News and Updates

Transportation Learning Center Weekly Update 11.22.2012

Posted November 2012

This week’s edition features stories on the possibility that John Mica will relinquish his role as chair of the transportation and infrastructure committee, a strike on the London tube and how mass transit fits into a plan to reduce pollution and congestion in Atlanta.

System of Training and Qualifications for Rail Vehicle Technician Starts Pilot Stage

Posted November 2012

Over the past five years the Transportation Learning Center has been assisting the transit industry in building a national qualification system for rail vehicle maintenance technicians under the auspices of Transit Cooperative Research Program Project E-7.  The complete system includes national training standards, an apprenticeship program, an online learning information management system, written and hands-on assessment tools and a database of sharable training materials along with best practices gathered from practitioners throughout the industry.

Bus Training Committee Focuses on Recommended Practices and Update of Courseware Sharing Website

Posted November 2012

The Bus Maintenance Training Standards Committee met in Atlanta, October 23-24, to continue their work to develop and update a series of Recommended Practices (RPs) that define the learning objectives and curriculum for a wide range of bus maintenance subjects.  The Committee, consisting of subject matter experts (SMEs) from both labor and management, updated several bus maintenance training RPs previously submitted to APTA for approval.

The Center’s New Website Highlights Services We Can Deliver to the Transportation Industry

Posted November 2012

The new site contains some of the same information such as links to our publications, transportation related news and how to contact us for more information. 

The largest addition to the site is our Solutions and Services section which outlines the services which the Center can provide to transportation authorities and their unions, including our specific experience in these areas.

Transit Elevator/Escalator Consortium Develops Database of OEM Manuals for Customized Training

Posted October 2012

The Transit Elevator/Escalator Training Consortium met last week in Philadelphia.  Topics covered included how to approach the 300 level courses which are manufacturer and model specific.  It was decided that having one example course for each area (controllers, brakes, etc.) which highlights the common differences amongst systems would be the best approach.  This will be supplemented by the creation of a database of manuals where different topic areas are indexed for easy access for the instructor - making each course completely customizable.