Malski helps small rail businesses 'SPRING' ahead to the next generation
8/30/2024
By Julie Sneider, Senior Editor
Michele Malski was in grade school when she first thought about working on a railroad.
Her dad, a longtime railroader, helped put the idea in her head when he took her on a tour of a grain elevator to show her what railroads do and why they’re so important to the nation’s economy.
After graduating from Cornell University, Malski joined BNSF Railway Co.’s management trainee program, later becoming a trainmaster in Minot, North Dakota, in the middle of the Bakken oil boom. Eventually, she joined Canadian Pacific as a division trainmaster in New York and Pennsylvania on the former Delaware & Hudson Railway, which CP owned. Next, she jumped to the passenger-rail side, serving as a trainmaster with Bombardier Transportation, then the operator of the Maryland’s commuter rail system between Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
That Malkin followed a family member into railroading is not uncommon. With railroading in their blood, future rail employees seek out the railroads or industry suppliers that they want to work for. But for smaller railroads and rail supply companies that are competing for talent in today’s tight labor market, finding workers that fit their staffing needs remains a challenge.
That’s where Malski hopes to make a difference as president and founder of SPRING, which stands for Succession Planning for Railroads Investing in the Next Generation. SPRING assists rail companies — particularly short lines, rail contractors and suppliers — find, recruit and retain talent. The Class Is “pretty much have it figured out” in terms of what they must do to find future railroaders, Malski says. So, she focuses on helping smaller companies find people with the skills, education, military training or just plain curiosity about or interest in the rail industry.
Attracting the attention of next-gen talent
At this time of year, many of the Class Is are saying goodbye or extending job offers to the hundreds of college students who’ve just completed summer internships. Class Is regularly hire and pay interns, not only to educate younger generations about railroading, but to test whether there might be potential full-time hires in the group post-graduation. (There often are.)
Short-line holding companies also offer internships, according to the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA). For example, Pinsly Railroad Co. hires college students in the summers to work on special projects at the company’s Jacksonville, Florida, headquarters.
“Contributions made by our interns are vital in driving forward our initiatives, and we are committed to providing them with meaningful opportunities that align with their academic and professional aspirations, while also developing future railroaders,” Pinsly Chief Human Resources Officer Gaynor Ryan said in an email.
And over the past decade, Genesee & Wyoming Inc. has expanded its internship program to augment the company’s recruitment and retention practices. G&W’s internships now include positions in accounting, finance, sales and marketing, HR, civil engineering and geographic information system (GIS) technology.
“We have increased the number of interns, expanded the departments offering internships, and diversified schedules to include full-time summer and part-time semester positions,” Joseph Ciufo, of G&W’s HR and talent acquisition department, said in an email. “These efforts aim to provide hands-on experience and build a diverse pipeline of future talent.”
Other short lines that offer internship opportunities to college and/or high school students include Farmrail, Iowa Interstate Railroad and Seminole Gulf Railway, according to ASLRRA — which also hires two to three interns every summer to work on legislative, policy and management projects.
While smaller rail businesses can’t afford to hire dozens of interns every year like the bigger railroads can, small railroads, contractors, suppliers and rail shippers can do a lot to raise their business profiles to reach out to younger generations and build an ongoing recruitment strategy, Malski says.
When advising clients, Malski starts by borrowing the “Know, Like, Trust” (KLT) phrase from the sales and marketing sector.
“We need to mirror that [phrase] in the recruiting world, because if people don’t know we exist, why would we expect them to apply for our jobs? If they don’t like us, they’re certainly not going to send us any resumes, and they’re certainly not going to trust us with their livelihood to become a long-career person with us,” she says.
To build a better talent pipeline, smaller companies should start by focusing on brand-building, then integrate KLT into it. They also need to start long before their experienced talent announces their retirement. Too many small business leaders wait until longtime employees leave to start thinking about replacements, Malski says.
Although small short lines, suppliers and contractors may not have big budgets for advertising or public relations, they can conduct low-cost or free public outreach activities to help raise their business profile, she says.
Malski suggests small business owners get to know local school administrators, participate in school career days and offer high-school students short-term job-shadow, mentoring or apprentice opportunities. They also can become regular sponsors of local events. For example, Malski knows of a short line that follows the “know, like and trust” theme by running holiday-themed trains every year through the towns it serves. Also, maintaining an active profile on social media is key to brand-building, she says.
Tap into retirees’ knowledge through ‘returnships’
If the business owner knows an experienced employee plans to retire in a year, recruit an apprentice or intern to shadow that individual before he/she retires, she says. Also, there are so-called “returnships” being offered, in which a retired or soon-to-be retired railroader stays connected to the company by mentoring or sharing advice with new hires, Malski says.
Another idea: Hold an open house and tours so the public can visit and learn more about what the company makes, sells or does.
“It’s not just that individual young person who needs to know more about you, it’s the community that needs to see how many jobs are involved at the local short line or rail shipper,” Malski says.
And when it’s time to advertise a job opening, companies need to play up the fact that they offer job-training, Malski says.
Building a positive brand for the company goes a long way to bolster recruitment when the time comes, she adds.
“Recruiting is not a one-and-done situation,” Malski says. “It’s a long-term game and the return-on-investment comes many years later. To be successful at it you have to be a consistent force [in your community] and then have an internship or apprenticeship structure in place so that you can say to the younger generation, ‘Hey, come give us a try.’”
