News

Center Holds Sessions at Transit Trainers’ Workshop & Bus Maintenance Apprenticeship Mtg in Seattle

Posted November 2018

Bus Maintenance Apprenticeship Committee at King County Metro Facilities

The Center delivered two well-received workshops during the 2018 National Transit Institute (NTI) Transit Trainers’ Workshop in Seattle, WA. On Tuesday, Senior Instructional Design Associate, Amri Joyner delivered a workshop titled “Gaining Respect for Your Training Program.” Participants gained insights into how to demonstrate to agency leadership that training should be a priority for employees and therefore for the business of providing safe, reliable public transit. Later on Tuesday, Center Executive Director Jack Clark, along with a panel of apprenticeship program experts from UTA and King County Metro, led a discussion about the need for bus maintenance apprenticeship and the process for developing DOL registered apprenticeships that apply also to other frontline occupations in the transportation industry.

Following the conference, Jack Clark and other Center staff stayed on in Seattle to lead a committee of bus maintainers and bus maintenance trainers from transit agencies across the country in developing DOL registered apprenticeships. John Schiavone, Program Director, led the Bus Maintenance Apprenticeship Committee through his work on identifying competencies for electric bus, an area of maintenance that many transit agencies are unprepared to enter. Since the meeting, John has developed these into five principles for training:

1 - A basic orientation, familiarization & preparation course to help technicians understand the skills needed to maintain electric buses.
2 - Across the board enhancement of electrical/electronic skills for all bus technicians.
3 - Enhanced and more frequent training provided by electric bus OEMs regarding their specific applications.
4 - Access to the internet by bus technicians so they can make use of OEM training materials when needed.
5 - Electric/electronic training that’s more engaging through hands-on mentoring and computer-based simulations.

For more information on:

  Registered Apprenticeship, contact Kenyon Corbett and Karitsa Holdzkom
  Bus Maintenance Apprenticeship Committee, contact Program Director, John Schiavone