MIDTOWN EAST, Manhattan (PIX11) — MTA officials addressed the urgent need to fill thousands of job vacancies with its first-ever MTA-wide job fair held at Grand Central Terminal Wednesday.
According to MTA Administrative Officer Lisette Camilo, the MTA is looking to fill more than 2,000 roles to keep the region’s subways and buses moving.
Michael Coleman is one of the thousands of people who lined the block at Grand Central Terminal in search of a new career.
“Actually, I didn’t even know they were having a job fair,” Coleman said. “I was just walking by. I said oh, what’s going on here. I said this is an opportunity for me to get a job.”
It’s not just train and bus operators that are needed. MTA officials say some positions have been harder to recruit for, and are roles where they need the most help. Those roles include engineers, urban planners, carpenters, and electricians.
“New York will always need great mass transit and the stronger and more diverse the MTA team, the better,” Camilo said.
Coleman says attending this job fair is personal. He says he’s currently homeless and looking to get his life back on track.
“I want better for myself so I’m striving to better myself,” said Coleman. “So, this is a great opportunity. You just got to take advantage.”
While the MTA is in need of filling those 2,000 roles, officials say they have about 70,000 staff members who have been able to step up and keep the transit system running.
For more information on open jobs at the MTA, you can go here.
