NASHVILLE – WeGo Public Transit held a ceremony today for four graduates of the WeGo Mechanic Apprenticeship Program, which combines training with a full-time salary and benefits, including health insurance.
“Our apprenticeship program accelerates the development of diesel mechanics by allowing apprentices to learn in a hands-on environment, helping to service our active fleet, with pay and benefits,” WeGo Director of Training and Development Tiarra Dunn said. “This program reflects our commitment to building a highly skilled workforce, expanding access to meaningful career pathways, and delivering reliable service to our customers.”
The goal of the apprentice program is to advance people into a starting mechanic 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.
“Along with our bus operators, mechanics are an important part of expanding public transit in Nashville,” WeGo CEO Steve Bland said. “They are the foundation of what we do. This new group of mechanics will help us grow and meet the vision of Mayor O’Connell’s Choose How You Move program.”
The WeGo Mechanic Apprenticeship program is one of only 34 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 Local 1235, Davidson Transit Organization/WeGo Public Transit and organized with guidelines from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
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Photo: WeGo leadership and representatives from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development congratulate the apprentice mechanic program graduates. First row, the graduates, left to right: Hunter Burnette of Smyrna; Mathew Cordova of LaVergne; Remington Stewart of Waverly; and Diego Alvarez of Nashville. Standing, left to right: Vince Malone, Chief Administrative Officer; Tiarra Dunn, Director of Training and Development; Steve Bland, CEO; DeWayne Scott, Deputy Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development; Nestor Reyes, Workforce Services Director; Patrick Hester, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of Assets and Infrastructure; Tracy Ward, President of ATU Local 1235; Amanda Vandegrift, Deputy CEO for Finance and Administration; and Carl Rokos, Director of Maintenance.
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About WeGo Public Transit
The Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (Nashville MTA) and the Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee (RTA) are the operating bodies of WeGo Public Transit, which provides 27 local bus routes, nine regional bus routes, and one train serving Davidson and Wilson Counties. For more information, visit WeGoTransit.com and follow WeGo at @WeGoTransit on Instagram, Facebook, and X.