A National Training and Certification Program for Transit Vehicle Maintenance Instructors (2015)

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1 Creating a world-class and credentialed cadre of professional transit vehicle maintenance instructors was the single, unwavering objective for TCRP Project F-19, “A National Train- ing and Certification Program for Transit Vehicle Maintenance Instructors.” In a complex transit environment where safety requirements, economic constraints, and daily advance- ments in technical and system sophistication require cost-effective and reliable training solutions, the demands on transit vehicle maintenance instructors have never been more critical. Coupled with the onslaught of retirements within the ranks of both technicians and instructors, the necessity for nationally recognized standards and a comprehensive model for instructor training and certification has become a priority among most transit agencies. In stark contrast to this critical need, there presently exists no national system or stan- dard for the training and certification of these transit vehicle maintenance instructors. It is within this vacuum of national standards and certification that this project evolved and has now developed a program that ensures that vehicle maintenance instructors will have the established courses, demanding skill evaluation and professional certification that meets or exceeds anything else existing today. A suite of instructor skills courses designed specifically for the needs of this population of instructors will provide the framework for a certification process that includes both cogni- tive and applied skills requirements. Together with a business plan that addresses the specific and detailed issues of budget, operational process and organizational structure, the work done through this project delivers a roadmap that an organization can use for implementing a mod- ern, professional, and cost-effective training and certification program for transit vehicle main- tenance instructors. This new program will be credible because it is based on the rigorous work performed in Project F-19 and it provides a suite of tools for the evaluation and accreditation of mastery for instructors. It will be more efficient since it is a national approach eliminating the need for each agency to develop redundant and unnecessary programs, courses, and quali- fications. Finally, it will insure a new generation of instructional professionals since the courses and process of certification will assure that any instructor granted certification will have the documented skills to be the best in transit vehicle maintenance instruction. Defining and Addressing the Training and Certification Challenge in Transit Vehicle Maintenance While there is almost universal agreement that upgrading and credentialing the teaching skills of transit vehicle maintenance instructors is a priority, the daunting task of actually creating the program proves to be no small endeavor. Years of dispersed, agency-specific traditional training approaches, lack of momentum for change, and scarce resources have left the transit vehicle maintenance training organizational landscape essentially unchanged S u m m a r y A National Training and Certification Program for Transit Vehicle Maintenance Instructors

2 a National Training and Certification Program for Transit Vehicle maintenance Instructors for decades. Concurrently, visibility and scrutiny by political, governmental, regulatory, and public interests engendered an expectation of seemingly perfect transit vehicle maintenance. As if all of these issues weren’t enough, the existing generation of top maintenance techni- cians, who for years were the primary source of maintenance instructors, were now retiring in larger numbers. This exodus left agencies with the dual challenge of not only hiring and training new technicians, but also replacing and training the new corps of instructors. With all of these converging influences, the environment was conducive and receptive to finally addressing the question of better training and national certification for transit vehicle maintenance instructors. TCRP provided the leadership and foresight to direct this project, assembling a panel of industry professionals representing all facets of transit to mentor the project process and specifics based on decades of transit and subject matter expertise. The Process for Developing a National System of Training and Certification In order to determine the best approach to the training and certification of transit vehicle maintenance instructors, a rigorous and detailed process was followed that involved a comprehensive plan of action, thorough data collection and research by the Project Team and participation by a multidimensional representation of transit and training professionals. Included were representatives from transit agency leadership, transit vehicle maintenance instructors, labor representatives, certification program leadership, and instructional designers, all serving as subject matter experts (SMEs). Utilizing this diverse, yet complementary group of experts provided invaluable insights into specific program content elements as well as adding general best practice data and program structure options from successful similar certification programs. The Project Team implemented four key elements of research including the following specific deliverables: • Feasibility study; • Best practices report; • Training and certification program plan; and • Business plan. Each of these four critical elements of Project F-19 reflects the process and specific rec- ommendations for achieving the goal of a national transit vehicle maintenance instructor training and certification program. The Feasibility Study Early determination of the usefulness and eventual support and viability of this program within the targeted organizations was the primary role of the feasibility study. Without this information and the guidance it provided, the remaining project elements might essentially be developed with little in the way of knowledge of the potential participants, size and structure of existing agencies and training staff, willingness and ability of agencies to participate, and population data on the vehicle maintenance instructor population. First, the Project Team designed and implemented a SME survey with the assistance of the Project F-19 panel that was distributed to three primary groups: the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) National Bus Maintenance Training Committee, the TCRP National Transit Rail Vehicle Technician Training Committee and the TRB Transit Fleet Maintenance Committee ListServ.

