Attracting the Next Generation of Public Transit Workers
10/15/2024
An astonishing 96 percent of public transit agencies are struggling to find workers, and 84 percent have indicated that this impacts their ability to run all schedules. With an aging workforce, just how agencies can hire and retain the next generation was the focus of a packed Igniting the Next Generation Workforce session at the 2024 APTA TRANSform in Anaheim.
Moderator Karen Philbrick, executive director at the Mineta Transportation Institute, had a simple message: “What if we develop curriculum that could be embedded in high schools?” She suggests such topics as how transit reduces emissions, covered in chemistry classes, and more about the USDOT in government classes.
Stadler Signaling North America CEO Lucy Andre says tap another source. “There’s all sorts of second-chance programs in a community and in the state and partnering with them we found incredibly rewarding.” Andre has found that people who have been given a second chance can often be more diligent than the average member of the workforce.
For attracting the next generation, public transit agency leaders should understand the different ways that younger generations consume media, the panel advised. Alice Rodriguez is the deputy director of external affairs at the California High-Speed Rail Authority. That agency seized on a hashtag created by Fresno State students called “I will ride” and turned it into a full social media campaign “designed to engage, educate, and inspire the next generation of the workforce in transportation.” With the high-speed rail line under construction, the program is getting results and attracting younger workers.
Marsha Anderson Bomar, Commissioner Emeritus, American Society of Civil Engineers, is taking to new media and traditional media as well. The society is making films, including Dream Big, “which was targeted at young people to get them excited about all things STEM. We have just released a new IMax film. It’s called Cities of the Future and it’s remarkable.”
Karen Philbrick asked agencies to remember one important aspect: get those kids on to transit now. “The research shows that people who start riding transit when they’re young tend to ride it much longer; for a much longer duration in their lifetime,” and this can get them focused on a potential transit career as well.