Innovations in Transit Training - National Standards of Training for Rail Transit Maintenance Occupations

摘要

Rail transit systems are experiencing an increasingrnneed of highly trained and skilled maintenance mechanicsrnand technicians. This demand for skilled mechanics canrnbe traced to four factors:rn1. An aging workforce with current retirementrneligibility or retirement eligibility in the next fewrnyears;rn2. Expanding rail transit systems many of whichrnare in places that have not had rail transitrnsystems;rn3. Changing technologies and new equipment notrnpreviously available;rn4. Industry standards for rail transit systems andrntheir maintenance.rnThese trends require that rail transit agencies preparernrail transit maintenance personnel to fill existing andrnfuture requirements in maintenance occupations that arernconstantly changing. The training need is also to improvernthe skills of existing personnel and to prepare newrnentrants to replace retirees.rnThe training and skills required to maintain railrntransit systems are highly specialized and not generallyrnavailable outside of the electric railway industry. For thisrnreason transit agencies must develop their futurernmaintenance personnel through training and experiencernon the job.rnTransit labor unions and management are discoveringrnthat training is an investment where their interestsrnconverge. Creating the high performance transit industryrnof the future is dependant on developing innovativernapproaches to labor-management cooperation. Trainingrnoffers the opportunity for labor and management tornpartner in developing a well trained maintenancernworkforce with important performance and servicernoutcomes for transit agencies and the public that dependsrnon transit.rnThe U.S. Department of Labor has recognized transitrnas a high technology industry due to the technologyrnchanges taking place in the industry. DOL has alsornrecognized that over 40 percent of the industry'srnmaintainers are eligible to retire in the next few years.rnDOL has made a grant to the Community TransportationrnCenter to develop standards, models and systems forrntransit training and apprenticeship for bus, rail andrnfacilities maintenance occupations.rnThe Community Transportation Center is workingrnclosely with industry managers through the AmericanrnPublic Transportation Association and with importantrnindustry unions to develop training for transitrnmaintenance occupations and that complies APTA'srnrecently adopted standards and recommended bestrnpractices for transit systems. The approach to developingrntraining focuses on labor-management committees ofrnsubject matter experts in the development of trainingrnstandards and curriculum.