Texas Transit Association Statewide Training Initiative
TTA is now expanding access to educational resources by launching a Statewide training initiative covering the many obstacles that transit staff face, including funding, procurement, and regulatory compliance. This training opportunity is made possible with a grant through TxDOT.
To administer this program, TTA will work closely with Easterseals, which has over 34 years of experience developing and implementing training programs and workshops for rural, suburban, and urban transit agencies. This training curriculum will be designed and delivered to be relevant to transit providers at various levels of management, accounting, and procurement professionals, front-line supervisors, dispatchers/ call center staff, and drivers. It will incorporate best practices from both the public and the private sector.
All courses, workshops, and webinars, in-person or virtual, are designed to be interactive and participatory. These courses will be offered to Transit agencies in Texas at no cost, but space is limited, so make sure that you and your staff don’t miss out on this great opportunity.
TTA’s Upcoming Courses
These courses are offered to transit agencies in Texas at no cost by grant funding through TxDOT.
Title: Equity in Action: Navigating Title VI, DBE, and EEO – in-person workshop
Date/Time:
Day 1: April 10, 2024 from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Central
Day 2: April 11, 2024 from 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Brazos Transit, 2117 Nuches Ln. Bryan, TX 77803
Instructor: Amy Crossin, RLS & Associates
Description: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq., was enacted as part of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. This one and one-half day course covers the overall Title VI requirements, including Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO), Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE), and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) requirements as they relate to the provision of public transportation services.
Title VI: The Title VI topic will provide an introduction to Title VI, the framework for the requirements, and how to implement a Title VI program and policy. The training will encompass the requirements for providing language assistance to limited English proficient (LEP) individuals, public outreach, complaint procedures, reporting and documentation, and staff training and awareness.
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE): FTA Section 5311 Subrecipients are required to comply with the applicable provisions of the U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) regulations 49 CFR Part 26, as revised. This three-hour portion of the training will contain a review of the regulation, the thresholds for determining when a DBE Program is required, the components of such a program (eg. policy, good-faith effort, identifying and certified DBEs, etc.), required DBE contract language, the establishment of DBE goals, DBE reporting, and other applicable requirements.
Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO): The Federal Transit Administration enforces EEO requirements for recipients of federal assistance to ensure nondiscrimination in employment practices. Key points covered in the training include fairness, equity, and inclusivity in the workforce and contracting practices to promote the benefits of federally funded transit programs to all members of the community.
Note that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, because of their complexity, are covered only broadly in this workshop.
Title: Fundamentals of Project Management – webinar
Date/Time: April 17, 2024, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Central
Instructor: Jeremy Johnson-Miller, Easterseals
Description: This webinar is designed to provide transit professionals with the essential knowledge and skills required to manage complex projects. The training will cover the fundamentals of project management, including project planning, budgeting, and stakeholder engagement. Participants will also have the opportunity to learn about the latest tools and techniques for project management, as well as best practices for delivering projects on time and within budget. By the end of the workshop, attendees will have a solid understanding of project management principles and be better equipped to manage transit projects successfully.
Title: Microtransit as a Part of an Integrated Transit System – virtual two day workshop
Date/Time: April 23-24, 2024, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Central
Instructor: A.T. Stoddard, LSC Transportation Consultants
Description: Microtransit is often promoted as a service to solve many of the challenges faced by public transit systems. In this seminar, participants will be introduced to the concept of microtransit to understand what it is, how it operates, and some of the benefits and limitations of microtransit. Specific topics to be covered include:
- Characteristics of microtransit
- Factors to consider for implementation of microtransit
- Estimating potential demand
- Performance characteristics
- Cost of microtransit
- In-house or contract operations
- Integration with complementary paratransit service
- Integration with fixed-route service
- Presenting the case for or against microtransit
- Examples of microtransit implementation
CARES Frontline Supervisor Certification (In-person)
Title: CARES Frontline Supervisor Certification
Dates/Time: April 29-30, 2024, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Central
Location: AACOG, ART Training Room, 8200 Perrin Beitel, San Antonio, TX 78218
Instructor: Carol Wright Kenderdine, Carol Wright Consulting
Description: This 2-day certification workshop provides frontline supervisors and middle management personnel with the skills and tools necessary to manage their staff, department, and workload efficiently and effectively. Investing in the development of frontline supervisors leads to improved engagement, productivity, retention, and motivation. This course provides new and seasoned supervisors with proven management tools and techniques; methods to increase employee engagement; advice on avoiding common supervisory pitfalls; skills for navigating being in the middle between upper management and frontline staff; and more. Scenarios, hands-on learning, facilitated large group and paired discussions, peer learning and other interactive techniques are used throughout the training. Take-home resources will be provided to use immediately at your agency. A certification test is given at the end of the course on materials covered. Participants must score 85% or better to receive their certification.
