As part of our workforce development strategy, our locations are continuing to explore innovative avenues in search of prospective employees who can fill our open positions.
Allen (Robert) Dill (Maintenance Manager) and GM Andrew Steed, both from Community Transit in Everett, Washington, are starting to have great success with their latest partnership.
Allen approached Andrew with the idea of reaching out to an organization called AtWork to help address their utility worker shortage. AtWork! is a supported employment agency, assisting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to get good jobs, increase community connection, and successfully transition to life after high school.
The Community Transit team decided to start slowly at first to allow them time to understand how the program worked and to find the best fit and balance for both the employee and the site. They currently have trained one employee (Jason Center) and are now in discussions for two more hires. The team couldn’t be happier with their decision to move forward with this partnership.
Each prospective employee is partnered with an AtWork job coach who is the liaison with Transdev. Some pre-work discussions and training are done with the job coach prior to the initial site visit, and then the employee is onboarded and becomes an official Transdev employee.
In Jason’s case, he was hired as a utility worker, cleaning buses four hours a day. According to Allen, “Jason is doing a phenomenal job. He is incredibly positive, dependable and has exceeded our expectations.”
The job coach has been in contact with Jason’s family throughout the process and, according to the family, the transition to the workplace has been an incredible experience for Jason. The family has noticed a positive change in his behavior and demeanor, and they are grateful for this opportunity.
Since Jason rides the bus to work, the Community Transit employees know him well and have been welcoming and supportive. The client is also appreciative of how the team has been able to address the labor shortage with this creative solution.
General Manager Andrew Steed adds that since they’ve had just a positive experience to date, they are currently working with AtWork and two other job coaches to try and line up a couple more prospective employees.
Thanks Community Transit for sharing your recruiting story with us and daring to be creative. You are truly living our Transdev purpose and serving our community and the common good.
