November 13 Is National Transit Career Day!

APTA is joining more than 100 public transit agencies, private organizations, and industry partners across the U.S. in marking National Transit Career Day, Nov. 13, with recruitment events, employee recognition initiatives, and community outreach programs to highlight the broad scope of transportation careers. The event spotlights opportunities from engineering and planning to operations and executive leadership, underscoring public transportation’s role as essential community infrastructure.

The $93 billion public transportation industry directly employs more than 430,000 people and supports millions of private-sector jobs nationwide, with 77 percent of federal transit investment flowing to the private sector—expanding employment well beyond transit agencies.

“National Transit Career Day is about building the future workforce of public transportation by connecting with people who want meaningful careers while serving their communities,” said APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas. “Our industry blends innovation with public service, giving professionals the chance to work on projects that directly improve the quality of life for millions of Americans every day.”

To support workforce development for its members, APTA developed a toolkit with career videos, brochures, and additional resources to assist with recruiting and retaining staff. In addition, APTA has a six-part Workforce Development Series offering best practices, case studies, and strategies for recruiting and retaining talent. Topics include promoting transit careers, creating internships and apprenticeships, and building transit-focused curricula. These resources expand on APTA’s 2021 Transit Workforce Readiness Guide.

This initiative was spearheaded by the APTA Workforce Development Committee. LaShanda Dawkins, committee chair and assistant general manager, labor & employee relations, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, appointed three leaders to organize the nationwide effort. Rosa Medina-Cristobal of Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Mersida Ibric of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and Kelley Schneider of Deloitte worked collaboratively to deliver what industry leaders said they need: National Transit Career Day!

For questions, contact workforce@apta.com.