastern University for managers from 1969 to In the 1960 s the Urban Mass Transportation Association (UMTA) recognized the need to develop and train the next generation of leaders through federally funded university based management training programs. These programs targeted people that were new to the transit field and were not intended for students. Funding changes in the late 1980 s and early 1990 s put management training programs like the Northeastern seminars to a halt [4]. Current management training programs in transportation include the National Transit Institute, Leadership APTA, and numerous university professional certificate programs (University of the Pacific, The Mineta Transportation Institute, and Willamette University to name a few). These programs are effectively training mid-level managers to fill a handful of these higher positions but a gap still exists, few to zero programs, aside from internal transit training programs, are training or introducing individuals to become mid-level managers. In the transit industry it is common for individuals to work their way up through the transit authority and drivers become dispatchers and supervisors etc. The process is slow and requires intensive and time consuming training at each stage. Training needs to be implemented to prepare individuals to enter the workforce for jobs like mid-level managers in order to speed up the process and fill the jobs soon to be left behind by retirees. In 2001 Quatt Associates prepared a paper to identify the critical workforce development issues in the transit industry and found that there is an industry concern on the workforce issue and immense concern about the industry s ability to craft solutions [5]. Almost 10 years later APTA s Blue Ribbon Panel on workforce development found the same concern: How do we identify gaps and find new opportunities and create programs and services to sustain an efficient and effective workforce. The panel identified key areas that need to be addressed; 1) obtaining funding for programs 2) making transit an appealing viable option for the young workforce 3) developing university curriculum to train industry workers 4) making transit appealing to K-12 grades 5) partnerships and collaborations to enhance training opportunities for current workers 6) evaluation system for benchmarking [1]. The key theme was training and subsequent research

5 Byam and Oldread 5 found the focus was split between training the current workforce for the positions of retirees and training skilled workers such as mechanics. Literature has shown that there currently are training programs in place to help begin addressing the issue but heavily hints that the next step is finding out how to attract more people to the industry, particularly young folks and provide them with training opportunities. Recruitment of Young People The transit industry faces an immense challenge in recruiting new employees. Particular recruitment issues include finding skilled and educated young professionals, attracting needed non-core areas such as information technology, and branding transit as a viable employment option [5]. It s to no surprise that it was identified multiple times in the literature that transit has an image problem. The industry is perceived as old fashioned, slow growing, and resistant to change [5,6,7]. A survey done by the American Public Transportation Foundation (APTF) collected input from young transit professionals regarding the aspects they believed hindered and advance the industry [7]. Attractions included rewarding, interesting and challenging work transit provides but frustrations were the slow pace, older personals resistance to change, lack of technological advancement, and lack of training and education programs offered. This research coincides with work done by the Small Urban & Rural Transit Center Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute at North Dakota State University that surveyed university students on their perception of internships and careers in public transportation [2]. In the United States (US) there are very few programs where transit agencies partner with university s to provide opportunities for students to learn about and gain experience in the industry. Partnerships/collaborations are possible as seen in Paris where the Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens has begun this process by persuading educational institutions to adopt curriculums that encourage transportation careers. Similar programs need to exist in the U.S. if we wish to even begin tackling workforce development. Training and education needs to occur at all age levels. The main consensus is that transit needs to attract young workers to fill the gaps and this process begins at primary education and should continue with universities offering coursework and programs in transit. Internships must be provided to attract individuals to the transit field and prepare them for jobs. If we wish to fill the gap that will be left behind in the next ten years we must focus on our youth. They are the future generations of the transit workforce and programs must be established to recruit them into the industry at the onset. A prime method to accomplish this is to offer students at universities with transit services multiple training opportunities using both a hands on and academic approach. PARTNERS INVOLVED As aforementioned this project is a joint agreement between UMass Transit, the UMass Transportation Center, and CTTransit. This section looks at the characteristics of each and how they have worked together in the past. UMass Transit UMass Transit Service is a contract carrier for the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority located in Western Massachusetts. UMass Transit operates 12 routes originating from the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus to four other colleges and eight surrounding communities. The

