Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), the senior Northeastern Member on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, re-introduced the Transportation Job Corps Act.  This key job-producing initiative would create a career-ladder grant program within the Federal Transit Administration to help existing workers retain jobs in the public transportation industry, while also recruiting and preparing young adults across the nation for jobs in the transit sector.  Promoting diversity and serving underrepresented segments of the population will be particular priorities for these grants.

“With economic recovery and the creation of jobs now the essential focus of federal legislation, the Transportation Job Corps Act will provide critical investment in the economy and our transit workforce,” said Nadler.  “There is a long and impressive tradition of federal investment in public works as a means of improving infrastructure, creating jobs, and boosting a troubled economy.  The Transportation Job Corps Act will stimulate job growth and help secure stable and meaningful work for the ‘disconnected youth’ of our nation.”

According to a report by the Community Service Society, there is a growing population of “disconnected youth” in this country consisting of individuals between the ages of 16 to 24 who are not in school and have been out of work for at least six months.  The population of “disconnected youth” is estimated to be about five million nationally, including approximately 200,000 in New York City, 93,000 in Los Angeles, and 97,000 in Chicago.  The Transportation Job Corps Act of 2011 will specifically target these “disconnected youth” for basic skills training and pre-apprenticeship programs for jobs in the transit industry.

The bill is supported by a broad coalition of labor, transit agencies, and community service organizations, including: the American Public Transportation Association, Transportation Trades Department AFL-CIO, Amalgamated Transit Union, Community Service Society, and The Corps Network.