News

Metro Transit Graduates its First Class of Coach Operator Apprentices

Posted December 2019

On Thursday, December 12, the Center’s Jack Clark and Kenyon Corbett traveled to Minneapolis to attend the graduation ceremony for Metro Transit’s first class of Bus Operator apprentices. The Center worked with labor and management at Metro Transit to help get design, register, and implement the apprenticeship. When it began, the 13-month program was one of two of its kind in the country. Since then, another two transit agencies have registered operator apprenticeships with the Center’s help. The ceremony honored the 29 graduates as journeyworker bus operators and also recognized the 50 veteran operators that signed up to serve as mentors to help guide apprentice operators through the program. On hand at the ceremony, was Metro Transit’s General Manager, Wes Kooistra, members of the joint apprenticeship committee, including Brian Funk, Deputy Chief Operating Officer for bus and Ryan Timlin, President and Business Agent for ATU Local 1005, and Marcellus Barnes, International President for the Amalgamated Transit Union - assigned to work with the Center to implement operator apprenticeships nationwide. Center Executive Director, Jack Clark was among the speakers at the event. Jack congratulated Metro Transit and Local 1005 for working together to address the workforce crisis in transit. The Center was presented with a plaque in recognition of our efforts to support the apprenticeship.
For more information on the operator apprenticeship, contact Kenyon Corbett.