6 Byam and Oldread 6 bus system carries approximately 18,000 passengers per day and 2.6 million passengers per year traveling more than 1,000,000 miles. The system operates 22 hours per day seven days per week during the academic year and employs 15 full time employees and 180 students who drive the buses, dispatch, clean, train, and perform minor maintenance and staff responsibilities. UMass Transit has been a no fare public transit system since 1969 and is one of the original demonstration projects funded under FTA s (Federal Transit Authority formerly UMTA) Service and Methods Demonstration Program. UMass Transportation Center The University of Massachusetts Transportation Center (UMTC) was established in the early 1990 s and is a consortium member of the Region 1 University Transportation Center (UTC) that is approved and funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation. At present the Center has more than $6 million in active research and training projects that focus on transportation congestion, safety, and air quality. A major goal of the Center is to promote comprehensive transportation research and training activities that engage academic resources throughout the University of Massachusetts System. On selected projects the Center has collaborated with industry partners to leverage academic resources in combination with capabilities and expertise available in the private sector. Through the Center s Transportation Academy special education and training initiatives have been established such as the Certificate Program proposed in this project. A major UMTC initiative that will be used as a teaching laboratory as part of this proposed workforce project is the University of Massachusetts Regional Traveler Information Center (RTIC), a comprehensive Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) deployment project operated jointly by the UMass Transportation Center and UMass Transit supported by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). RTIC provides real time highway and transit traveler information. RTIC operates as a collaborative venture between the University, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, and the Regional Transit and Planning agencies in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. CTTransit Connecticut Transit (CTTransit) is the state owned bus service under the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) that contracts out the operations to several companies. In the Hartford, New Haven and Stamford areas this contract is awarded to First Transit Management Group. First Transit a U.S. based private transit management company with more than 51 years of experience in passenger transportation contract and management services. CTTransit, as operated by First Transit, employs over 900 employees and operates a fleet of approximately 400 buses including the only hydrogen fuel cell bus on the east coast. Each month their fleet travels approximately one million miles and in 2011 they carried 26.4 million passengers. Partnerships The proposed program will be a partnership between the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), UMTC, UMass Transit Services and CTTransit. CEE will oversee and administer the certificate. UMass Transit Services and CTTransit will offer internships to those students in the certificate program. These two transit providers will collaborate with UMTC to establish a summer workshop for transit industry professionals.

7 Byam and Oldread 7 The establishment of an interdisciplinary Certificate in Transit Management and Operations, within the Department of CEE, recognizes the need for undergraduate and graduate level programs in Transit Management and Operations, which requires a diverse skill set and thus attracts a variety of disciplines. At UMass Amherst those most involved in public transportation have been the UMass Transportation Center, Department of CEE, and UMass Transit Services. In particular the Transportation Center and UMass Transit have coordinated on various projects including the Regional Traveler Information Center and the formation of UMass Transit in the 1970 s when the Department of Civil Engineering received the demonstration grant from the FTA. UMass Transit has a current working partnership with CTTransit where graduates of the university, who were employed by UMass Transit, are given the opportunity to work with CTTransit as a management associate which is a stepping stone into the First Transit group. First Transit established the management associate position at CTTransit more than 12 years ago. The position is temporary and allows individuals to enter the public transit field under First Transit and help transition them to a full time position within the company. Over the years they have had about 15 individuals go through the program of which 11 were UMass graduates. Many of these students though lack the educational background necessary to run transit agencies. CERTIFICATE PROGRAM OVERVIEW The research found on both sides, (recruitment and workforce development) ignores a key group of the population that could close the gap between what the needs are for the industry and how to accomplish them. No programs focus on training and educating university students to fill the void. As stated in Metro Magazine we need to make transit more attractive to some of the creative young minds [8]. Instead of having people fall into transit, as is the case now with many of the leaders, make it an attractive viable option at the onset and provide university students with the tools and education to become successful