Transit Workforce Development: Improved Strategic Planning Practices Could Enhance FTA Efforts

FTA provides more than $12 billion annually to support and expand transit services. The operation of transit systems depends on a skilled, qualified workforce, but impending transit worker retirements and advances in transit technology may create challenges for the transit workforce such as finding eligible applicants for transit jobs and obtaining the technology expertise needed. GAO interviewed DOT and FTA officials and other transit stakeholders, including representatives of transit agencies, research organizations, and unions. Stakeholders were selected based on recommendations from other transit stakeholders and for geographic diversity, among other factors. In 2019, GAO reported that information on future transit workforce needs is limited in part by the absence of transit-specific workforce projections. Opinions on the need for additional transit workforce data and projections varied among transit stakeholders GAO interviewed. Several stakeholders cited the difficulties of collecting transit-specific projections or other types of data, while others pointed to the need for more data such as data identifying shortages in specific occupations and retirement age of transit employees. Federal Internal Control Standards highlight the importance of using quality information to make informed decisions and identifying the information requirements needed to do so while considering the expectations of internal and external users. New transit workforce projections could inform decision-making on transit workforce planning to address potential future shortages, or other needs. GAO had previously reported that agencies should weigh data collection decisions carefully, noting that there is a cost to data collection, and that only needed data should be collected. Working with stakeholders to understand what, if any, additional transit-specific workforce data transit stakeholders need and the related collection costs could enable FTA to weigh the complete costs and benefits of developing future data for the transit industry and to make informed decisions on allocating the appropriate resources toward those efforts. Therefore, GAO recommended that FTA, in collaboration with other stakeholders, determine whether additional transit workforce data are needed and whether the benefits of this collection would outweigh the costs of gathering it. In 2023, GAO confirmed that FTA staff met with key stakeholders and determined that collecting additional transit workforce data would add value. FTA told GAO that even though they do not have firm costs for the additional collection, the benefits to FTA and its recipients, including the ability for FTA to more strategically target its workforce development investments and, for transit agencies to forecast labor shortfalls more effectively and take proactive action which could ultimately provide better service to the public, make taking steps toward collecting the additional transit information worthwhile. GAO also confirmed that FTA has planned specific actions for the next steps including conducting additional outreach on workforce data collection and labor shortage projection methodology and pursuing a partnership with the Bureau of Labor Statistics to collect more granular data on the transit workforce. As a result of these actions, FTA will be able to provide more information to decision-makers to address potential transit workforce shortages or other needs in the future.

FTA provides more than $12 billion annually to transit agencies across the nation to support and expand transit services. The operation of transit systems depends on a skilled, qualified workforce, but impending transit worker retirements and advances in transit technology may create challenges for the transit workforce such as finding eligible applicants for transit jobs and obtaining the technology expertise needed. In 2019, GAO reported that while FTA assisted transit stakeholders with addressing workforce needs, it lacked key strategic planning practices that could ensure that its efforts were effective. Federal Internal Control Standards indicate that plans, such as strategic plans, can set up the effective and efficient operations necessary to fulfill desired objectives. Effective operations produce the intended results from operational processes, while efficient operations do so in a manner that minimizes the waste of resources. However, FTA does not have a comprehensive strategy showing the operations and processes to be developed to guide FTA's efforts to assist transit agencies with addressing future transit workforce needs. FTA officials told GAO that the reason they had not yet drafted a comprehensive strategy was because they considered developing their strategy as part of an overall DOT strategy, rather than a transit workforce strategy as a stand-alone product. However, at that time, DOT did not plan to develop a comprehensive department-wide transportation workforce strategy. Without a comprehensive strategy to guide FTA's ongoing activities to assist with transit workforce needs, FTA lacks a roadmap to ensure it is effectively leveraging its resources to help address future transit workforce needs. Therefore, GAO recommended that FTA develop and document a strategy that outlines how FTA will help address future transit workforce needs. In August 2023, FTA released a national transit workforce development strategic plan on its website. This strategic plan outlines 6 overarching goals-such as improving transit worker recruitment and outreach-which are supported by specific strategic objectives and activities for FTA to undertake to support transit agencies in developing their workforces. For example, to achieve FTA's recruitment and outreach goal of making transit careers more attractive, FTA's plan states that FTA will improve transit career awareness by helping high schools, community colleges, and technical schools create programs that teach students about different public transportation careers and prepare them for these positions. FTA stated that it developed this plan through extensive communication and engagement with stakeholders in the public transportation industry. The plan is intended to guide FTA's activities and investments to support transit agencies as they recruit, retain, and train a diverse workforce for the present and the future. As a result of this action, FTA will be in a position to better manage its ongoing transit workforce activities and to help Congress understand the merits of investing in future transit workforce programs.

FTA provides more than $12 billion annually to support and expand transit services. The operation of transit systems depends on a skilled, qualified workforce, but impending transit worker retirements and advances in transit technology may create challenges for the transit workforce such as finding eligible applicants for transit jobs and obtaining the technology expertise needed. In 2019, GAO reported that FTA did not have clearly defined performance goals and measures for its transit workforce development efforts. Establishing goals and measuring progress toward them are consistent with the management principles set forth in the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) and the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010. GAO had previously reported that setting strategic goals is essential for results-oriented management, because goals explain with greater specificity the results the agency is intending to achieve. FTA discussed the pending development of transit workforce goals at an October 2016 summit with transit stakeholders, but these goals were not finalized. Further, there were no performance goals for transit workforce development efforts in DOT's current annual performance plan. Without documented, clearly defined goals and performance measures linked to those goals, FTA is limited in its ability to make informed decisions about transit workforce development efforts. Therefore, GAO recommended that FTA develop performance goals and measures for its workforce development efforts. In August 2023, FTA released a national transit workforce development strategic plan on its website creating a roadmap of specific goals and key performance indicators to ensure a strong public transit workforce. The strategic plan has six overarching goals: ensuring worker safety and health, investing in workforce development, driving workforce recruitment, ensuring worker retention, developing worker skills, and tracking success through appropriate metrics. For each of these goals, FTA established strategic objectives, or specific actions that FTA will take to accomplish the goals, as well as performance indicators to measure progress in implementing the actions. For example, to meet its goal of developing transit worker skills, FTA established a performance measure of establishing at least 5 new and redesigned registered apprenticeship programs through 2028, among other measures. The timeframe for implementing the goals and measures is 2023-2028. As a result of this action, FTA will be in position to better determine the success of its strategies, adjust its approach when necessary, and remain focused on results. Further, focusing on the intended results of FTA's transit workforce efforts will help FTA make strategic and disciplined management decisions that are more likely to be effective because managers will be able to better target areas most in need of improvement and to select appropriate interventions.