Customized Classroom Training
CTAA’s customized classroom training courses are tailored to meet your organization’s specific needs. Whether you sponsor the training or are joining an already scheduled session.
All one-day sponsored (by organization, transit association or state DOT) classes include travel, per diem and workshop materials. The cost is $3,500 for members and $4,000for non-members.
All two-day sponsored (by organization, transit association or state DOT) classes include travel, per diem and workshop materials. The cost is $6,500for members and $7,000 for non-members.
For more information, contact training@ctaa.org.
Full Day Training Classes
Leading with Emotional Intelligence: Changing Leadership in a Changing World
It has been said that: “High IQ will get you through school but high EQ will get you through life”. Today’s leaders understand the need for emotional intelligence. Strength, determination and intelligence alone are no longer sufficient in the modern world. Leaders with high emotional intelligence (EQ) have been shown to excel and achieve more than those with high IQ alone.
In fact, in comparing individuals with similar technical skills and knowledge, EQ is what sets high performers apart.
This program will discuss the traits and characteristics of emotionally intelligent people and the difference between high IQ and high EQ. We will also discuss how learning and using all aspects of emotional intelligence can make you a better leader and improve relationships, thus creating a more powerful and positive work environment for you and your team. This course is available both in the open enrollment virtual online and more traditional in-person class.
Agenda:
- Define Emotional Intelligence
- Discuss prerequisite assessment
- Discuss principles of emotional intelligence
- Discuss changes in leadership principles
- Determine how emotional intelligence plays a role in leadership
- Identifying areas where utilizing EQ principles can assist
- How to avoid toxic leadership
- Small group leadership discussion / assignment
- Improvement plan utilizing emotional intelligence principles
- Wrap-up discussion / EQ Implementation planning
Senior Instructor: Dan Mulraney
Survive and Thrive: Successful Business Development Planning for Your Transit System
Among the many critical tasks they face, successful transit organizations must be focused on how to ensure their financing – especially the “local match” for government grants – is secure. They also need to be strategic, and not scattershot, about their pursuit of new projects or new funding.
Designed for senior- or upper-level managers in rural transit and smaller urban public transit systems, this course explains a 13-step approach to transit business planning that helps you ensure your transit system is fiscally sustainable and strategic, both now and in your organization’s future. This class replaces, the “Professional Transportation Grant Development” class and is available both the open enrollment virtual on-line and more traditional in-person class.
During this full day of training, students will explore and benefit from in-depth discussion of each of the following 13 steps.
Part 1: The Fundamentals
- Know your organization
- Line up your facts and figures
- Identify your assets
- Examine your financial footing
- Assess your organizational risks
- Frame your development plan
Part 2: Moving Toward Implementation, Strategically
- Name the priorities that arise from your development plan
- Justify these priorities
- Establish measurable goals and key performance indicators
- Identify key partners, funders, stakeholders
- Determine the strategy for addressing your priorities
- Make a sequence and a schedule for carrying out these strategies
- Implement and evaluate your chosen strategies
Senior Instructor: Chris Zeilinger
Succession Planning: Preparing for Future Success
Your agency’s success depends on its ability to identify, retain and prepare future leaders. Preparations must go beyond simply staffing positions that become vacant. Effective succession planning is a process of identifying, assessing, developing talent and knowledge transfer that ensure continuity throughout your agency. This interactive session will have you come away with the assessment tools. Templates and an action plan needed to strengthen and support the overall capacity of your organization.
Senior Instructor: Caryn Souza
Half Day Training Classes
Fatigue Awareness for Front Line Transit Employees
Transit services should be first and foremost safe. Fatigue is a significant root cause of vehicle accidents, near misses, customer complaints about rudeness, and can be a contributor to onboard assaults when a person is in a state of acute or chronic fatigue. Fitness for Duty should drive all legal, policy and daily operating decisions by the agency and fatigue critically affects an employee’s ability to perceive and react quickly and appropriately. Agencies must have in place appropriate policies and procedures for identifying and preventing issues related to fatigue. Transit agencies must determine that frontline employees (bus and van operators, mechanics, dispatchers) are fit for duty, physically, emotionally, and mentally for their difficult and potentially dangerous jobs.
A discussion on the legal, and policy positions each agency should have in place and what steps they can and should take when an employee is found to be either in a state of acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term) fatigue.
