The secret to Metro Transit’s apprenticeship program success? Mentors.

This is a special week for Metro Transit driver Joshua Jackson: He’s celebrating three years with the agency.

It’s a milestone he didn’t think he’d make.

In his first few months on the job, Jackson spent many lonely nights away from his family while learning to pilot a 20-ton bus through the Twin Cities. He also had to learn how to deal with the wide range of passengers’ emotions while keeping himself safe.

“You get surprised by the things you see,” Jackson said. “I almost quit.”

And he would have left if not for a mentor assigned through Metro Transit’s apprenticeship program, which the agency started in 2018 to attract and retain drivers at a time when seats behind the wheel were tough to fill.

Metro Transit was one of the first transit agencies in the country to pair mentors with new hires. It appears to be working.

On Wednesday, Jackson was rewarded for sticking it out with a journeyworker’s certificate recognized by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. Another 78 operators received their certificates at the North Loop Garage, marking the largest class in the program’s history.

For new drivers, “it’s kind of like trying to pat your head while rubbing your belly,” said Metro Transit spokesman John Komarek. “You have to know the route, deal with traffic, interact with customers” and operate all the advanced technology aboard buses.

“You don’t just jump in the seat of a bus today and do well tomorrow,” Komarek said. “It is a very demanding profession.”

The key to the apprenticeship is developing a sense of belonging by pairing new drivers with veterans who offer insights, lend an ear when trouble or questions come up and sometimes even ride along.

“They are the stars of the program,” said Tikco Freeman, 46, of Robbinsdale, who also graduated Wednesday. “When I had a breakdown, [my mentor] talked to me to decompress and pull the bus over and take a breather. It made being on the road easier. You had someone to call.”

Freeman, whose three-year anniversary is Friday, said her mentor kept her on the job. Freeman now plans to work at Metro Transit until she retires.

Metro Transit will have more than 1,400 bus operators by next month, about 150 more than this time last year. This increased staff allows for expanded service hours, improved scheduling and new routes such as the Metro E Line starting service Dec. 6, Komarek said.

Metro Transit is one of a handful of transit agencies across the country providing a certificate as part of its workforce development, according to the American Public Transportation Association. In Cleveland, a similar program started two years ago has led to increased retention and decreased absenteeism among new drivers.

Jackson, 38, of Fridley, is now a mentor to new drivers, wanting to help a new cadre of operators learn to avoid crashes, navigate rush hour and deal with challenging customers and weather.

“It takes skill to do what we do,” Jackson said. “They have the same question I had when I started. I can tell them I was in their shoes, to have thick skin and let some stuff go.”

And now he can show them a certificate that he said proves “you are good at what you do.”