Lane Transit District has been planning the first-of-its-kind apprenticeship program for well over a year. The agency worked with Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries to certify the program, then trained the peer mentors who will advise the trainees for their first 18 months.
LTD spokesperson Anni Katz said eight new employees recently graduated from the nine-week training program. Those newly minted bus operators, representing Oregon’s first class of public transportation apprentices, will each be paired with a mentor.
“That mentor can be someone who, you can come back after a long day and kind of bounce ideas off of them as a sounding board. You know, ‘I had this tough situation with someone today. What would I do?’” Katz told KLCC. “And in the longer-term way, it really helps with our retention of our bus operators.”
Katz said the program isn’t a traditional apprenticeship, but focuses on providing a support system for new employees.
Applications are open for the next LTD Bus Operator Apprenticeship training, which starts in July.