Summary 3 Following the distribution of the survey, the Project Team participated in discussions with SMEs and stakeholders at several national meetings including the National Bus Maintenance Training Committee in Phoenix, Arizona; the National Rail Vehicle Technician Training Committee in Silver Spring, Maryland; and several other venues. The data compiled by this effort provided the foundation for both the Training and Certification Program Plan and the Business Plan. Among its many findings was the fact that more than 52,000 vehicle maintenance employees are being taught by approximately 600 full- and part-time instructors with an average age of 46 years old. It has long been the hope of many professionals in the bus and rail vehicle maintenance training community that a national program for establishing and certifying instructor com- petencies be established. With an estimated initial population of more than 600 in-house instructors and multiples of this population existing in other associated areas, the scope of interested and supportive organizations and individuals builds support and credence to the concept of establishing this national framework for instructor certification. More details and findings from this element of the project are contained in Chapter 2 of this report. Best Practices Report In order to establish a credible starting point for the training and certification plan, it was necessary to conduct thorough background research in best practices within both transit and other industries that implement instructor certification programs. This data touches every aspect of program elements including existing agency programs, effective transit training approaches, expected prerequisites for instructors, course offerings, competency expectations, evaluation of content mastery, certification, and organizational structure of sponsoring entities. The strength of this information lies in the breadth and quality of the data collection land- scape and the fact that transit organizations, vendors, and numerous successful instructor certification programs outside of the transit environment provided their experiences to the Project Team. It was then possible for the most productive and successful program elements to be highlighted for discussion and possible replication within the project. One extremely useful outcome of this reporting process was the creation of a data pool that, among other things, ranks the importance of seven distinct maintenance instructor attributes. Interestingly, good communication skills and good work habits have a higher priority than good technical knowledge. The lessons learned component of the best practice effort informs the discussion leading to program choices in the core competencies, mastery of content and certification process presented within this report. The complete details of the findings by the Project Team best practices report can be found in Chapter 3. Training and Certification Program Plan The Project Team and panel established that three critical program elements need to exist to provide a legitimate path to transit vehicle maintenance instructor certification: technical and non-technical prerequisites, required courseware, and rigorous capstone certification requirements. While the prerequisites for individual certificate candidates are left to partici- pating agencies to determine, the project has established guidelines to assist in that effort. For certification, each instructor must complete a required number of courses (or approved

4 a National Training and Certification Program for Transit Vehicle maintenance Instructors substitutes), as well as complete the capstone experience requirements, each at a specific, predetermined level of mastery. The program plan, while detailed and comprehensive, will require the future AO (administrating organization) to finalize the program based on actual participation levels, available resources, and program oversight. Prerequisites Suggested prerequisites for instructors participating in the program include a series of technical and basic non-technical skills. Technical prerequisites might include certifications, professional affiliations, and minimum number of years in relevant technical field or independent skill evaluations. Non-technical entrance competencies expected include more subjectively evaluated personal skills including basic computer familiarity, writing, presen- tation, and social or people skills. From the program’s perspective, only qualified technicians will be participating in the certification process. However, these prerequisites are to be established by each participating agency to match their expectations and requirements for instructors based on their specific and individual needs. The program does, however, offer recommendations for best-fit prerequisites to match entry competencies for the courses required for certification. Required Program and Certification Courses Courses required for certification shown in Figure S-1 as part of the overall competency model reflect the range of skills needed to be an effective vehicle maintenance instructor including the three most important elements of program design, instructional design, and Figure S-1. Transit vehicle maintenance instructor competency model.

