Training Programs
Bonding Education Program (BEP)
Overview
The Bonding Education Program (BEP) process includes:
Stakeholders meeting
Members of the transportation-related services industry and small business resource providers meet to review the parameters of the BEP implementation in the local market, determine resource requirements, and ascertain the role in which each stakeholder will play in carrying out the educational component and ensuring program’s success.
Educational Workshops Component
This component offers a set of comprehensive workshops to include a minimum of 10 hours of instruction:
- Business and federal transportation project specific workshops; in cooperation with Primes, SBA, MBDA, and other Supportive Services
- A variety of topics are covered by industry experts such as, Contracting Law, Accounting, Operations Safety Plan, Proposal Writing, etc.
- Including a closing workshop focused on networking and next steps
The Bond Readiness Component
This component offers one-on-one interactions with local surety bond producers who volunteer to help small businesses. The surety bond professionals will work with the small businesses, on a case-by-case basis, to assemble the materials necessary for a complete bond application, and address any omissions or deficiencies that might impede the successful underwriting of a bond. To deliver this component, the Small Business Transportation Resource Centers (SBTRC) use the network of SBA-approved surety associations to identify surety professionals in each local area, who volunteer to assist the small businesses to become bondable or increase their bonding capacity.
Follow-up and Assistance
This component offers coordination and monitoring of technical assistance provided to participants in the program. The SBTRC will help the small business identify and secure bonding for subsequent transportation-related projects. An element of the follow-up assistance may include the match making of program participants to transportation-related contracting opportunities available.
USDOT’s Women & Girls in Transportation Initiative (WITI)
About the Program
The USDOT Women & Girls In Transportation Initiative (WITI) offers an internship program enabling young women from colleges and universities across the country to participate. The WITI internship programs is administered through the department’s Small Business Transportation Resource Centers (SBTRC) which provide resources, technical assistance and outreach to all 50 states and U.S. territories. Each SBTRC is responsible for placing qualified female college students in transportation related internships throughout their regions.
Mission:
To increase the participation of women in the transportation industry and prepare young women to become our nation’s future leaders by creating ladders of opportunity and small business’ economic competitiveness through careers, internships, strategic partnerships and education.
Goals of the Program
The goals of the program are to increase the participation of women in the transportation industry and prepare young women to become our
nation’s future leaders. To accomplish these goals, the program:
- Creates opportunities towards careers and internships in the transportation industry.
- Educates WITI participants on the exciting opportunities available in the transportation industry and inspire them to enter the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.
- Establishes strategic partnerships through the creation of the Women in Transportation Advisory Committees in each region.
- Attracts and Retains female WITI participants in transportation fields.
- Identifies barriers to economic competitiveness for women participating in the transportation industry and provide sustainability tools.
Construction Business Management Institute
The Construction Business Management Institute (CBMI) is a business-development training tool that has increased the pool of qualified contractors, vendors and suppliers available to participate in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s capital improvement project as well as regional and city projects. By providing educational assistance to these companies, they can become more knowledgeable of the construction industry. This creates a diverse and more competitive bidder market across a multitude of disciplines in the construction industry.
While contracts are in no way guaranteed to students, the CBMI modules are empowering their businesses by providing education and a greater understanding of the construction industry through classroom instruction. The CBMI instructors come from diverse backgrounds and volunteer their expertise in construction, engineering, architecture, design, law, accounting, insurance and communications. Their combined experience brings years of invaluable knowledge to the classroom.
CBMI provides a broad overview of topics such as: safety, scheduling, estimating, contract administration and project management. This is a six-week, eleven-module program. CBMI classes include a diverse cross section of small businesses not just limited to the construction industry.
In cooperation with Atlanta Metropolitan College, Certificates of Completion and Continuing Education Units are awarded to each student completing all sessions.
Construction Skills Development Institute
The Construction Skills Development Institute (CSDI) is designed to recruit, train and retain a workforce from underemployed, unskilled and displaced workers throughout Atlanta. The CSDI provides individuals with the necessary elements to become skilled craftsmen and construction workers. As a training component of the Alliance, the program continues its efforts to increase the city’s construction labor pool while waging a campaign to increase awareness of this critical shortage.
