Recommended Training Programs

The Leadership APTA program is designed to improve senior and executive-level leadership skills. The year-long program includes executive roundtables, skill-building workshops, conferences, and team-driven capstone projects. The program is designed for experienced leaders (working for public transportation systems and related organizations) who aspire to hold senior and executive leadership positions in their organizations, in APTA, and the public transportation industry.

Only employees of APTA member organizations are eligible to participate. Candidates must have at least 10 to 15 years of significant work experience in the public or private sector, including at least three years or more of transit industry experience, plus a track record of demonstrated career progressions and successes. Candidates must be at a director-level or equivalent position or higher. The tuition fee for the program is $7,500 (not including travel and hotel expenses).

The program includes the following:

Timeline	Elements
September to October at APTA’s TRANSform Conference	Joint workshop session with previous class. Opportunities to attend APTA committee meetings, hear capstone presentations given by members of previous class, participate in conference sessions and related events.
November	Virtual meeting.
December	In-person workshop in Washington, DC.
January to April	Virtual meetings and workshops.
May	Workshops in conjunction with APTA Legislative Conference.
Spring and Summer	Capstone project teamwork including team planning and discussions, industry interviews, teleconferences, virtual practice sessions.
June	Capstone Executive Session.
September at APTA’s TRANSform conference	Opportunities for graduating class members to deliver leadership project presentations during committee meetings/conference sessions.

 

Recent capstone projects have included:

• Cultivating a Positive and Productive Organizational Culture
• Developing the Transit Workforce: A Strategic Approach to Growing the Talent Acquisition Ecosystem
• Reframing Existing Indicators
• Safe for All: An Innovative Systems Approach to Enhancing System Safety
• Transit Financial Cliff – A Toolkit for a Soft Landing
• Transit Impacts on Gentrification – Where Do the People Go?
• Unlocking the Power of Artificial Intelligence in Public Transportation

Transportation Senior Executive

Eno’s Transportation Senior Executive program (TSE) is designed to refine leadership and high-level intrapersonal skills, and help participants apply strategic techniques to real-world challenges. The program is tailored specifically for senior-level managers in the transportation industry.

The TSE week-long program, held once a year in the D.C. area, includes the following topics:

• Organizational Culture and Performance
• Organizational Communication
• Harnessing Critical Leadership Skills
• Collaboration and Innovation
• Cultivating Board and CEO Relationships
• Building Teams and Inspiring Talent
• Attracting and Retaining Talent
• Change Resiliency
• Adaptive Leadership
• Conscious/Mindful Leadership
• Transportation Funding & Legislation

The cost to attend TSE program is $6,300 not including travel and hotel expenses.

Eno/MAX (Multi-Agency Exchange)

Each year, three to four agencies are grouped together to form an Eno/MAX cohort. Each agency selects eight high-performing employees to participate in the program. They are typically front-line to mid-level managers, many of whom have gone through internal management development and training programs. This cohort of students then visits each agency in their group during the year. Three days of Eno’s leadership skill instruction is built into the course.

For the participants, the program benefits are:

• Improve technical knowledge and performance
• Forge connections within a peer network
• Gain insights into the home agency’s role in the industry at large
• Hone leadership techniques and elevate career skills
• Provide tools to advance career

Transportation Mid-Manager Program

Eno’s Transportation Mid-Manager program (TMM) is designed for mid-level managers, in both the private and public sectors, across all transportation modes. Participants have at least two years of experience in the transportation industry and a minimum of 3 years at the supervisory level. They engage with their peers, along with Eno’s executive coaches, leadership faculty, experts, guest speakers, and staff.

The weeklong program is designed to improve leadership skills. Participants take part in individualized coaching sessions, learn strategies to elevate communication skills, and improve their strategic and critical thinking skills. Tuition is $5,200.

The National Transit Institute (NTI) provides training programs for transit professionals. Most of the program attendees work at public sector transit agencies; others work for municipal, county, and state governments, as well as MPOs. The training programs are funded by the FTA. Billy Terry, the former NTI executive director, says that that NTI is a vital asset for transit agencies because most agencies do not have enough resources to properly train their staffs.

