Related Links

San Jose, Calif. – A grant of $599,994 from the Community College State Chancellor’s Office has been awarded to San José City College (SJCC) for the Joint Workforce Investment (JWI) Transportation Career Ladders project.   JWI is a labor and management partnership between the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 (ATU).

The collaborative project includes targeted recruitment and creates a training and mentoring program for VTA workers to enhance skills and position employees for advancement in an ever-evolving complex transit industry environment.   The development program addresses VTA’s ongoing service upgrades and its workforce reduction due to retirements, by offering ATU employees a chance to expand their operator and mentor program.   JWI also continues maintenance trainer resources, builds career ladder programs and develops new recruitment opportunities for people seeking careers in public transportation.    

VTA Chairperson Liz Kniss observed, "This is a practical solution to recruit new people to the transit industry and give the ability to further enhance the skills of current VTA employees.”

The funded project is a partnership with VTA, SJCC, the Career Ladders Project, work2future and ATU.   As part of the effort, the partners plan to conduct targeted outreach to disconnected and disadvantaged youth and young adults.   SJCC will offer transit academy classes to educate the new recruits about careers in the industry.  The grant aims to provide such students with a new pipeline to living wage and entry level jobs with benefits at VTA in order to address the business, economic and social needs of the community.

“We’re excited to be working on this innovative new workforce development project with our community partners. It will not only help teach technical and public service skills on a small budget, but also builds the spirit of teamwork necessary for employees to thrive and to run an attractive, efficient transit system,” said ATU Political Director Tom Fink.

The grant is designated for July 1, 2008 through August 31, 2010.   Upon completion, the project will define a clear public transit career ladder, establish training modules and course materials, and a succession system that includes promotions and positions offered within VTA.

 Go To Top

About VTA
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is an independent special district responsible for bus, light rail and paratransit operations; congestion management; specific highway improvement projects; and countywide transportation planning. As such, VTA is both an accessible transit provider and multi-modal transportation planning organization involved with transit, highways and roadways, bikeways and pedestrian facilities.

For more information about VTA services, call VTA Customer Service at (408) 321-2300, (408) 321-2330 (TDD only). Or, log on to www.vta.org.