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New Bus Driver PAE Program Grad

Photos Courtesy of Amjambo Africa

The Portland Public Schools is excited to have a new bus driver who is a graduate of Portland Adult Education’s Transportation Careers Program. Bululu Ngalamulume is the first graduate of that program to secure a bus driver position with PPS.

“We are very pleased to have Bululu as the newest member of our team,” said Ben Lesavoy, PPS director of transportation. “He began driving for us last month and has already proven to be a valuable employee. We’re also hopeful that this Portland Adult Education program will continue to be a feeder program for bus drivers for our district at a time when there is an ongoing school bus driver shortage in Maine and nationwide.”

The Transportation Careers Program at Portland Adult Education prepares students for a career in commercial driving, providing entry level training and equipping students with the knowledge needed to pass the Class B permit test at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The program began in 2018 as an informal study group led by longtime PAE volunteer Margaret Curran, and grew into a formalized class in 2020 taught by PAE workforce instructors, said Trace Salter, a workforce instructor who now leads the program.

“Since then,” Salter said, “the program has served over 70 students from diverse backgrounds, including many non-native English speakers. Any adult learner, regardless of residency or prior driving experience, is welcome to participate.”

She explained that the course consists of 12 weeks of intensive instruction, in which students delve into the theoretical underpinnings of complex technical concepts, including vehicle inspection, basic vehicle control, and on-road driving techniques. This rigorous training equips them to successfully navigate all the general knowledge, air brakes, school bus, and passenger practice tests, which encompass more than 1,108 challenging questions.

“To help students launch their careers in transportation, we also assist them in developing personalized career plans as well,” Salter said. “Over a dozen of our graduates have secured positions as bus drivers for local transit agencies like Greater Portland Metro and South Portland City Bus Service. Others have moved onto administrative and training roles within their companies. Some have even obtained Class A licenses to work for companies such as Allagash Brewing, AAA, VIP Coach and Warren Mechanical.”

The district hopes that more graduates will also consider working for PPS, as Ngalamulume has done. “We are excited to work together with PAE to build an ongoing pipeline of bus driver candidates for the Portland Public Schools,” Lesavoy said.

Ngalamulume has a background in electromechanical engineering and worked for 18 years on an offshore oil rig in Angola.

“When he was in our program, Bululu worked the night shift caring for adults with disabilities while also balancing the role of a single father to four children,” Salter said. “Despite such major challenges, Bululu was a stellar student and was the first in the class to get both his ELDT (entry-level-driver-training) Certification and his Class B Permit. His journey is a testament to the power of perseverance and commitment to matching individual ambition and demands of the local economy.”

The Portland Public Schools is Maine’s largest school district, with nearly 6,600 students, and it’s also the most diverse. About one-third of the district’s students come from homes where languages other than English are spoken—a total of 59 languages. Approximately 47 percent of the district’s students are white and 53 percent are students of color. More than half of all PPS students are economically disadvantaged.