Dallas Area Rapid Transit is launching a new program that gives Dallas students hands-on bus maintenance experience and a chance at a good-paying job right after graduation.<\/p>\n
DART\u2019s High School Student Bus Maintenance Externship program focuses on valuable mechanic skills ranging from automotive basics to fixing buses with supervised hands-on training.<\/p>\n
\u201cInnovation must include the future,” DART board chair Randall Bryant said during a press conference Tuesday, “and you cannot talk about the future without talking about our young people.”<\/p>\n
The program works in conjunction with Dallas Independent School District\u2019s Career and Technical Education Program, where students learn the basics of automotive maintenance in the first two years.<\/p>\n
\u201cYears three and four is where they began to actually work on the busses,\u201d Bryant told KERA. <\/p>\n
Junior Players\u2019 \u201cShakespeare with Henry\u201d program is screening a documentary featuring young people involved in the juvenile justice system using Shakespeare as a vehicle for creativity, self-expression and personal growth.<\/p>\n
Bryant said despite the recent challenges at DART over withdrawal elections and funding, delivering the program was one of his priorities when he became board chair last October.<\/p>\n
As the transit industry nationwide faces a labor shortage<\/a>, the program could be a vital career pipeline for bus maintenance technicians. Bryant said students could start in a $33-an-hour job immediately after graduation.<\/p>\n Oswaldo Alvarenga, DISD\u2019s deputy chief of strategic initiatives, said having industry leaders at DART mentor students shows the investment that city leaders are making in the future workforce.<\/p>\n \u201cThey’ll be working side-by-side with mechanics on heavy-duty diesel engines and active transit fleet, mastering the skills textbooks simply can’t teach,\u201d Alvarenga said. \u201cWe want every student to graduate with options, credentials and real-world experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n Randy Reyna, a student at DISD’s Robert & Charmaine Price Career Institute South, said he\u2019s looking forward to learning new technical skills with his friends.<\/p>\n \u201cSince we’re working on busses… the brakes are different, right?” he said. “They use air brakes instead of regular brakes, so hopefully we get to learn more about that.”<\/p>\n Pablo Arauz Pe\u00f1a is KERA\u2019s growth and infrastructure reporter. Got a tip? Email Pablo at parauzpena@kera.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n