The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA), Birmingham, AL, has received approval from the Alabama Department of Labor for its diesel mechanic and body/painter apprenticeship programs.

Participants in these programs can train for a career at no cost to them. They earn an income at the same time as they gain on-the-job training.

Lee Jackson, transit maintenance director, established a partnership with Lawson State University and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 725 to create the apprenticeship programs. BJCTA needed approval from both the union and the university before applying to the state’s Office of Apprenticeship, which registered the two programs as part of the National Apprenticeship System in accordance with basic standards of apprenticeship established by the state secretary of labor.

“BJCTA is looking toward the future in trying to ensure that we have a succession program within our maintenance department. The collaboration with Lawson State and the union allows us to do this,” said Ann Dawson-August, executive director. She explained that the average employee age at the system is between 45 and 50, so it’s time to train the next generation of maintenance professionals.