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Sign up for TWC’s Transit Apprenticeship Program Office Hours

Next month, in honor of Labor Day, the Transit Workforce Center (TWC) is hosting virtual Apprenticeship Program Office Hours to continue supporting the public transportation industry in creating and strengthening apprenticeship programs nationwide.

TWC’s experienced and knowledgeable team members will be available September 3–5 and 8–9, from 11 am–3 pm ET, to provide technical assistance to transit agencies and their partners interested in exploring, developing, expanding, and evaluating apprenticeship programs.  

Sign up for a 30-minute slot during Apprenticeship Program Office Hours to speak with a TWC team member. If the times available don’t work for you, please email Karitsa Holdzkom at kholdzkom@transportcenter.org with your availability, and she will arrange an alternative time.

What Are the Basics of Apprenticeship for Frontline Transit Workers?

Apprenticeship is a time-tested education and training program in which apprentices seeking to learn a trade acquire the necessary skills and knowledge from experienced experts, known as mentors. Most of the training is held in the workplace as on-the-job learning (OJL), where mentors and apprentices work side by side to master specific job tasks.

Complementing OJL is related technical instruction (RTI), which typically consists of classroom instruction, labs, web-based distance learning, instruction provided by technical schools and community colleges, additional ongoing mentoring, and other sources. Together, OJL and RTI offer the educational resources needed for an apprentice to become proficient in mastering a trade.

Why Would My Organization Be Interested in Apprenticeship?

Apprenticeships serve as pathways to well-paying, long-term careers, and fill dual needs by being both a job and a learning experience. Apprentices are rewarded for their increased skills as they progress through the program, and as skills increase, so does the pay. Many employers see a return on their investment in apprenticeship because apprentices are often working at close to full competency while still earning a reduced rate before they graduate to become journeyworkers.  

Typically, apprenticeship programs don’t require apprentices to have a college degree, making them more accessible regardless of educational attainment. Another significant benefit is that apprenticeships offer a varied learning environment that combines hands-on learning with classroom instruction. The apprentice applies theory learned during the RTI when they perform assigned tasks. The classroom instruction provides the theory for the apprentices to develop skills that are then applied in a work environment. A structured mentor program with a skilled senior worker that serves as a learning coach supports the apprentice’s success in the program. This learn-while-doing training method is ideal for boosting confidence and preparing apprentices for the job tasks they will be expected to perform. 

Other advantages of receiving targeted one-on-one learning from a mentor include having someone available to answer questions, help perfect skills and techniques, address weaknesses and maximize strengths, apply classroom studies to real-world work experiences, and even help with personal matters. Mentors can also help strengthen an apprentice’s communication, confidence, and interpersonal skills, and assist with understanding compensation, job expectations, work hours and time off, and other important, foundational aspects of the job and the transit industry in general. 

Those who complete an apprenticeship program typically have greater career advancement opportunities, earn higher wages, stay at their jobs longer, and enjoy their jobs more than those without the benefit of having gone through an apprenticeship program. 

Where can I learn more?