CalAct Conference March 2009

BACKGROUND:  TransTech is the Transportation and Technology Academy of the District of Columbia Public Schools.  The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) partners with the Cardozo High School TransTech Academy to provide a unique experiential learning opportunity for the Academy’s juniors and seniors through paid internships.  It was established in 1991 as the first transportation studies academy in the Washington Metropolitan Area.  The program is designed to bridge the gap between the classroom and the workplace. It enables students to learn about, visit and work in various areas of the transportation industry. 2

 The goal of the Trans Tech Academy is to:  Introduce students to career employment opportunities in the transit industry  Provide opportunities to both extend and apply academic and technical knowledge in real-world settings  Strengthen students’ employability skills  Introduce, develop, and assess basic work-related competencies  WMATA began its first partnership with the TransTech Academy at Cardozo Senior High School in the mid 1990s. Now WMATA is part of a Consortium Partnership consisting of other local organizations.  Over 225 students have completed the TransTech Academy since its inception. 3

 There are two modes/tracks offered in the TransTech Academy: 1) Electrical/Electronic Technical Training; and 2) Career and Professional Development  The Program has one Coordinator who oversees the entire effort and works with several TransTech Supervisors to ensure success  Program duration is a eight month Internship, September through May each calendar year  Work Schedule is typically 3 hours daily, five days per week (Monday through Friday) in the afternoon (2-5 PM) 4

All TransTech Academy students must:  Interview for positions related to their skills and career interests within various WMATA departments/offices;  Attend Orientation on the first two days of employment;  Receive a quarterly performance evaluation by his/her supervisor which is sent to their school;  Provide informal feedback to the Program Coordinator on a bi-weekly and the Supervisor must also provide bi- weekly feedback on the Intern  Participate in career and professional development workshops  Attend a Program Close-Out Session with the Coordinator 5

Knowledge:  basic business principles of the transit industry  Electronics and electricity (Mode 1)  Basic repair and troubleshooting (Mode 1) Basic Skills:  active listening  active learning  critical thinking  problem solving  speaking  writing  time management  reasoning Employability Skills:  professionalism  time & attendance  team participation  job readiness  workplace behavior Career Management & Planning:  completing college or trade school applications (as necessary)  resume writing  completing job applications  interviewing 6

WMATA Responsibilities:  To provide a valuable and substantive learning experience  To conduct learning & assessment activities to support and encourage learning of the key knowledge, skills, and abilities  To provide students with the skill sets necessary to compete for technical positions in the following areas:  System Maintenance  Rail Car Maintenance  Bus Maintenance  Elevator/Escalator Maintenance  To provide career and professional development opportunities for:  Job applications  Resume writing  Professionalism  College application process  Career & life planning Student Responsibilities:  Follow rules & guidelines for attendance, attire, conduct, and participation  Attend class sessions.  Participate in the learning activities.  Complete assignments on time  Ask questions.  Collaborate with mentors and other personnel identified to serve as resources  Participate in planned workshops  Apply new knowledge to learning activities  Ask questions and obtain clarity  Communicate with career development specialists as needed 7

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 WMATA has hosted a Summer Youth Program for the past two years which is designed to provide youth from the local three jurisdictions with the "real world" experience of working for a major transit organization. Each jurisdiction establishes the standards and guidelines Each jurisdiction funds the program  Through "hands on" work experience, youths are exposed to all facets of WMATA’s systems. Organizational and communication skills are developed WMATA designates one HR Director and two HR Generalists to manage the program Each Summer Youth is assigned a sponsor/ daily ambassador from the requesting department Success is measured based on feedback from the hosting department/office  Many of WMATA’s departments have mentored the same youths over the course of several years. Some youths even apply for regular full-time jobs at WMATA. 9

 The Summer College Intern Program (CIP) was developed to expose college students to the transit industry while providing students with practical, hands-on educational experience. The program is funded annually by the General Manager Interns must be a current student (freshman to grad level) or newly graduated high school senior planning to start college in the Fall Semester. Interns are paid at a rate of $10-$15 on an hourly basis  CIP includes structured career assessment and advising services to support their career exploration activities. WMATA designates one HR Director and one HR Generalist to manage the program Each Intern is assigned a sponsor/ daily ambassador from the requesting department Each Department sets roles and responsibilities under HR guidance and no more than 20% of time can be allocated to clerical work 10

For further information regarding the TransTech Academy, please contact: M s. Shirley McCall, Program Coordinator, Cardozo Senior High School TransTech Academy Shirley McCall: or OR Emma Stevens: or