New VTA De-Escalation Training Gets High Marks from Employees

More than 1,300 Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), San Jose, CA, frontline employees have completed a new training program aimed at helping them better navigate difficult situations in the field. And the employee feedback is positive.

The SolutionPoint+ award-winning de-escalation training is offered in alignment with federal transportation law and is a key initiative to improve safety for both employees and passengers while addressing mental wellness needs. The eight-hour training program started in August 2024 and is required every three years.

The training equips frontline employees with critical verbal and non-verbal communication skills, active listening techniques, and conflict resolution strategies. It also provides mental wellness and resiliency recommendations to ensure the VTA workforce is best prepared to manage confrontations with passengers and reduce the risk of assaults.

While the skills built in this training serve drivers and other frontline employees well on a daily basis, the high-profile events coming to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2026, including Super Bowl 60 and the World Cup, can present higher-stress situations, where all transit employees will need stronger ways to deal with those situations.

Feedback from those who have taken the training has been extremely positive:

“These guys are pros. Great training that can be applied to work life and personal life. Best training course I’ve had in my 26 years with VTA.”

“You guys are exactly the facilitators of important information I want VTA to have more of. People that keep it real. You don’t have an agenda to push onto us. Just straight facts and real experiences. The biggest thing for me was your genuine attitudes toward the subject.”

“I felt this training was taken very seriously and I was able to relate to all topics! The training was powerful and meaningful. I recommend this to all companies!”

For more information on this training, contact Elizabeth Jespersen, workforce development and operations training manager, at elizabeth.jespersen@vta.org. You can also contact the Co-founders of the SolutionPoint+ training program, Joe Smarro and Jesse Trevino, at joe@solutionpointplus.com and jesse@solutionpointplus.com.