NTI offers approximately 40 different courses taught about 180 times per year. Nearly all of them are conducted virtually. One of the distinct advantages of their courses is that they are tailored to transit projects that must follow FTA regulations.

NTI’s classes are free! Many of its courses are filled up and have wait lists, right after the class dates are posted online.

Two General Project Management Courses

Two general NTI courses directly relating to managing large transit projects are: (i) Project Management for Transit Professionals, and (ii) Management of Transit Construction Projects. The courses attract a wide range of participants with a wide range of backgrounds, interests, and experience.

(a) Project Management for Transit Professionals

This introductory course, given over four half-days, is designed to help transit professionals appreciate the importance of analyzing, leading, and managing transit projects. Topics include: project lifecycle and associated deliverables, project management plans, statements of work and work breakdown structures, developing realistic project schedules, using earned value to control and report project status, leadership and teamwork development, and communicating with stakeholders. The course relates to a wide range of projects that staff at a transit agency might manage, including the installation of new software.

(b) Management of Transit Cost Construction Projects

This course, given over three full days, explores best practices in managing transit construction projects. The topics covered include project management plans, procurement, public involvement, managing risk, managing design, managing construction, quality assurance and quality control, managing testing and start-up, system operations and construction safety. Some of the requirements in the FTA Project and Construction Management Guidelines and the FTA Construction Project Management Handbook are incorporated into the course.

The course has five modules: developing a project management plan, developing a project-specific management organization plan, principles of managing and controlling construction projects, managing the project during the design phase, and managing the project during construction / start-up / close out.

Class activities are designed for the students to apply course concepts. For example, one activity demonstrates how a schedule is developed to construct a bus shelter. The students discuss potential activities (e.g. permitting, purchasing materials, placing concrete, erecting shelter, painting, etc.), the duration of potential activities, and the relationship between them. The instructor then describes a visual tool that can help project managers schedule activities and understand how they relate to each other.

Evaluations

Eno reviewed recent student course evaluations for the two courses and found that nearly all respondents either “agreed” or “strongly agreed” to the following statements:

• The pace of the training is appropriate.
• The course content met my expectations.
• The course content is applicable to my job/role.
• The course activities reinforced the course content.
• I would recommend this course to other staff at my agency or staff at peer agencies.

Eleven More Detailed Courses

The two general project management courses are ideal for professionals seeking a general overview of project management. The NTI also offers courses that provide much more details about specific topics including the following 11 courses:

FTA Real Estate Requirements: This course introduces students to the issues relating to the acquisition of real estate and the displacement of persons for FTA funded projects. Topics include appraisals, appraisal review, negotiation, relocation, and the development of acquisition management, and relocation plans.

Principles for Effective Management and Supervision: This course examines fundamental and advanced leadership actions, behaviors, and principles. It also presents concepts relating to motivating, coaching, leading, and communicating with teams, peers, and executive management.

Procurement I – Orientation to Transit Procurement: This is an overview of transit procurement and emphasizes “best practices” for contract procurements by FTA grantees.

Procurement II: Risk Assessment and Basic Cost or Price Analysis: This second of a four-part series is designed to strengthen the procurement practices of transit authorities by improving the ability to perform cost and price analysis.

Procurement III: RFPs and Competitive Contract Negotiations: This third procurement course provides participants with a negotiation skill set. The participants gain a greater understanding of when to negotiate and how negotiations are impacted by what is being procured.

Procurement IV: Contract Administration: This last procurement course focuses on how a good contract administration system should look and how it should function after contract award.

Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-Making: This course is designed to help participants strengthen their project decision-making skills, increase creativity in problem-solving, and make sure project solutions are more durable.

Quality Assurance and Quality Control in Transit: This course provides an overview of the essential components of quality assurance and quality control in transit agencies, relating to capital development, transit operations, maintenance, and vehicle acquisition.

Risk Assessment for Transit Capital Projects: Participants learn the purpose of a risk review, necessary preparations required to undertake a risk assessment, principles of the methods used for risk assessment, and how such assessments are applied to the project management process.

Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment: This course presents FTA’s procedures and methods for predicting and assessing noise and vibration impacts from proposed transit projects.

Understanding ADA: This course provides transit professionals with a basic understanding of the fundamentals of accessible public transportation under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).