Summary 5 Courses Hours Mentoring and Coaching 4 – 8 Communication: Oral and Written 4 – 8 Delivering Instruction: Classroom & Hands-On 8 Adult Learning 8 Lesson Plan Design 8 Assessment and Process Analysis 4 – 8 Instructional Material Development 8 Instructional Technology 8 Standards-Based Training 8 – 16 Program Management & Evaluation 4 – 8 Curriculum Development 8 Capstone - Putting it all Together 8 – 16 Table S-1. Program courses and suggested implementation time. training delivery. This time-proven mix of professional instructional tools reflects both best practice and benchmarked criteria for training professionals across a wide range of content areas. Within these three general categories of courses, specific offerings reflect a core curriculum designed to build an instructor’s skills well beyond the basics of technical content delivery into a professional, well-rounded facilitator, course designer and program manager. This approach reflects the reality that content knowledge is but one of many skills necessary to design, deliver and manage vehicle maintenance technical training. There is also a separate mentoring and coaching certificate available to technicians interested in taking only that one course as a way to improve their mentoring skills and to use it as a pathway to achieving full instructor certification in the future. Specific courses and suggested implementation time are represented in Table S-1. To provide flexibility, candidates also can choose from a series of approved alternative courses that met program requirements. The Capstone Requirement Completing the required courses for certification is augmented by a capstone process that adds a vital dimension to the certification process. It is in this final segment of the program that students are required to go beyond taking and successfully completing certifi- cate courses and actually validate their skills in a three element final process. Each student must pass all three elements to qualify for certification. This is the program equivalent to graduation requirements in an academic program and this approach is almost always part of similar instructor certification programs in other organizations. These final three elements start with a summative comprehensive exam linked to the content for each required course. The exams will be reviewed and scored by a panel of SMEs and final score of 70 percent or better is required for certification. Second is a reflective paper linking specific course objectives from each required course to the worksite. A student is required to write a minimum of 250 words on how they will apply the course content in their work as an instructor. As in the comprehensive exam, the reflective paper will be reviewed and scored by a panel of SMEs and assigned a pass or fail grade.

6 a National Training and Certification Program for Transit Vehicle maintenance Instructors The final capstone element is a case study assignment to validate application of program objectives in the context of a real-world transit vehicle maintenance environment. A real- world problem within the transit vehicle maintenance training environment will be presented and a student will be required to write a minimum of 500 words on how they would address the problem and provide a solution. As before, a panel of SMEs will review and score the case study responses and render a pass or fail grade. More specific details on the Training and Certification Program Plan are contained in Chapter 4. Business Plan for Implementation of the Certificate Program Every successful program must have a clear and concise business plan to have any likeli- hood of reaching its goals. Implementation of the transit vehicle maintenance instructor’s certification program relies on a structure that includes two primary organizational elements: a national steering committee and an AO. The national steering committee will be the governing body of the program and may evolve from the Project F-19 panel or be organized as a nonprofit, an APTA subcommittee or other suitable structure. This group will be responsible for the request for proposal (RFP) process and associated selection of an AO, overview and governance of the AO, and general responsibility for the credibility of the certificate. The AO will be selected by the national steering committee and be responsible for the entirety of the day-to-day administration of the program as well as the process of course implementation, credentialing management, record keeping and issuance of each certificate. Specific organizational requirements for the AO are included in the business plan. Issues of budget (including projected launch costs, and ongoing costs and revenues), organizational approach, projected participation, and other business plan details are also covered in Chapter 5. Next Steps This project may be seen as a turning point in the standardization and professionalization of the ranks of transit vehicle maintenance instructors. This project has shown that interest and support within the transit vehicle maintenance community exists and that further work to inform and involve this group will provide added support and participation. There now exists the operational framework, project specifics, and business plan to move this concept to reality. The next steps are the creation of a national steering committee and selection of an administrative organization. In a relatively short period of time, the first cohort of instructors could be entering the program and working toward certification and the recognition they deserve.