This statewide, one-stop workshop offered a professional development opportunity for Florida’s public transportation supervisors, front-line employees, and other key staff in operations, maintenance, planning, and administration. It provided public transit professionals with an excellent opportunity to learn from industry experts, attend professional development training, learn about research updates, and network with their peers. Workshop attendees participated in educational training classes and general session discussions that stimulated new ideas and identified creative solutions to problem solving and strategic planning.
This year, a total of 75 diverse speakers presented topics related to transit planning, operations, maintenance, safety, and security. Additionally, there were many other professional development sessions on topics such as neuromarketing, unhoused communities, grant writing, bus rapid transit, managing stress, and vanpooling, just to name a few.
The Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Transit Workforce Center (TWC) played an active role in this year’s event. The TWC helped to coordinate three training sessions, which brought a combination of national and local speakers on topics such as bus operator and technician apprenticeship programs and preparing the workforce to transition to battery electric buses.
Personal and professional growth are two valuable components to this workshop. In reviewing the responses from the post-event survey – the participants shared their thoughts about the workshop:
- Many of the sessions were very helpful, as they pertained to work we actually produce (i.e. TDP, NTD, etc.)
- There was a good mix of technical learning opportunities along with professional growth opportunities.
- Plenty of great knowledge was shared from across the state. It allowed for a glimpse into how transit functions differently in various locations.
- Meeting new people and hearing from vendors or other agencies can benefit our agency in the future.
Thank you to everyone that attended, presented, facilitated, and provided feedback. Save the date for the 2024 FPTA/FDOT/CUTR Professional Development Workshop & Transit Safety and Operations Summit – June 3-5, 2024.
