Internships & Career Development

10/24/24: At the Cypress Mandela fall trades fair, BART proudly partnered with the Oakland Unified School District to inspire the next generation of transit professionals. Students received hands-on insights into BART’s vital operations as our power, structures, grounds, and cleaning teams demonstrated their work. BART’s recruitment team was also on-site, showing students the pathways to join our workforce and how to apply for BART jobs. It was an exciting day of career exploration and skill-building, reinforcing our commitment to workforce development and community partnership.

This video shows our track team in action at Cypress Mandela’s trades fair! We’ve set up a mock trackway to give trainees a hands-on look at maintaining and repairing BART tracks. Partnering with Cypress Mandela multiple times a year, we’re excited to showcase what a career in transit looks like. This amazing organization is all about transforming lives through pre-apprentice training, and we’re proud to support their mission. Learn more about the Cypress Mandela Training Center here. 

Fall 2024 Girls in Motion Summit attendees.

09/19/24: BART hosted the fourth annual Girls in Motion Summit in Northern California to inspire girls to consider transportation careers, partnering with the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Bay Bridge Chapter and WTS SF-Bay Area Chapter.

The summit introduced girls from four local high schools to the transportation industry. “Women represent 30% of transit workers,” said Michele DiFrancia, Vice President at Parsons Corporation. “We want to raise that bar higher.”

The girls heard from nine transit professionals, including BART’s Chief Transportation Officer Tera Stokes-Hankins. “In addition to providing an introduction to the transit industry, we are highlighting the diversity of careers available,” said Cynthia Fields from BART’s Workforce Development team.

Stokes-Hankins shared her journey into transit, saying, “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.”

Tess Lengyel, Executive Director of the Alameda County Transportation Commission, emphasized the power of the attendees: “It’s not us speakers... We need you in transportation, and we hope you see yourself in the industry.”

Stokes-Hankins encouraged the girls, "Don’t stand in the back of the room.”

After the panel, six professionals discussed their unique pathways to transportation. Michelle Robertson, Principal Marketing Representative at BART, humorously shared, “I studied English... Then I wrote a story about BART and climate change... BART slid into my DMs.”

The day included a hands-on activity where the girls redesigned a city intersection with various materials, creating unique solutions.

“Think about transportation. Be open to transportation,” Stokes-Hankins advised, leaving the attendees inspired and engaged.

BART's Tera Stokes-Hankins speaking to the Girls in Motion Summit.

06/24/24: Excitement fills the air on the first day of BART’s summer internship program! This annual initiative, coordinated in partnership with community-based organizations and educational institutions, opens doors for youth aged 16-25 from diverse backgrounds. Interns gain hands-on experience in public transit and get an inside look at BART’s operations. Applications for the program are facilitated through our trusted Community-Based Organization (CBO) partners, each with unique acceptance criteria. Once selected by a CBO, applications are submitted to BART for final consideration. Here's to a summer of growth, learning, and opportunity!

04/25/24: The 2024 "Take Our Kids to Work Day" was an inspiring experience for BART’s Workforce Development team, with 222 children and 161 adults joining us for a day of exploration and discovery! Centered on the theme "Inspire 2 Aspire," the event was all about sparking curiosity and ambition in our young visitors, with activities designed to help them envision their futures and explore how their work, home, and community worlds connect. Elementary and middle school students enjoyed hands-on experiences and learned about the unique careers that keep BART moving, inspiring the next generation to dream big!

3/22/24: Students from Oakland’s Latitude High School got a unique, up-close look at BART operations during a tour of our Hayward Maintenance Shop! They explored under train cars, watched our skilled workers in action, and saw first-hand how we repair and maintain the trains that keep the Bay Area moving. It was a fantastic opportunity to inspire the next generation with insights into transit maintenance and engineering!