The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) in Northern California, in collaboration with the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Bay Bridge Chapter and WTS SF-Bay Area Chapter, hosted its fourth annual Girls in Motion Summit on September 19, 2024. This initiative is crucial in sparking interest among young women to explore diverse transportation careers and understand the pathways available through Transit Career Ladders Training Programs.
Fall 2024 Girls in Motion Summit attendees.
Addressing students from four local high schools, Michele DiFrancia, Vice President at Parsons Corporation, highlighted the underrepresentation of women in the industry: “Women represent 30% of transit workers. We want to raise that bar higher.” The summit directly tackles this issue by introducing girls to various facets of the transportation sector and emphasizing the importance of transit career ladders training programs in professional growth.
Cynthia Fields from BART’s Workforce Development team further elaborated on the summit’s goals, stating, “In addition to providing an introduction to the transit industry, we are highlighting the diversity of careers available.” This includes showcasing how transit career ladders training programs can facilitate entry and advancement within these diverse roles.
Tera Stokes-Hankins, BART’s Chief Transportation Officer, shared her personal journey, illustrating that careers in transit can be unexpectedly rewarding. “Nothing attracted me to transit… But my mother said, ‘Apply for a job at BART,’ and out of respect, I did. Here I am 30 years later.” Her story underscores that opportunities within transit, often supported by comprehensive transit career ladders training programs, can lead to long-term professional fulfillment.
Tess Lengyel, Executive Director of the Alameda County Transportation Commission, delivered an empowering message to the young attendees: “It’s not us speakers… We need you in transportation, and we hope you see yourself in the industry.” This call to action emphasizes the critical need for new talent, particularly women, to shape the future of transportation and benefit from structured transit career ladders training programs.
Stokes-Hankins further motivated the girls with a powerful piece of advice, “Don’t stand in the back of the room,” encouraging them to actively pursue opportunities and engage with the possibilities presented by careers in transit and related training initiatives.
Following the panel discussions, professionals from the field engaged with the students, detailing their individual career paths within transportation. Michelle Robertson, Principal Marketing Representative at BART, provided a unique perspective, “I studied English… Then I wrote a story about BART and climate change… BART slid into my DMs.” Her unconventional route into the industry highlights the varied entry points and career trajectories available, often enhanced by transit career ladders training programs.
BART’s Tera Stokes-Hankins speaking to the Girls in Motion Summit.
The summit also incorporated a hands-on activity, challenging the girls to redesign a city intersection using provided materials. This exercise aimed to foster innovative problem-solving skills and introduce them to the practical aspects of urban planning and transportation design, areas where transit career ladders training programs can provide specialized expertise.
In her concluding remarks, Stokes-Hankins urged the attendees to, “Think about transportation. Be open to transportation,” leaving them with a sense of inspiration and a clear message about the exciting and accessible career opportunities within the transit sector, especially through focused transit career ladders training programs. The Girls in Motion Summit serves as a vital platform for introducing young women to these pathways, fostering a more diverse and dynamic workforce for the future of transportation.
