Brightline is collaborating with Valencia College to prepare students for careers in the rail industry through a 22-week Industrial Automation Technician program. The course includes five modules:
- Maintenance Operation
- Mechanical
- Electrical
- Hydraulics
- Pneumatics
The program will help students earn nationally recognized industry credentials.
As part of this collaboration, Brightline is teaming with Valencia College to prepare future engineers, conductors, inspectors and technicians for a career with Brightline and its contractors, train manufacturer Siemens Mobility USA and railroad contractor Herzog.
Currently, 10 Valencia graduates have been hired to work at Brightline, including Davonne Durant, a West Palm Beach native who grew up around Brightline trains. Brightline, Siemens and Herzog plan to employ 150 highly skilled technical positions at Basecamp, Brightline’s brand new $100 million state-of-the-art train maintenance facility that can service up to 16 trains at a time. Brightline jobs will start at a minimum hourly rate of $20 per hour. Brightline intends to work with other regional schools on similar programs.
“Valencia College guided me through this program, every step of the way,” said Davonne Durant, facility engineer, Brightline Basecamp and Valencia College graduate. “The technical program at Valencia prepared me for a career at Brightline’s Basecamp with a company that is making history and in a field that will continue to grow.”
“As we ramp up for service to Orlando, we need teammates with highly technical skills to work on our trains and our facilities,” said Tom Rutkowski, chief mechanical officer for Brightline. “Once Orlando service begins, it will remain an ongoing team effort to maintain our 10 trainsets, hundreds of miles of track and Basecamp, and we are eager to work with Central Florida colleges to find candidates for these positions.”
“With Brightline coming to Orlando, we know there is going to be a need for technicians, so our career placement teams made contact with Brightline and Siemens to find out exactly what skills they needed,” said Tiffaney Barnes, senior director, accelerated skills training programs, Valencia College. “Our Industrial Automation Technician program is a perfect fit, and we are now actively training students for careers at Brightline’s Basecamp.”
Brightline is more than 90 percent complete with construction to Orlando. As construction continues, Brightline recently made history as the fastest train in Florida, reaching speeds of 130 mph during testing between Orlando International Airport and Cocoa, Fla.
Opening this year, the Orlando station will revolutionize train travel in America and continue Brightline’s vision of offering a guest-first travel experience, connecting two of the most congested city pairs in the nation, taking passengers between south and central Florida in just over three hours.
