San Mateo County Transit District Intern Enrichment Program Presentation for CalAct Spring Conference 2009 Anne Louise Rice Deputy Director, Capital Program Support

Some Implicit Assumptions about Interns They have limited knowledge of the transit industry and career opportunities therein Their career interests are still evolving so exposure to various functions and associated jobs is desirable Exposure to a cross section of core business functions may sustain and even increase their interest in working in transit after they graduate

Basic Premises Training interns improves the odds that qualified young people will be attracted to our industry Interns benefit from a well-rounded experience at a transit property A well rounded experience means exposure to the core functions of the business which include: – Operations – Maintenance – Marketing and Communications – Budgeting, Finance and Planning – Executive Office

Overview of Intern Enrichment Program in 2008 TopicLearning ObjectiveFormat Industry Overview, How District Operates, Careers in Transit Familiarization with industry and specific agency, as well as career opportunities Brown bag lunch Bus Operations and Maintenance Overview Familiarization with bus operations and maintenance Tour of bus operations and maintenance facility How We Communicate with Customers, Plan and Budget for Today and Tomorrow Basic understanding of marketing, customer service, planning, budget and finance functions Brown bag lunch Rail Operations and Maintenance Overview Basic understanding of rail operations and maintenance Tour of rail operations and maintenance facility Special Topic – Caltrain Electrification Familiarization with how agency is transforming the way commuter rail service is delivered in the US Brown bag lunch Meet the Executive TeamBasic understanding of work of executive team, provide feedback on internship experience Brown bag lunch

Conclusion An intern enrichment program can serve as an effective means of providing a basic understanding of the core business functions of a transit property Internship programs can serve as a relatively low cost recruiting technique Anecdotal Evidence Out of a pool of eight interns, we hired one on a full time basis The usual cost of attracting and retaining an employee is 25%- 225% of her/his salary*, but we paid <10% to secure this employee vis-à-vis the internship program * B. Mollenkamp, Contracting Profits, March 2007