Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
OCTOBER 24, 2024
Subject
SUBJECT: MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT (LACCD) ON BEHALF OF LOS ANGELES TRADE TECHNICAL COLLEGE (LATTC) TO PROVIDE TRAINING SERVICES
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
AUTHORIZE the Chief Executive Officer to execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) on behalf of the Los Angeles Trade Technical College (LATTC) to provide training services in support of the Rail Technical Training and Rail Apprentice Programs for up to $300,000 each year for a total five years and a value of $1,500,000, effective January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2029.
Issue
ISSUE
The current MOU with LATTC expires on December 31, 2024. A new MOU is required to ensure Metro has available and trained technical personnel to maintain rail vehicles and systems that meet existing infrastructure and expansion efforts.
Background
BACKGROUND
Metro’s technical personnel for maintenance are represented by Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU). In April 2013, the Metro Board of Directors approved an MOU between LATTC and Metro to design, develop, and deliver a standardized training curriculum to support the following programs:
The Joint Apprenticeship Committee (JAC) Program is a Metro/ATU initiative that offers an opportunity for ATU members who are interested in career progression to receive basic foundational coursework in rail technical areas.
Rail Technical Training Courses for Maintenance of Way and Rail Fleet Services that are required for specific job classifications and ensure Metro’s workforce receives ongoing training based on management’s recommendation, including but not limited to the National Electrical Code Training, basic math training, and instructor training. These courses will equip Metro’s workforce with training to remain current in rail technical areas.
Over the last decade, 200 ATU members have graduated and been promoted to several hard-to-fill jobs within the Operations department.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
The new MOU will allow Metro to continue training and developing personnel for critical positions and maintain career pathways for current Metro employees and new hires interested in technical careers such as:
• Maintenance Specialist
• Signal Inspector
• Traction Power Inspector
• Track Inspector
The JAC program offers ATU members the opportunity to apply for hard-to-fill job classifications. Positions such as Track Inspector, Traction Power Inspector, Signal Inspector and Maintenance Specialists all provide career progression. The partnership with LATTC and Metro is critical to meeting workforce needs as employees retire, rail expansion efforts continue, and Metro prepares for large scale events.
Additionally, the Access to Career Opportunities Motion 21 by Directors Hahn, Solis, Dupont-Walker, Krekorian and Mitchell approved by the Board in June 2022, (Attachment A) calls for Metro to work with community colleges located along Metro’s major transit projects to establish skills-based courses for transit project construction, transit operations and pre-apprenticeships/apprenticeships. The motion ensures curricula align with Metro’s workforce requirements and that Metro identifies career pathways and upskilling opportunities such as the JAC Program and the additional Rail Technical Training Courses offered at LATTC.
More recently, Cerritos College responded to Metro’s Board of Directors request to apply for the California Apprenticeship Initiative (CAI) grant. This effort will replicate a similar Rail Training initiative and Apprenticeship program in the Southeast Gateway Line corridor to ensure there are opportunities for Metro employees and new entrants.
Looking ahead, in an effort to increase outreach to underrepresented populations, Metro will partner with community-based-organizations (CBOs) through our Workplace Initiative Now (WIN) LA Program to focus further on creating career pathways in the transportation industry. Metro will also partner with LATTC to track demographic data of participants, add curriculum related to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), and conduct targeted outreach with CBOs representing women and other underrepresented groups to increase diversity in the Rail Technical field.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
Approval of this item will positively impact overall rail safety by providing Metro’s incumbent workforce with the most current rail training information and knowledge which will improve and ensure the safety of our customers and employees.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Funding of $300,000 for the MOU is included in the FY25 budget in the Chief People Office under project 100001 (Governmental Oversight & Activities) and in various Operations cost centers in project numbers 300040 (Rail Operations Management and Administration), 300022 (A Line Operations), 300044 (B Line Operations), 300033 (C Line Operations), 300066 (E Line Operations), and 300077 (K Line Operations). The Chief People Office and Operations will continue to share costs related this MOU in future fiscal years. Since this is a multi-year MOU, the cost center managers will ensure that program funds are budgeted in future fiscal years.
