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87 The goal of TCRP Project F-19 was to create the framework for a world-class and creden- tialed population of professional transit vehicle maintenance instructors. Through collaboration with the Project F-19 panel, diligent and detailed research and the involvement of numerous SMEs in the field, the Project Team designed the foundation for creating, implementing, and sustaining a national program addressing the challenge of training and certifying the vehicle instructor population. The methodical process of building this program design involved four distinct elements to assure a reasoned and thorough approach ensuring both credibility and confidence in the result- ing program model. The first element was a feasibility study, followed by a best practices report, a training and certification program plan and finally a business plan. While each of these elements separately provide a wealth of information and direction toward the eventual program goal, once combined in this report the roadmap for a successful and sustainable instructor training and certification program is truly ready to become a reality. As with any complex program development effort, Project F-19 was the product of a diverse team of dedicated professionals starting with the Project F-19 panel, TCRP leadership, and the Project Team and including literally hundreds of professionals from the ranks of transit leader- ship, labor, SMEs, and instructors. As would be expected, there exist many divergent views on almost every aspect of this process and eventual program model. And, while some might see this as an inherent weakness, the Project Team embraced this difference and used it to create a pro- cess and product that reflected the widest possible range of ideas and interests while also finding resonance in the best approaches and solutions available. The program that emerged and that is represented in this report has the potential to radically change the way transit vehicle maintenance instructors are trained and credentialed. Not only does this ensure a national plan of action for the process of training these professionals, it provides a rigorous path to certification that assures that any instructor meeting the credentialing require- ments is without question qualified both as an expert technician and as a training professional. The anticipated next step in this process is the creation of a national organizational body to oversee the implementation and governance of this program. It will be their charge to build the organizational foundation to support this program. The selection of an AO will be one of the key responsibilities of this group, as will the final specifications of the training and certification process. C H A P T E R 6 Conclusion
