WeGo Celebrates Mechanic Apprentice Graduation

Apprentice graduates (front row) are Brittany Cordova and Brandon Moss. Shown in the back row are: Tracey Ward, ATU 1235 Local President; Dewayne Scott, Deputy Commissioner, TN Department of Labor and Workforce Development; Nashville MTA Vice Chair Janet Miller; Nashville MTA Chair Gail Carr Williams; Nashville MTA Board Members Jessica Dauphin, Kathryn Hays Sasser, and Aron Thompson; WeGo CEO Steve Bland; Brandon Phinx, Middle TN Apprenticeship Director, Workforce Services; Kym Tucker, WeGo Director of Administration; and WeGo Chief of Staff and Administration Vince Malone. (Photo courtesy of WeGo)

WeGo Public Transit (Nashville, TN) recently held a ceremony for the first two graduates of the WeGo Mechanic Apprenticeship Program. It combines training with a full-time salary and benefits, including health insurance. The graduates were honored at a Nashville MTA Board Meeting. A new group of apprentices were also welcomed into the program.

“These apprentices now have valuable skills as heavy-duty mechanics with expertise in bus mechanical systems,” WeGo CEO Steve Bland said. “Our mechanic apprentice program is essential for the expansion of public transit in Nashville.”

“We are delighted to have these mechanics as part of the WeGo team. We have another group of apprentice mechanics in the program currently and look forward to their graduation,” Nashville MTA Chair Gail Carr Williams added.

According to a press release: “The goal of the apprentice program is to advance people into a starting mechanics position at WeGo, offering better pay and room for further advancement. It’s a hands-on program taught in the WeGo maintenance facilities with participants working on active fleet buses. WeGo recruits a new mechanic apprentice class once a year. To join, applicants must be 18 or older, submit a resume, pass a mechanical aptitude test, and complete an interview process. Applicants for the next class can get started by signing up on the WeGo Talent Community page at WeGoTransit.com.

“The WeGo Mechanic Apprenticeship program is one of only 32 recognized transit agency apprenticeship programs in the nation, as reported by the Transit Workforce Center in Washington, D.C. The program is a joint effort of the Amalgamated Transit Union 1235 Local, the Davidson Transit Organization/WeGo Public Transit organized with guidelines from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.”