Lane Transit District recently hosted two successful sessions of Fundamentals of Electrical Electronics (FEE) training for maintenance mechanics — the first held October 16–17, and the second October 20–21. This hands-on course, developed through a partnership between CTW and the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), is part of a U.S. Department of Labor H-1B Skills Training Grant focused on up-skilling transit maintenance workers. The training included Apprentices, Trainers, and Front-Line Workers, and was delivered by CTW’s own Russell Anderson and Kevin Kinoshita of ATU International. Mike Hursh, Lane Transit’s Chief Operations Officer, was also on-site.
Participants from ATU Local 757 responded enthusiastically, sharing that the course filled in important gaps in their understanding of electrical and electronic fundamentals. Attendees left energized, more confident in their technical skills, and better equipped to apply what they learned on the job. 
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October 25, 2025 – Stockton, CA — Today, San Joaquin Driving Force mentors hosted Shadow Day 2, an exciting hands-on experience for participants in their new and innovative job preparation program. The day included a bus ride and behind-the-scenes look at what it’s really like to be a bus operator at the San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD).
Participants had the opportunity to meet professional operators, learn about daily responsibilities, explore career pathways within RTD, and gain valuable insight into the skills and dedication required to keep our community moving safely and efficiently. This event is part of San Joaquin Driving Force’s ongoing commitment to preparing local residents for successful, long-term careers in transportation and public service. 
On October 22, the ATLAS Partnership (ATU & SunLine Learning and Skills) — a collaboration between SunLine Transit Agency and ATU Local 1277 — hosted its first outreach event at the Foothill–Pomona division to introduce a new Mentor Program for operators and maintenance staff. Program leaders from both SunLine and ATU 1277 came together to engage employees, share new information, and encourage participation. The event was filled with enthusiasm, conversation, and a strong sense of teamwork — plus plenty of pizza and balloons for all!
“I was pleasantly surprised by the response from operators and mechanics for mentor recruitment and the number of applications submitted.” -Mauro Varela (ATU 1277 Vice President) “The event went very well—both the board presentation and the outreach. We received 20 applications for mentors from Maintenance and Operators. The board was very pleased to see our progress.” -Isabel Vizcarra (Chief Transportation Officer) The ATLAS team’s dedication and collaboration have already made impressive strides in developing this program in a short time.  Attendees included:
Isabel Vizcarra (Chief Transportation Officer) • Mauro Varela (ATU 1277 Vice President) • Marina Blackstone (Superintendent of Transportation) • Mark Perry (Chief Maintenance Officer) • Bryan Valenzuela (Chief Safety Officer) • Sharon Barone (Staff Development Coordinator) • Norma Hernandez (ATU Paratransit Shop Steward) • George Hernandez (ATU Maintenance Shop Steward) • Francisco Ojeda (ATU Maintenance Supervisor Shop Steward) • Emmanuel Mora (ATLAS Coordinator) • Aaron Williams (ATU 1277) Congratulations to everyone involved — great work, ATLAS Team! History was made today as 103 apprentices graduated from four different transit apprenticeship programs — the largest set of community college public transit apprenticeship programs in the U.S.  These apprenticeships are a partnership between the Joint Workforce Investment (the High Road Training Partnership of Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265) and Mission College (Santa Clara), their local education agency. Each apprenticeship graduate received a Mission College/JWI graduation stole and a Mission College college-credit Certificate of Achievement.
Speakers from Mission College, VTA, ATU Local 265, ATU International, and California Transit Works congratulated the graduates and their families for the hard work and dedication it takes to successfully complete an apprenticeship program.  More photos and video to come!
RAMP22 mentors and coordinators spent the day connecting with RTA mechanics at both the Riverside and Hemet maintenance facilities. Joining the effort were ATU International's Josie Garcia and Rich Diaz, along with RAMP22 coordinator Seannice Archie and Chris Vore, partnership committee member and ATU 1277 shop steward. The team set up an informational table and met one-on-one with mechanics from all shifts to share insights about the mentoring program and discuss opportunities to grow the upcoming Mechanic Mentor Program—a new initiative under development through the RAMP22 partnership. Supported by California Transit Works! (CTW) through the High Road Training Partnerships (HRTP) network, RAMP22 has been building bridges between operators, mechanics, and mentors since launching in 2022. Kudos to the RAMP22 Partnership and Mentors for continuing to strengthen this joint labor–management effort that invests directly in the workforce.
📅 October 14, 2025 📍 Riverside Transit Agency (RTA) On September 28, 2025, CTW convened peer mentor coordinators and program leads from eleven of the California High Road Training Partnerships (HRTPs) for a full day of learning, teamwork, and inspiration.  This historic in-person statewide meeting showcased the great progress these partnerships have made in their peer mentoring programs since they last met in person at the March 2025 CTW annual meeting. A new feature of this meeting was bringing together HRTP peer mentor coordinators and leads from both transportation and maintenance. Participants broke new ground by building a statewide community between two sets of occupations who ordinarily do not have an opportunity to work together on common projects.
The meeting agenda and discussion highlighted the essential roles and multiple skills needed to be successful peer mentor coordinators and leads. A dynamic fishbowl discussion featured coordinators Seannice Archie (Riverside Transit Agency/ATU 1277), Kay Avognon (AC Transit/ATU 192), Harpreet Singh (Santa Clara VTA/ATU 265); maintenance leads Herlinda Macias and Rudy Alcantar (Santa Clara VTA/ATU 265); and James Jackson (ATU 192 officer and PIA JATC member). They shared powerful insights on peer mentor recruitment, performance, and retention; the need for maintenance peer mentor programs; support for women entering maintenance careers; and the nuts and bolts of coordinating program development and administration. All meeting participants had insightful questions and issues, reflects both the diversity and commonalities at each transit agency.
Meeting participants kicked off an exciting process of developing new skills checklists for both the position of peer mentor coordinators, and for the work life needs of workers in maintenance occupations. Developing these skills checklists is a concrete example of fully utilizing worker voice in the design and administration of transit operations workforce development programs. The checklists will also serve as an evolutionary “road map” for the skills needed to build professional coach operators and maintenance staff, as well as the basis for program metrics and evaluation. We are off to a great start in developing these dynamic tools to guide future work.
The day concluded with calls for a two-day in-person convening next year – a testament to the energy, commitment, and passion of all meeting participants. CTW will continue to create statewide and regional spaces to support this work, year-round. Huge thanks to Progress In Action (PIA), the AC Transit and ATU Local 192 partnership, for hosting this meeting; to the ATU International workforce development coordinators for facilitating this meeting with CTW; and most of all to the statewide peer mentor coordinators and leads for bringing their heart and enthusiasm to this work.
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California Transit Works!
PO Box 83
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
EMAIL: [email protected]
© COPYRIGHT 2025. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.