Chesapeake's Department of Public Works recently celebrated the graduation of its first class in the new Chesapeake College of Apprenticeship Motor Equipment Operator In Training (MEOIT) program, empowering 14 City employees with new skills, new certifications, and potentially even new career opportunities within the department.

 

The MEOIT program is a robust "earn while you learn" course, wherein apprentices enroll at the onset of joining the department, and will complete the program requirements within the first year of their employment. Employees selected to participate must possess a valid driver's license, a basic understanding of construction work, and a desire to advance their career in Public Works Operations.

 

The curriculum is a blend of classroom and practical training in Commercial Driver's License (CDL), operating light and heavy equipment, tools, safety and technical skill sets. Employees first train for and receive their CDL Permit through the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). With their CDL Permit, they train on the road test portion of the CDL requirements, which should be completed within 60 days.

 

Throughout training, apprentices will receive training on operating equipment to include Bobcats, chainsaws and chippers, forklifts, mowers, snow equipment, 15-passenger vans, dump trucks, roll-off trucks, and more.

 

Apprentices simultaneously receive step-by-step instruction on operating a variety of construction tools, and light and heavy equipment, while learning technical skills to perform various infrastructure maintenance tasks. Public Works safety instructors teach all apprentices critical safety information and practices, including a wide gamut of topics from medical emergencies, fire extinguishing, and defensive driving to heat stress, fall protection awareness, and even modules on substance abuse and active shooter response.

 

The apprentices then work side-by-side with Public Works field forces to continue hands-on training under the direct supervision of crew supervisor, which enables to them to acquire licensure, equipment, and safety certifications alongside the new skills learned in the classroom and in the field. Field skills span from asphalt, concrete pouring and crack sealing to pesticide application, storm drain pipe work and tree trimming.

 

Apprentices that successfully complete the program receive a transcript of their completed courses, a certificate of completion, and are eligible for non-competitive promotion to Equipment Operator 1 (EO1) Apprentices are required to fulfill a one-year employment commitment to City of Chesapeake upon graduation, or are responsible for reimbursement of CDL training expenses to the City.

 

The MEOIT program was developed by the Public Works Department to overcome the ongoing challenges of high employee turnover and low retention rates. With Public Works Operations having struggled with vacancy rates between 12 and 15 percent in recent years, the department looked for ways to incentivize current employees to stay with the City by providing clear career progression goals and motivating energetic self-starters that could fill important vacancies.

 

According to Public Works Operations Manager Ali Asgharpour, the MEOIT program is the one of the first structured programs of its kind in the region, and the Department of Public Works, a premier accredited agency through the American Public Works Association, is among the first organizations to offer a full training curriculum in the field of public infrastructure maintenance. Asgharpour said the department is currently coordinating with Tidewater Community College and the Virginia Department of Labor to award graduates with nationally recognized credentials.

 

Of the 14 graduates in the program's first class, 10 received conditional offers of employment in EO1 positions, including: Jimel Ashby, Ariel Brown, Corey Butler, Devarrio Coleman, Johnnie Cuffee, Rayshawn Davis, Michael Faulkner, Juwan Jenkins, Darius Miller and Denon Smith.