The Transportation Learning Center has worked cooperatively with APTA, transit unions and transit agencies across the country on a project to develop proposed transit industry training standards for four high-skill transit rail maintenance occupations. Working over the past several years, joint committees from transit rail operating properties, including both labor and management subject matter experts, agreed on proposed national training standards for the skilled maintenance occupations of transit elevator/escalator technician, rail vehicle mechanic, signals maintainer and traction power technician.
Click the headings below to view the documents.
Rail vehicles maintenance training guidelines are organized into twelve subject areas corresponding to the different job responsibilities of a rail signal maintenance technician. These subject areas are:
1. Couplers
2. Truck & Axle
3. Propulsion and dynamic braking
4. Auxiliary inverters and batteries
5. Friction Brakes
6. HVAC
7. Current collection and distribution
8. Monitoring and diagnosing
9. Car body
10. Doors
11. Communications systems
12. ATP-ATO
The labor-management subject matter experts on the Vehicles Training Joint Steering Committee developed the training curriculum and guidelines with the expectation that training would be instructor led and include on-the-job training under the supervision of an experienced and qualified journeyman or technician.
Rail signals maintenance training guidelines are organized into nine subject areas corresponding to the different job responsibilities of a rail signal maintenance technician. These subject areas are:
1. Comprehensive Overview of Rail Train Operations and Safety
2. Train Detection and Control
3. Switches
4. Grade Crossings
5. Power Distributio
6. Signals
7. Train Stops
8. Interlockings
9. Control Panels and Human Machine Interfaces
The nine areas of the curriculum include content and learning objectives at various levels of difficulty. Level 100 training modules are introductory content and may overlap with other crafts that share a core of basic mechanical, electrical and electronic knowledge. Level 200 training areas are specific to rail signal maintenance and build on the foundation technical knowledge, skills and abilities developed in the level 100 training areas. Level 300 training modules are the more advanced learning objectives imparting skills, knowledge and abilities required for signal technicians and journeyman to execute all of the job responsibilities required of a typical signal maintainer. The training guideline also includes an advanced 400 level component that would apply to the maintenance and troubleshooting skills of an advanced technician.
The ultimate objective is to develop a fully accredited Elevator/Escalator Apprenticeship Program certified through a national joint apprenticeship and training committee and continuing education training programs for incumbent technicians. The curriculum, courseware and training guidelines adopted by the group are designed to meet or exceed the licensing requirements of jurisdictions, which currently or in the future, may legislate professional licensure or certification for elevator and escalator technicians. The apprenticeship program will ultimately be registered by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship.
The maintenance training guidelines working group is nearing completion of an interagency apprenticeship and incumbent training curriculum. The next critical steps include a formal courseware sharing agreement between participating agencies and the collection and development of specialized courseware. The immediate critical needs of the agencies involved demands that the process be abbreviated for short term gains, while continuing with the long term solution of developing a national joint apprenticeship and training program. Click the link above to view the adopted apprenticeship curriculum.
Traction power maintenance training guidelines are organized into ten subject areas corresponding to the different job responsibilities of a traction power maintenance technician. These subject areas are:
1. Comprehensive overview of train operations, safety and history of traction power systems
2. Traction power security related procedures and regulatory agency authority.
3. Specialized traction power tools and test equipment
4. Theory of power distribution (contact, catenary and third rail)
5. Theory, operation and maintenance of substations
6. Grounding
7. ANSI system, symbology
8. Battery back-up power systems and emergency power
9. Incoming utility sources and management of utility power.
10. Electronics, relays and programmable logic circuits
The ten areas of the curriculum include content and learning objectives at various levels of difficulty. The Committee identified several prerequisites candidates should have before starting the 100 level curriculum; basic print reading, basic electrical safety, AC and DC power, test meter reading, and computers. Level 100 training modules are introductory content and may overlap with other crafts that share a core of basic mechanical, electrical and electronic knowledge. Level 200 training areas are specific to traction power maintenance and build on the foundation technical knowledge, skills and abilities developed in the level 100 training areas. Level 300 training modules are the more advanced learning objectives imparting skills, knowledge and abilities required for traction power technicians and journeypersons to execute all of the job responsibilities required of a traction power maintainer. The training guideline also includes an advanced 400 level component that would apply to the maintenance and troubleshooting skills of an advanced technician. Identical course titles may appear in more than one level. This indicates that the class is on the same subject but presented at an increased level of complexity.