leaders in the transit industry. This certificate program would be the first in the US to offer a Certificate in Transit Management and Operations to university students. Currently this type of program is available only to professionals in transit and is earned independently from a degree. Programs are offered at a limited number of universities, none of which are in New England. In the long term the expectation is that transit operators, in coordination with universities in other regions will consider initiating similar certificate programs. The target groups that are of primary interest include college students, local area transit operators, university faculty and transportation center staff, and transit union representatives all of whom are key in the addressing workforce development issues and in deploying training programs. This program would be basis for a model program as well as offered online to prospective students. Concept The concept for a Certificate in Transit Management and Operations began in 2000 when it became apparent that students at UMass Amherst, who were hired as part time bus drivers, were entering into the transit industry with very little education in operations and management but experience in transit. Anecdotal evidence has shown that within the last several years numerous former student bus drivers have gone on to work within the transit field. The formal process to establish a Certificate in Transit Management and Operations began in the spring of 2011 when UMass Transit Services and the UMass Transportation Center jointly applied for a FTA Workforce Development Grant. They were awarded the grant in July Upon receiving the

8 Byam and Oldread 8 grant there were numerous inquiries from the public and transit industry about the certificate program. The industry is extremely excited to have such a program to train and educate students for jobs within the transportation industry while still in college. Rationale The intent of this certificate is to attract and train young, well-educated individuals into the transit industry by introducing them to opportunities in public transportation, while enrolled in college. According to APTA there is a need for young, educated workers as the industries workers age and retire. By 2020, more than half of the transit workforce nationwide will have retired. There is a need to train the next generation as workforce and human capital are critical to the continuing success of the public transportation industry. At present, no graduate or undergraduate degree in Transit Operations and Management exists at the University of Massachusetts system or any other university in the United States. The focus of the certificate is to introduce students to the field of public transportation and provide them with the skill set necessary to become leaders within the industry by drawing upon the numerous resources offered by UMass Amherst. The certificate program will encourage individuals to apply an interdisciplinary approach, by stepping outside of their home department, to deliver a high-quality performance that effectively and efficiently responds to the ever evolving needs of public transportation. It is the aim of this certificate to attract individuals from various disciplines and provide them with the educational and practical experience needed, in the form of the certificate program, to become successful in the transportation industry. It draws upon an interdisciplinary and hands on approach by placing students in internship positions to better prepare them for a career in transportation. The certificate will position students to find jobs operations supervisors, transit managers, transportation planners, ITS specialists, general managers and others. Structure The certificate program will consist of classroom teachings, internship experiences, and a professional workshop. Interested students will submit an application of interest to the advisory committee who will approve a student s acceptance into the program. They will then be expected to complete 15 credits (5 courses) of coursework along with 400 hours of internship split between UMass Transit and CTTransit and a professional development workshop to be offered at UMass. The primary difference between the undergraduate and graduate certificate is the coursework. Graduate students are required to take upper level courses where undergraduates are not but may elect to take a few. The Certificate in Transit Operations and Management is designed to provide opportunities for students to learn about potential opportunities in the transit industry and provide them with the training necessary to become leaders in the field. The program has a balanced focus on academic course work and requires that students take at least one course outside of their home department. There are two foundation courses which will be required by all students. The first is Public Transportation Systems CEE 410/510 (undergraduate/graduate). This course is an introduction to public transportation systems and focuses on the many facets of public transit. The second core course is Intelligent Transportation Systems CEE 418/518. The course is a critical review and analysis of intelligent transportation systems as it applies to the management and operation of surface transportation facilities and the technologies applied. Additionally students must select at least three additional classes (Table 1):

