Transportation Learning Center

Last month we wrote about the National Association of Railroad Passengers on One Day, One Internship. They are a non-profit organization that is all about promoting the growth of transportation by rail. Today we’re going to look at jobs at the Transportation Learning Center, which is a non-profit organization that promotes all kinds of public transportation. There seems to some overlap between the objectives of these organizations, although NARP appears to be passenger driven (no pun intended), while the Transportation Learning Center’s agenda seems to be driven by transportation workers (once again, no pun intended).

I’ve Been Workin’ on the Railroad…

The Transportation Learning Center is committed to maintaining and growing public transportation’s role in our everyday lives. They do so by building “labor-management training partnerships that improve organizational performance; expand workforce knowledge, skills, and abilities; and promote career advancement.” This seems like a good way of achieving their goals, since public transportation is surprisingly labor intensive. It may seem like the train drives itself, but there are plenty of people behind the scenes who are making sure that you can snooze every morning while you are on your way to your first entry-level job.

The Transportation Learning Center pursues its mission through a number of programs and publications. Their programs include the Transit Training Career Ladder Partnerships, the National Standards for Training (surprising fact: elevators and escalators are considered public transportation in this training program), and the National Framework for Apprenticeship. The Transportation Learning Center doesn’t just do these programs because they think they’re good; they back them up with studies. The organization puts out a number of publications that evaluate the effectiveness of labor-management training partnerships.

So what kind of jobs does the Transportation Learning Center offer? Right now they’re looking for an Office / Program Assistant. This is a clear cut entry-level position for a new college graduate. There will be a lot of administrative work in this job, but there will also be opportunities to do research and communications. This looks to be a great opportunity to get a foot in the door for someone who is fascinated by transportation and labor-management relationships. The job will almost certainly grow as you prove yourself. The Transportation Learning Center is located in Silver Spring, MD and you can apply by sending a resume, cover letter, and salary expectations to info@transportcenter.org.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

• TransportCenter.org
• Jobs at the Transportation Learning Center
• About the Transportation Learning Center
• The Transportation Learning Center’s Programs
• The Transportation Learning Center’s Publications
• Transportation Learning Center News

Are you planning on using public transportation once you get your first job?