Impact to Budget
The funding for this action will come from Enterprise Operating and General Overhead funds. This project is part of Metro’s on-going staff training program.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
Metro continues to work with various community colleges to provide industry-based trainings, specifically in economically disadvantaged areas. These programs have enabled Metro to work in partnership to focus on creating transportation career pathways focused on pre-apprenticeships/apprenticeships for veterans, young adults, and women from under-represented communities. Additionally, LATTC is one of nine community colleges that make up the Los Angeles Community College District. Located in the southern tip of downtown Los Angeles, LATTC is within a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Promise Zone, a designation for high poverty areas in select urban, rural, and tribal communities. LATTC’s student population is made up of mostly minority, first-time college students of color. While LATTC offers a comprehensive range of liberal arts and transfer programs, over 70% of the college programs are focused on career technical education.
The JAC Program is a joint initiative that offers ATU members who are interested in career progression to receive basic foundational coursework in rail technical areas. The current ATU collective bargaining agreement takes into account the importance of career pathways and upskilling opportunities for ATU members. Further, the ATU agreement will benefit Metro’s workforce represented by ATU, which is predominately people of color (see table below):
Demographic Summary (ATU & LA County)
|
|
ATU |
LA County |
|
Ethnicity |
Staff |
Percentage |
Population |
Percentage |
|
African American |
336 |
12.66% |
730,328 |
7.4% |
|
American Indian |
8 |
0.30% |
16,266 |
0.2% |
|
Asian |
460 |
17.33% |
1,445,673 |
14.7% |
|
Hispanic |
1,425 |
53.69% |
4,824,271 |
49.1% |
|
Native Hawaiian |
31 |
1.17% |
20,941 |
0.2% |
|
Two or more |
58 |
2.19% |
330,832 |
3.4% |
|
White |
289 |
10.89% |
2,391,062 |
24.3% |
|
N/A |
47 |
1.77% |
66,335 |
0.7% |
|
Total |
2,654 |
100% |
9,825,708 |
100% |
These types of partnerships will ensure that future industry-related training opportunities will be developed with an equity lens addressing both geographic and socioeconomic barriers. Over the past decade, Metro has offered career pathway opportunities to its employees who are ATU members. There have been 200 participants in the JAC Program, 12 of which identify as female. Please see the JAC Program graduate demographic information below:
|
JAC Graduate Demographics |
To address the under-representation of females in these technical roles, Metro will collaborate with LATTC to consider the following strategies as part of the new MOU to increase participation:
• Ensure that LATTC tracks and provides regular reporting of demographic information, including the number of females enrolled in the Rail Technical Training courses and the JAC program.
• Promote Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) training which highlights the importance of DEI goals and the benefits of building DEI competencies in the workplace which are critical to rail technical careers.
• Conduct targeted outreach with community-based-organizations representing women and other underrepresented groups to increase diversity overall in the field of Rail Technical training.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
This recommendation supports LA Metro Vision 2028 Goal # 3: Enhance communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity. Approval of this board item will allow Metro in partnership with LATTC to continue to offer ATU members to be trained in additional crafts, thereby creating additional career growth opportunities as Metro employees deliver transportation service to the residents of Los Angeles County.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The Board could choose not to approve the proposed program and address the individual elements of the program on an ad hoc basis as new training needs are identified. However, this is not recommended because Metro risks having insufficient personnel with the technical skills needed to support our rail system, and further widening the skills gap for critical technical expertise. In addition, discontinuing the program would impact employment opportunities for the residents of Los Angeles County seeking technical careers in transportation.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Upon approval, staff will execute an MOU with LATTC to ensure Metro has available and trained technical personnel to maintain rail vehicles and systems that meet existing infrastructure and expansion efforts. Also, in collaboration with LATTC, CBOs, and other key stakeholders, Metro commits to enhancing outreach efforts to actively engage underrepresented communities. These partnerships will increase diversity in the field of rail technical training and better support career pathways within the transportation industry.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Access to Career Opportunities Motion 21
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Marion Jane Colston, Senior Director, Strategic & Organization Planning, Talent Development, (213) 922-2260
Ayda Safaei, Deputy Executive Officer, Talent Development, (213) 922-5229
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Dawn Jackson-Perkins, Interim Chief People Officer, (213) 418 3166
