The Transportation Research Center kicked off the Transportation Systems Academy (TSA) on Monday, October 12, 2009. The event was a daylong education on various aspects of the transportation industry, presented to 22 offenders who attend the Community High School of Vermont at the Northern State Correctional Center Facility campus in Newport, Vermont. The program is part of the TRC's workforce development program, funded by a US DOT Transportation Education Development Pilot Program (TEDPP) grant.

The TSA brings together partners from the TRC, Vermont Local Roads, New Hampshire's Technology Transfer Center, and educators from the Community High School of Vermont (CHSVT).

CHSVT superintendant Wilhelmina Picard describes the program as a "true 'win-win' for everyone involved." She says, "The students gain valuable skills in a field they are really interested in, and the transportation industry gains workers with the certifications to get right on the job."

"We are happy to be able to facilitate this partnership," Ms. Picard explains, "because we know that workforce development programs help our offenders gain skills to do something positive once they reenter the community."

Twenty-two participants attended the kick-off event--the first of eight days of training--with a course called, "Municipalities/Transportation 101". By May 2010, the men will have completed 56 hours of course work. They will be certified in CPR and First Aid, Work Zone Flagging, and OSHA.

All of the Transportation Systems Academy participants are scheduled for release from the Northern State Correctional Center next spring. Program coordinators are seeking partners--such as municipalities, state garages, or private sector employers--to provide "job shadow" situations to participants so that they can gain on-the-job experience.

"Job training of this kind greatly decreases the likelihood that the offender will return to prison," Superintendant Picard explains. "They are also much more likely to acquire and retain a job when they are released."

More information about this program can be found here: Workforce Development.