The Regional Transportation District (RTD) continues to strengthen its ties to the military veteran community through internal and external efforts, which includes establishing a network of partnerships with organizations and agencies that are aligned with the agency’s commitment to our veteran community. RTD has developed career pathways in the agency for youth and veterans that include internships and the Workforce Initiative Now (WIN) program.
WIN is a collaborative partnership between RTD, the Community College of Denver, Denver Transit Partners and the Urban League of Metropolitan Denver. WIN helps job seekers, companies, and local communities through the creation of career opportunities in the transportation and construction industries. Currently, there are 33 veterans enrolled and placed in the WIN program and an additional 13 veterans are in the job search process.
U.S. Navy veteran, Dawn Kantrud is someone who has benefited from the WIN program after serving our country. The WIN program helped her land a position in payroll and human resources position with Triunity Engineering & Management, a veteran-owned engineering and management firm in Denver. You can learn more about Kantrud here.
Glenn Wilson, an Army veteran and electrician who has used his skills as a certified Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) instructor for the past five years, to teach others, including WIN participants, about job site safety on FasTracks and other construction projects. Learn more about Wilson here.
Additionally RTD hosts an annual luncheon for employees who are veterans of the U.S. Armed Services. Guest speaker Major General John L. Barry, US Air Force (Retired), who is also a former Aurora Public Schools Superintendent, spoke at this year’s luncheon attended by 125 employees. More than 15 percent of RTD bus operators and mechanics are veterans and in the last 12 months, 20 percent of new hires have been veterans.
“We have been holding this luncheon annually for several years to honor our veterans and their sacrifices,” said Phil Washington, general manager and CEO of RTD. “As a veteran myself, I am proud to work at an organization that is as committed as RTD is to honoring our veterans and helping them with career development.”
RTD serves the Denver Metro area by offering safe, clean, reliable, courteous, accessible and cost-effective service in an eight-county service area while providing 100 million passenger trips annually.
