# Presentation: 218537

## National Coordination Team for Training and Qualificationof Construction Personnel

- Federal Highway Administration
- Office of Asset Management

**Notes:**
My presentation today isto provide you and overview of a National
coordination team currently being developed to look at training and qualification
needs of construction personnl.

## Background

- New effort started this year
- Will focus on:
- Identifying training needs in the construction field
- Fostering information exchange
- Guiding the development of Training and Qualification Programs

**Notes:**
This is a brand new effort now underway

## Ongoing Training Initiatives

- Regional Training and Qualification Program activities
- AASHTO initiatives

## Regional Training and Qualification Programs

- MARTCP

- NETTCP

- M-TRAC

## Regional Program Goals

- Provide trained and qualified personnel
- Encourage reciprocity between states
- Promote uniform training and testing
- Provide standard levels of quality control and workmanship
- Meet the requirements of CFR 637

## Current Status of Regional Programs

- Initially concentrated on materials sampling and testing to meet CFR 637
- Developed around AASHTO or ASTM
- Established regional reciprocity
- Now looking at other training areas:
- Inspection
- Quality assurance
- Geotechnical site investigations

## Need for a National Coordination Team

- Treading into new water
- Individual approach
- Successful in developing training and test methods tailored to their individual needs
- Difficult to share information and developmental ideas with the other organizations
- Duplication of effort

## AASHTO Initiatives Standing Committee on Highway (SCOH), Strategic Plan

- Strategy 1.4,  “Identify training needs and foster training for AASHTO members and industry partners”
- Appoint a task force to coordinate training course requirements
- Conduct a national training needs assessment
- Develop a ‘lead-state’ concept

## AASHTO Initiatives SCOH Strategic Plan 

- Strategy 5.1.2 - “Develop and distribute a national model for a Construction Technician Certification and Training Program.”
- Ballot has been sent to all states.

## AASHTO Initiatives AASHTO Resolution 99-AM-1

- “Development of Joint Industry-Agency Training Course for Improved Workmanship”
- Passed by SCOH in 10/99
- AASHTO Recognized:
- Significant reduction of experienced construction team.
- A void exists in the area of inspection of workmanship and acceptability of work.

## AASHTO Initiatives AASHTO Resolution 99-AM-1 - Continued

- Recommended a joint industry/agency training initiative
- Development of NHI courses for high priority inspection needs
- Target audience would be FHWA, SHA, and industry personnel

**Notes:**
There are some problems with these programs such as
ACI - is only for concrete testing
Also ACI only does testing, they do not do training.

 Approximately 85% of the states are now involved in Regional Programs.

Some states had aready spent a significant amount of effort in developing their own qualification programs, so they have elected to have keep their own state programs and not join regional programs.

## National Coordination TeamObjectives

- Forum for information sharing
- Unified approach to address construction training needs
- Prioritize and develop core training materials
- Effective use of resources and funds.
- Maintain regional flexibility
- Minimize duplication of efforts

## Objectives - continued

- Expand beyond sampling and testing.
- Construction inspection methods
- Quality Assurance training
- Contract administration functions
- Training for Construction Engineers, Superintendents, and Project Managers

**Primary Goal:  Address training needs of the entire construction team.**

## National Coordination TeamParticipation

- Proposed membership
- Regional Training and Qualification Groups
- AASHTO
- Industry
- FHWA
- Team should include construction engineers, material engineers, as well as training specialists.

## Target Audience

- Construction Team - SHA and contractor staff responsible for sampling, testing, inspecting and administering construction projects.
- Technicians
- Inspectors
- Project Engineers
- Project Managers
- Superintendents

## National Coordination TeamParticipating organizations and number of members

_**Regional Groups**_
- WAQTC                       2
- M-TRAC                      2
- NETTCP                      2
- MARTCP                     2
- SETFTTQ                    2
_**FHWA**_
- HQ and Field               4
- NHI                              1

_**AASHTO**_
- Construction                  1
- Materials                        1
_**Industry**_
- ARTBA                           1
- AGC                               1
- NAPA                             1
- ACPA                             1

**Total number of members:  21**

**Notes:**
Eight original invited organizations (by AASHTO):
FHWA, AASHTO, ACEC, ACPA, NAPA, AGC, ARTBA, NRMCA

2 additional added before NQI-2:
APWA, NSA

Brand new organization just being added:
Asphalt Institute

## Current Status

- Letters sent to all proposed organizations
- Finalization of membership by end of June
- Anticipate having first meeting in late July - August.

## Contacts

- Howe Crockett, FHWA, Western Federal Lands Highway Division
- Phone - (360) 696-7750
- email - Howe.crockett@fhwa.dot.gov
- Ken Jacoby, FHWA, Office of Asset Management
- Phone - (202) 366-6503
- email - Kenneth.r.jacoby@fhwa.dot.gov