APTA President Discusses Workforce Flexibility at TWC Conference

11/14/2024

From left: Jack Clark, Teona Edwards, Paul P. Skoutelas, Scott Bogren, Billy Terry.

APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas spoke at the Nov. 12 Lunch Plenary: Advancing a Strong and Diverse Transit Workforce, held during the Transit Workforce Center’s (TWC) Making Connections 2024–The National Transit Workforce Conference, Nov. 11-13 in Baltimore, MD. TWC is FTA’s technical assistance center for transit workforce development.

Jack Clark, executive director of the International Transportation Learning Center, which administers the TWC, moderated a plenary panel with Skoutelas; Teona Edwards, FTA deputy associate administrator for transit safety and oversight; Scott Bogren, executive director, Community Transportation Association of America; and Billy Terry, director, National Transit Institute.

Panelists discussed the importance of partnerships in creating effective workforce development initiatives.

From left: Joseph Niegoski, APTA senior director, educational services; Cherise Myers, APTA director, workforce development; Carita Ducre, APTA vice president, workforce development & educational services; Paul P. Skoutelas.

“Peoples’ aspirations and needs have evolved. The challenge for our industry is that we need people when we need them. Bus drivers and operators, for instance, have dedicated times they must report for work,” said Skoutelas. “We are a structured industry, with a structured workforce, but we need to think creatively about how we can make changes to address issues to keep people engaged and to have a productive work life. Flexibility is much more important today than it ever was.”

Skoutelas noted that APTA has strong partnerships with FTA and TWC. He referenced that at APTA’s Workforce Summit in August, panelists from FTA, FRA, and USDOT discussed funding for workforce development programs. Also, in 2023, APTA collaborated with TWC and others to develop the National ZEB Maintenance Training Standards to define the skills technicians need to carry out their work safely and successfully.

Resources from APTA’s Workforce Summit include a 90-minute recorded session on innovative scheduling solutions for operators and a scheduling resource tool kit. As the industry continues to look for methods to attract and retain frontline staff, APTA will continue to provide resources for success.