Title: CARES Transit Management Certification (In-person)
Dates/Time: May 1-2, 2024, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Central
Location: AACOG, ART Training Room, 8200 Perrin Beitel, San Antonio, TX 78218
Instructor: Carol Wright Kenderdine, Carol Wright Consulting
Description: This 2-day certification workshop provides the fundamental skills of transit management for new transit managers as well as providing a refresher for experienced managers who want to review their overall program. The class has modules which cover Human Resources; Finances; Operations and Service Design; Vehicle and Facilities Management; Title VI, Civil Rights, and the ADA; and Customer Service. The course uses interactive techniques for involving all participants including scenarios, paired and large group discussion, Q & A for each module, and handout resources to take home. A certification test will be given at the end of the course based on presented materials. Participants must score 85% or better to receive their certification.
Planning for Program Sustainability (webinar)
Title: Planning for Program Sustainability
Dates/Time: May 15, 2024, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Central
Instructor: Carol Wright Kenderdine, Carol Wright Consulting
Description: This webinar will teach participants how to develop a sustainability plan for their organization and/or programs. Topics covered will include identifying environmental and social impacts, setting sustainability goals, creating action plans, and tracking progress. We will also discuss best practices for engaging stakeholders and communicating sustainability efforts to customers and other stakeholders. By the end of the webinar, participants will have a clear understanding of how to create and implement a sustainability plan that aligns with their organization’s values and goals.
Title: Marketing Your Transit Program (Webinar)
Date/ Time: June 5, 2024, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Central
Instructor: Jeremy Johnson-Miller, Easterseals
Description: Current riders, family members or even future riders, visit your website and social media platforms for service information before even calling to schedule a ride. This is why it is so important to maintain your front-facing web materials and social media to clearly communicate the services being provided and easily understood – and if the information presented is difficult to understand, those riders could choose not to ride your bus. This Express Workshop will get you started on the right path to communicating and presenting the services offered. The presenter will offer industry insights and showcase the tools available for transit agencies.
Title: Effective Communication and Disability Etiquette (Webinar)
Date/Time: July 30, 2024, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Central
Instructor: Kristi McLaughlin, Easterseals Project Action
Description: This webinar on disability etiquette aims to educate individuals on appropriate behavior and communication with people with disabilities. The webinar covers various topics such as understanding disability, language usage, body language, accessibility, and laws and policies related to accessibility and disability.
Recordings of past Webinars
De-Escalation Training – Recording of Webinar
Project Management – Recording of Webinar
Conflict Resolution – Recording of Webinar
Human Resources webinar – Recording of Webinar
Public Engagement webinar – Recording of Webinar
Empowering Mobility Managers to Lead webinar – Recording of Webinar
ADA: Hot Topics webinar – Recording of Webinar
TxDOT Semi-Annual Transit Operators Business Meeting, January 24, 2024
Managing the Homeless with Crowdsourced Incident Reporting Sponsored by ELERTS – Recording of Webinar, February 1, 2024
ELERTS SEPTA Homeless Vulnerable webinar – Presentation
COTA Homeless and Vulnerable PUBLIC SAFETY PROGRAMS – Presentation
Agencies interested in hosting future training classes can contact Laura@TxTransit.org for details.
- Host agencies are expected to provide the following:
- Training Room with a projector that can accommodate up to 35 individuals classroom style.
- Refreshments and coffee for morning and afternoon breaks.
- Please note that the training location must be in close proximity to dining establishments to allow participants to leave and return within one hour.
- Host agencies may also provide lunch if there are no dining establishments nearby.
- The host agency is encouraged to offer tours of their facility.