The Alliance, local school systems, Atlanta Technical College and the Construction Education Foundation of Georgia (CEFGA) have partnered to increase awareness and promote careers in construction. The summer internship program places eligible Atlanta Public School students with construction companies in the area for hands-on experience either in the office or on a project site.
High school students ages 16-18 interested in construction, many of whom participate in the school system’s construction based curriculum programs, must be recommended by their instructors, test and interview for the program. Qualified students attend a basic construction training course at Atlanta Technical College before starting their construction internships. After successfully completing the training course, interns are placed with companies specializing in the student’s field of interest (i.e. architecture, drafting, CAD, etc.) The Alliance and participating businesses monitor the intern’s progress and students are encouraged to provide feedback. All parties keep an open line of communication to ensure the most positive working environment and experience for both interns and participating firms.
Companies that offer internship opportunities in the CSDI program range from large and small construction firms to female and minority-owned businesses. These businesses agree to sponsor interns at an hourly rate 40 hours a week during the internship period. Pay rates and schedules are set at the discretion of the company.
Alliance Academy
The Alliance Academy (Academy) is an innovative technical assistance tool developed in the fall of 2002. The mission of the Academy is to promote enhanced business performance by delivering on-going personalized technical development focused on aggressive growth that builds capacity, capability and increases opportunity for participating firms. Participation criteria for students of the Academy are:
- The Bonding criteria is $1 million and above
- Must be from the Atlanta Region
- Must be certified by the City of Atlanta as a Recognized Certified Business
- Must possess three verifiable professional references
The objectives of the Academy are to gather a group of firms that are ready to participate in a “managed growth” strategy with the goal of evolving them from sub-contractors to Prime Contractors.
Each module objective is focused on moving the student closer to increasing his/her organizational capability and capacity. By the end of the course, our objective is to provide students with the knowledge and resources that are required to become a more competitive contractor and participant on major construction projects.
Outreach Programs
Small Business Transportation Resource Centers (SBTRC)
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) has developed the Small Business Transportation Resource Centers (SBTRC) in various regions of the country to expand the DOT’s outreach efforts. This national program utilizes Cooperative Agreements with chambers of commerce, trade associations, and business-centered, community based entities to establish SBTRCs. read more.
Sky is the Limit
In an effort to recruit female and minority firm participation and leverage capacity, the Alliance sponsors the annual Sky is the Limit Conference.
The Sky is the Limit is an information forum and networking conference designed to update companies on procurement opportunities in Atlanta and business development strategies for small, female and minority-owned businesses. Attendees participate in contracting opportunities sessions, technical assistance workshops and a power luncheon in which experts discuss best practices for businesses that continue to increase their presence in Atlanta’s construction and transportation industries.
The Supplier Diversity Conference
The Annual Supplier Diversity Conference targets small, female and minority owned businesses with a focus on opportunities to participate in the multi-million dollar transportation industry. The conference addresses training and development strategies and highlights building sound, profitable relationships through networking. It features informative sessions, training and development workshops, networking, an awards celebration and a Construction Expo.
The conference objectives are to:
Highlight opportunities for building sound networking relationships for small, female and minority owned businesses.
Enhance capacity and capability of small, female and minority owned businesses through training and development workshops.
A key component of the Supplier Diversity Conference is the Diversity Awards ceremony which recognizes the institutions, corporations, small business owners, agencies and advocacy groups that have been on the cutting edge of diversity.
Alliance Golf Challenge
The Golf Challenge was established to bring construction industry professionals and others together to build new relationships and nurture existing ones in an effort to create new partnerships. The “fund and friend raiser” attracts corporate, agency and civic leaders as well as celebrities to Atlanta’s golf courses with proceeds benefiting the Construction Skills Development Institute. The Annual Challenge’s Shotgun Start signals more than 100 golfers to begin a day of friendly competition along 19 holes. The 19th Hole Celebration, which tops the evening off, allows participants to continue to build new relationships while enjoying a buffet, raffle and silent auction.
Team and individual trophies are awarded to participants who prove masters of the green. Trophies and prizes recognize winners of:
The Longest Drive
The Longest Putt
The Closest to the Pin
The Straightest Drive
The Putting Contest Winner