AC Transit Mechanic Helper Program: Members climb the career ladder International President John Costa named Jamaine Gibson, Local 265-San Jose, CA, Coordinator of the ATU Workforce Development Program, to assist Locals with workforce development and apprenticeship programs. Recently the International supported Local 192-Oakland, CA, in starting a new Mechanic Helper Program that they negotiated with AC Transit in 2016. The AC Transit Joint Apprenticeship Committee (JAC) noticed some applicants struggled in the first months of the apprenticeship and often dropped out. The International connected Local 192 and AC Transit with California Transit Works! (CTW), a consortium of transit agencies, transit unions, and community colleges focused on transit workforce development.
One-year program They learned from CTW members of Local 265, Santa Clara VTA maintenance trainers, and educators who designed the VTA Mechanic Helper career ladder program. That lead to Local 192 and AC Transit’s labor/management partnership developing a one-year Mechanic Helper Program, which officially kicked off on July 8, 2019. Gustavo Vasquez, Local 192 apprentice mentor at AC Transit, describes Mechanic Helper as a “career ladder program – a 12-month program that consists of formal in-classroom training” and shop floor work, where the mechanic helpers go out with journey-level mechanic “guides” to the divisions and perform job duties. The journey-level guides included Local 192 members of the JAC and other experienced mechanics.
‘I’ve learned a lot’
Mechanic Helper graduates and labor/management team. Photo credit: California Transit Works © 2020
“Thank you to you all who helped put it together and make us ready to be apprentice mechanics,” he added, echoing his fellow Local 192 mechanic apprentice graduates Illiyas Kohgadai, Edward Rodgers, and Ted White.
Laying the foundation “On behalf of the ATU International and International President John Costa, I would like to congratulate you on your accomplishments,” said Gibson, who attended the zoom graduation. “Thank you for your commitment to finishing the program,” he added. “Also thank you for laying the foundation for all the new ATU mechanics that will follow in your footsteps. I would also like to say thank you to ATU 192 and AC Transit. Your partnership goes to show that when you develop and work on your relationship, there’s nothing you can’t do – even in the pandemic.” v If you are interested in your Local starting workforce development and apprenticeship programs, please contact your Local officers.
On August 20, 2020, four Local 192 members were the first to graduate from the Mechanic Helper Program at AC Transit. “I’ve learned a lot, I’ve grown a lot, I’ve seen a lot of growth and learning from the other guys too,” said graduate and former AC Transit service worker Jacob Takahashi. IN TRANSIT
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