Interns Graduate High School and Join Watco Full Time

St. Charles Industrial Rail recently welcomed two new full-time members to the team, Student Conductors Sailor Pilotte and Leetrell Hart.

Last month, Pilotte and Hart accepted job offers from Watco at a signing ceremony hosted by the St. Charles Parish Public Schools’ Satellite Center in Louisiana. This milestone comes after they completed their months-long internship at Watco’s industrial rail site and days before graduating from high school.

Pilotte and Hart were two of five high school seniors who signed up to intern at St. Charles Industrial Rail earlier this winter. Early on, they stood out from the others according to General Manager Shaun Maurin.

He said, “Sailor and Leetrell are go-getters. They led the pack. I knew pretty quickly that I wanted to offer these two a job.”

Their internship was divided into two parts. The first requirement was completing online coursework offered through Watco University.

Then, if interns were 18 years or older and had a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), they went on-site. There, they shadowed team members across all trades including switching, maintenance of way, and railcar repair.

Pilotte was the first intern to finish the online training. And because she met the required age and had a TWIC, she had the most real-time experience. She was also the only intern to have previous industry experience. The year prior, Pilotte received her welding certificate.

Hart didn’t turn 18 until this spring. He was eager to join the team on-site. On the morning of his birthday, he filed for a TWIC and emailed People Services Manager Lindsey Alexander to let her know that he was eager to start.

People Services Manager Lindsey Alexander said, “Sailor and Leetrell are thrilled to start this next chapter and get to work. I know they will do great things at Watco.”