Alstom expands academic involvement for future workforce development

Alstom is expanding its involvement with U.S. academic institutions to help prepare the next generation of rail and transit professionals. These partnerships come as Alstom notes it has signed significant new orders over the past two years in the U.S.—like with New Jersey Transit—and is ramping up hiring in the U.S. and Canada for manufacturing, as well as engineering, operating and management roles.

These partnerships include a new engineering scholarship fund at Alfred State College in Western New York and collaborations with transportation centers at the University of Pennsylvania and New York University (NYU). Alstom has manufacturing sites in both New York and Pennsylvania and offices in New York City and Philadelphia.

Alstom says these efforts underscore its long-term commitment to the U.S. market, local manufacturing and workforce development.

"Modernizing and expanding transit and rail has many benefits, including creating good American jobs," said Alstom Americas Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs Dani Simons. "From high-school graduates who want to be skilled welders to master’s students who dream of building more energy efficient engines, we want more students to understand that this is a growing field and there are real opportunities to build a career and to be part of shaping the future of the U.S. rail industry."

Investing in talent and research

At Alfred State College, part of the State University of New York system, Alstom will donate $50,000 to endow a scholarship fund for students majoring in engineering technology. The college and Alstom’s manufacturing facility in Hornell, N.Y., just 12 miles apart, have been collaborating for years to support hands on technical education and workforce development.

Alstom has also become a founding sponsor of the Transportation Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania, a new effort led by former Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Leslie Richards. The initiative aims to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world solutions by providing agencies with policy and planning guidance.

"Alstom's partnership is invaluable as we work to bridge transportation research and real-world practice," Richards said. "Their experience on factory floors in Pennsylvania and across transit systems worldwide brings perspective that sharpens our research and informs our teaching."

In New York City, Alstom leadership notes it has joined the Advisory Board of the NYU Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management, a center that unites research with convenings to shape transportation policy, explore emerging innovations and develop the next generation of leaders for the New York region and beyond.

"Industry partnerships are key to advancing meaningful research and developing the next generation of leaders," said NYU Rudin Center Executive Director Sarah Kaufman. "Our collaboration with Alstom, which has a strong presence in New York, has brought real-world perspectives to our research, fresh ideas to our convenings and hands-on opportunities for our students. We look forward to deepening this partnership in the years ahead."

Alstom’s academic partnerships come as the company expands its footprint across the U.S. rail sector. In the past 12 months, the company has received orders for hundreds of new commuter rail cars in New York and New Jersey and produced the first high-speed trains made in America.