Salt Lake County students are getting out of the classroom and into UTA’s bus maintenance shop. On a recent Tuesday, Jordan Academy for Technology and Careers student Allan Raxtun tightened the bolts on a bus’s wheelchair ramp while UTA Transit Vehicle Technician Hector Lalyre observed his work. The two then descended into the mechanic pit below the bus to check the radius rods that prevent the vehicle from swaying back and forth.

“He’ll do everything that I’d do,” Lalyre said. “I just make sure that it’s done correctly and if he doesn’t, I get in there and show him the proper way to do it.”

The visit is part of a Governor’s Office of Economic Development program called Utah Diesel Technician Pathways. It’s designed to give high school students in the Jordan and Canyons school districts a chance to explore diesel technician careers at transportation companies and organizations across the valley, including UTA.

Each student will spend four hours at UTA, and UTA will host about 50 students over the course of the year.

“We try to give them experience on everything that happens in the shop,” said UTA Manager of Vehicle Performance Gareth Graham.

This is the second year that UTA has participated in the program. Starting in 2018, UTA will also provide internships for Salt Lake Community College students interested in becoming diesel technicians.

To learn more about the program or find out if your student is eligible to participate, visit http://www.dieseltechpathways.com.