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Standards-Based Training: Cleveland, Sacramento Transit Systems Join The Center in APTA Webinar

Posted May 2014

More than 50 transit managers and trainers participated in APTA’s TLC-led webinar on Standards-Based Training last week.  George Fields, Training Director for Greater Cleveland RTA gave an inspiring account of their work with the Center and ATU Local 268 in creating a new Rail Car Technician apprenticeship training program.  Cleveland has extended the momentum from what started out as a Rail Car Maintenance training project to also upgrade their bus maintenance training.  Under the leadership of their CEO, Joe Calabrese, Cleveland has also played an active role in the industry’s new Signals Training Consortium.

Kerry Kopp, Manager of Rail Vehicle Maintenance Training at Sacramento RTD, explained how he extended his experience in helping develop the standards-based national Rail Car Maintenance Systems of Qualification by implementing standards-based training in Sacramento.  In rolling out standards-based training, he explained, Sacramento RTD discovered a fleet-wide defect in one of their rail cars - preventing breakdowns and saving the agency tens of thousands of dollars. 

Center Director Brian Turner moderated the webinar and explained how the industry’s consensus-based training standards and training systems are being developed by subject-matter experts from more than forty agencies.  Building training systems and resources on the foundation of consensus training standards allows agencies to move quickly to customized implementation of quality training that is recognized across the industry.