9 Byam and Oldread 9 TABLE 1. Elective Courses Dept/Course# Course Name Credits 1. ACCOUNTG_221 Introduction to Accounting 3cr 2. CEE_310 Introduction to Transportation Systems 3cr 3. CEE_497/597 Special Topics Transit Management 3cr 4. CEE_509 Transportation Systems Analysis 3cr 5. CEE_611 Transportation Investment & Pricing Analysis 3cr 6. FINOPMGT_341 Logistics & Transportation Functions 3cr 7. FINOPMGT_347 Introduction to Operations Management 3cr 8. MANAGMNT_260 Introduction to Law 3cr 9. MANAGMNT_301 Principles of Management 3cr 10. M&I-ENG_754 Economic Decision Making 3cr 11. POLISCI_214 Urban Gov & Politics 3cr 12. PUBP&ADM_602 Public Management 3cr 13. PUBP&ADM_697J ST-Organization Theory & Design 3cr 14. PUBP&ADM_605 Econ & Public Policy 3cr 15. SCH-MGMT_521 Financial Accounting 3cr 16. SCH-MGMT_632 Information Management 3cr 17. SCH-MGMT_660 Marketing Management 3cr 18. SCH-MGMT_770 Human Resource Management 3cr The certificate program is designed to allow students to complete it while concurrently finishing their degree program. Degree requirements and certificate course work can and may overlap. The certificate is designed to attract not only civil engineering students but students from across disciplines at the university. In order to ensure that students take a variety of classes they must take at least one course towards the certificate outside of their home department. Prior arrangements have been made with the departments to let certificate students in the classes, though as with any class enrollment is subject to availability and pre-requisites. Undergraduates will be able to enroll in graduate classes that are at the 500 level and these classes can apply to the certificate. The student also must complete a total of at least 400 internship hours with CTTransit and UMass Transit (or similar size transit agencies). The student is expected to split the 400 hours between UMass Transit and CTTransit with a minimum of 100 hours at each so the student gains experience in both a small and large transit operation. The internship will provide the student with valuable real life experience in the transit field where they will learn the tools and techniques of the trade through observation and participation. The internship can be completed over the course of a year in order to ensure that students will have the time to both attended classes and complete the internship. The CTTransit portion of the internship will most likely be fulfilled during the summer months when students have more availability to travel down together. Having groups of students in Connecticut is both beneficial to CTTransit and the student. The students are able to carpool, and the transit agency will be able to reduce the amount of redundancy in scheduling interns. During the internship the student will shadow staff members from various departments and assist in projects. Each intern will have a check list and sign off sheet that the corresponding supervisor must sign off on. Listed below in Tables 2 and 3 are samples of the expectations and goals of the internship at each organization.

10 Byam and Oldread 10 TABLE 2. UMass Transit Internship 1. Develop an understanding of the history of UMass Transit and its policies that led to growth and its present day organization. 2. Observe hiring practices, training process, employee progress and blending into the organization. Familiarize self with union contracts and work rules. 3. Understand bus and route assignments, standard operating procedures, emergency routing techniques as well as incident management processes by observing and participating in 3 different dispatch and shift supervisor shifts within a weeks time. 4. Observe and participate in Operations Manager s workflow, procedures, regulatory processes, and personnel issues. (at least 2 weeks) 5. Observe and participate in Maintenance supervisors workload, bus maintenance scheduling, facility monitoring, and related activities. 6. Observe and participate in Special Transportation manager s workload, experience, operating procedures, and ADA regulatory requirements. 7. Observe and participate in the General Manager s daily routine including budget, policy, political structure, planning, and organizational responsibilities. TABLE 3. CTTransit Internship 1. Develop understanding of how CTtansit is organized, how policy and budgetary direction is provided by the Connecticut Department of Transportation, and how diverse functions are coordinated. 2. Observe dispatching operations during peak periods, observe street operations with a supervisor, observe driver training. Familiarize self with Operator Rulebook and Union contract provisions that affect driver assignments and operations. 3. Observe maintenance operations on the day shift, observe service lane and vault-pulling operations on the second shift, observe warehousing and parts room operation. This will include maintenance training, preventive maintenance scheduling and recordkeeping, automated work order and inventory control systems, and specialized maintenance for hybrid-electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. 4. Observe administrative functions, including payroll processing, accounting, money counting and revenue control, purchasing and contracting, human resources and personnel administration. 5. Observe accident investigation procedures, in-house administration of accident liability and Worker s Compensation claims. 6. Observe service planning and scheduling functions (ideally, the intern will attend one of the nine Service Review Committee meetings held during the year where proposed route and scheduling changes are approved). 7. Observe and participate in the General Manager s and Assistant General Managers daily routines including labor relations (ideally, the intern will attend the monthly labormanagement meeting and a grievance hearing), planning and budgeting, and coordination with outside agencies. 8. Learn about regulatory issues affecting transit operations (Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VI, charter and school bus, etc.).