Additionally a discussion on the operational issues and duties concerning front-line employees with fatigue. This will include the important role of dispatchers and supervisors in identifying fatigue and steps they should take.
Also, a discussion will take place to better understand how fatigue affects the physical and mental capabilities of employees and how to improve sleep habits to reduce the likelihood of fatigue related accidents and incidents. Attendees will learn how fitness for duty, as it relates to fatigue, should drive all legal, policy and daily operation decisions of the agency. This course is available both in the open enrollment virtual online and more traditional in-person class.
Senior Instructor: Michael Noel
Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA): Changes, Challenges & Reasonable Modifications- Half-day Training Course Description
All transit systems have a responsibility to understand and provide transportation services consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). All employees are to be “trained to a proficiency” to ensure vehicles and equipment are operated safely, that they provide appropriate assistance, treat individuals in a respectful and courteous manner and ensure that individuals with disabilities can use the agencies services. This workshop will look at changes, challenges, and reasonable modifications necessary to ensure that the civil rights of individuals with disabilities are honored and appropriate policies and procedures are in place consistent with the ADA. The class will include discussion and exercises and it’s available in both the open enrollment virtual online and more traditional in-person class.
- Why a Ride Matters
- What is the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)?
- What does the ADA Require of Transit?
- What are our responsibilities
- Why is Mobility Device Securement Important?
- Securement / Bus Operator Challenges
- What is Non-discrimination
- Service Animals & Comfort Animals
- ADA Revisions
- Reasonable Modifications
- Origin to Destination Services
Senior Instructor: Michael Noel
Customer Driven Service
All customers want to feel welcomed, valued and appreciated, and this holds true for the people who ride your vehicles, call to schedule rides, or simply ask for information. Providing excellent customer service involves both the skills and attitude of the individual providing the service as well as the organizational culture the person works in. Each workshop will identify what good customer service is, discuss steps on how to involve all staff, and learn ways to handle difficult customers. This program will include materials from National RTAP as well as new materials developed to help transit personnel understand why a ride matters, how a ride contributes to the quality of life for so many and tips to assist front-line employees to have more self-control when performing both a difficult and potentially dangerous job.
The workshop will also address the rebuilding of lost ridership due to the ongoing Covid pandemic one passenger at a time as well as how kindness is a strength and the best choice for de-escalation when faced with a difficult passenger.
This course incudes lecture, video, exercises, and discussion. It’s available both in the open enrollment virtual online and more traditional in-person class.
- Why a Ride Matters
- Addressing the Difficult and Dangerous challenges associated with transit service
- Rebuilding lost ridership
- The Keys to Customer Service – Understanding the Big picture
- The Relationship Between Transit Operators & Dispatchers
- Changing the Hierarchy of the Transit Organization
- Moments of Truth
- The Power of Generalization
- First Impressions
- Creating a Culture of Customer Service
- Understanding the 7 Basic Needs of all Transit Customers
- Why Morale Matters
- Customer Service Breakdowns
- Defusing Conflict
- The Effects of Stress on Customer Service
- Kindness When Dealing with a Difficult Passenger as a De-escalation Skill
- Top 10 Customer Driven Service Skills for all Employees
Senior Instructor: Michael Noel
De-escalating Stressful Situations with Passengers
Bus Operators have little control over the mood riders show up in; however, they do have control over their own personal reactions, which when used skillfully can keep situations from escalating into full blown incidents or possibly violent situations. This half-day workshop will explore skills you may use to de-escalate stressful situations such as understanding conflict, controlling your emotions, verbal judo and understanding your own stress. The target audience for this course are Drivers, Supervisors, Customer Service Personnel, Schedulers & Dispatchers.
Agenda:
- Why a ride matters.
- Understanding conflict
- Mental health, addictions, and anger
- Four moods of passengers
- Why people repeatedly challenge you.
- The important role of Dispatchers
- Personal safety & security
- What the experts say about defusing conflict
- The art of maintaining control
- Six truths about respectful customer service
- The effect of stress on the bus operator’s performance
- Stress & health (stress test)
- Six steps to improve relationships with all passengers.
- Three takeaways
The workshop will include lecture, PowerPoint, videos, and interactive exercises that will engage the audience.
Instructor: Michael Noel