11 Byam and Oldread 11 The third component of the certificate that the student must complete is to attend a professional development workshop. This workshop will be offered each summer. It will include a two day classroom workshop and several online training tools such as the Consortium on ITS Education, National Transit Institute, Institute of Transportation Engineers and other education and training groups. Measures of Effectiveness In order to keep track of the program and students questionnaires have been developed. Upon completion the student will fill out a questionnaire that lets them evaluate their experience and provide feedback. Additionally another questionnaire will be ed to the student 3 months after graduation to collect data on job placement and fields. A survey will also be administered at the professional development workshop. Table 4 lists the measures of effectiveness used. TABLE 4. Measures of Effectiveness Student Satisfaction ( on a 1-10 scale, 10 high) -Overall impression of the certificate -Program Staff availability -CTTransit internship experience -UMass Transit internship -Excursions/Field Trips Job Placement -Number of days it took to find a job post-graduation -Percentage of students working in transit -Salary range Program Effectiveness -Number of students currently enrolled -Number of Grad students completed -Number of Undergrad students completed -Total number of students completed -Average completion time in days -Total number of students to partake in Certificate Work Shop -Number of attendees -Overall impression of the workshop (1-10) -Content rating (1-10) Anticipated Outcome This certificate will be implemented in two phases and phase one will occur during the first year. The first step involves recruiting 12 to 18 students to take part in the certificate program. During

12 Byam and Oldread 12 the first year the students will take some of the courses, attend the workshop, and begin the internship. They will fill out evaluations along the way allowing the advisory committee to make the necessary changes and tweaks to the program so that it operates smoothly and effectively. During this time background work on phase two will begin. Phase two involves opening up this certificate program to the transit industry. The advisory committee will be working with the continuing education department at the University of Massachusetts to make the courses available online, at present four of the classes are available online. This will grant non-university members access for participation in the certificate program. At the same time the program coordinator will work with interested students who are earning the certificate online to find internships with transit agencies in their area. Once the program has been established it will serve as a model for universities around the country who wish to set up similar programs and relationships. CONCLUSION The aging workforce in the is a nationwide problem in all fields of study but has been of particular concern in the transportation field as seen by reports done by APTA, TCRP and various other working groups. With half of the industry on the brink of retirement, initiatives need to be taken to train the next generation. This starts with sparking an interest in our young people and recruiting them into the industry. Programs must start with primary school students and continue through college programs to prepare them for the industry. This certificate will guide in training the future transit workforce and will serve as a model around the country for partnerships between university s and transit companies. REFERENCES: 1. American Public Transportation Association. Final Recommendations of APTA s Blue Ribbon Panel on Workforce development. Accessed January, 3, Eno Transportation Foundation TCRP Research Results Digest 88: Innovative Practices in Transit Workforce Development. Washington: National Academies of Science (2007). 3. APTA Preliminary Skill Development and Training Needs Report. Retrieved January, 20, 2012 from www:apta.com/ 4. Gannon, B. How Transit is working to educate industry up-and-comers. Mass Transit Magazine. Accessed September 22 nd, Quatt Associates TCRP Research Results Digest 45: Identification of the Critical Workforce Development Issues. Washington: National Academies of Science. (2001) 6. Ripplinger, D., and Hough, J. Public Transportation Workforce Development: A Survey of Vocational and University Students. Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, North Dakota State University. (2010). 7. APTF Scholar Task-Force. Young Professionals in Public Transportation: Career Development Perspectives. Washington, DC (2011). 8. Hirano, S. Leadership Gap Threatens Future of Transit Industry. Metro Magazine. May 2007