Training Needs Assessment Paper

Training Needs Assessment for Chicago Transit Authority
By
Tammi Adams

Table of Contents
Executive Summary___________________________________________________ 3
Background of CTA___________________________________________________ 4
Needs Assessment Design, Implementation and Analysis_____________________5
Recommended Training Strategy and Design______________________________6
Cost/Benefit Analysis__________________________________________________ 8
Training Evaluation Plan_______________________________________________9
References___________________________________________________________10

Executive Summary We here at CTA are committed to providing quality and safe service to our customers which is why we are committed in making sure that all qualified individuals are trained to the highest standard. This training needs assessment is focused on the bus operators of the CTA since they are the public face of the agency. Before any training can begin individuals have to go through series of test to see if a individual is qualified. Once a person is qualified and hired they will start a 4 week training class with qualified CTA instructors. This 4 week training class will consist of classroom work and on- the- road techniques. Once the training has ended the trainee will take a 100 question exam to see how much they have learned though out the training course. In order to the successfully pass the training course the trainee will have to pass at least 80% of the exam. If a trainee has failed to pass the exam they will be given a second chance, but if they fail again, potential employment at CTA will be terminated. After a trainee has successfully passed the training course they will be known as a professional bus operator and will start working on their own. Once the bus operator starts working an instructor will come out at random to observe them to see if all rules and procedures are being followed. CTA has decided that every 2 years all bus operators will have to take a recertification class to refresh their skills and learn new ones.

Background of CTA
The CTA is the nation’s second largest public transportation system which covers the City of Chicago and 40 of its surrounding suburbs. The CTA is provided by their modes which are the bus and rail service while the bus service is the public face of the agency. On a average CTA provides over 1.64 million rides which accounts for 80% of all taken in the six county Chicago metropolitan region. CTA operates 24 hours each day on an average weekday. It has approximately 1,800 buses which operates 140 routes. Buses provide about one million passenger trips a day and serve more than 12,000 posted bus stops. The Chicago Transit Authority 's 1,190 train cars operates eight routes, its trains provide about 650,000 customer trips each day and serve 144 stations in Chicago.
CTA’s mission is to deliver quality, affordable transit services that link, commuters, jobs, and communities. CTA has many values but the most important one is providing transit service with the highest standards of quality and safety for our customers. Another value is that they focus on getting the job done and will derive personal satisfaction from the service they provide. With this being said while providing quality service it is important that CTA has dedicated and skillfully trained employees. It is important for the employees to be aware of all procedures so they can provide service with high standards.
The specific position at CTA I will be discussing is the position of Bus Operators. At CTA, bus operators are the face of the agency which is why it is important for them to ensure CTA’s goal of providing quality and safe service to its customers. Bus operators are the ones who operate bus transportation over a route adhering to a schedule in a safe efficient and polite manner to allow passengers to board travel and alight at scheduled stops.
Needs Assessment Design, Implementation and Analysis
At CTA safety is its number 1 priority, with this being said training definitely supports the company strategic direction. It is important that everyone who operates a bus knows how to operate it safely, know the rules of the road, what to do in case of an accident and knows all of CTA procedures. With the proper training CTA can reduce the number of accidents it has had throughout the years and offer its customers the best transit service. CTA has decided that all training will be done in-house and that all training be conducted by CTA certified Instructors. All instructors are former CTA bus operators who have been bus operators for over 10 years and have a clean driving record.
The duties of a bus operator are navigating the bus through an assigned route, manages the collection of bus fares, provides customer service to its passengers, report conditions that could jeopardize the safety of the passenger or other members of the public and maintains contact with dispatch and reports current position and conditions affecting the operation of the route as required and assists in loading, securing, and unloading wheelchairs and passengers.
Before anyone can start training with CTA there are a few qualifications they must have. They first must pass a personality test. The reason being is to determine what kind of person you are and how you would handle certain situations that may arise while you are operating your bus. Before training can begin all trainees must possess a high school diploma and have basic skills such as writing, communication and reading. Bus operators must be able to communicate with its passengers in a professional manner and along with being able to read road signs. Before trainees start training sessions they will have to possess a clean driving record and a valid class B Commercial Driver’s License with an unrestricted passenger endorsement.
Recommended Training Strategy and Design
The training will include classroom work, and on-the road training techniques to ensure that all employees will be prepared for being able to work on their own. The classroom session will consist of learning the operation of a public bus which will include familiarization with all safety features and its system. It will also include learning traffic rules, regulations and laws, learn the fare structure, and learn how to read schedules. Included will also be topics such as how to provide first aid assistance in the event of an accident; promoting transit rider-ship within the Municipality and how to maintain a working relationship that is professional with your coworkers, superiors and passengers.
The on-the-road training techniques will consist of how to operate a bus in a safe, efficient and timely manner to comply with all regulatory requirements and all standards. Some of the techniques that will be learned is how to make a right and left turn, how to curb the bus and learning how to change lanes. Training will also include how to operate and utilize standard safety equipment that is installed in transit passenger vehicles, including; safety harnesses, restraints and other equipment that is required by state and federal regulations. Once this has been established the trainee will team up with a bus line instructor to learn various routes and they will also see how it is to drive in service with passengers. During this time the bus line instructor will observe the trainee’s driving, collecting pay fares and also how they are dealing with passengers that aboard the bus.
All training at CTA consists of 4 weeks, Mon thru Fri 8 hours a day: 2 weeks of classroom work, 1 week of on-the-road training and 1 week of driving with a bus operator to learn all of the routes. Once the trainee has completed these 4 weeks of training they will be required to take a 100 question test on everything that has been learned throughout the training course. In order to pass the training the trainee will be required to pass 80% of the test. If a trainee does not pass at least 80% of the test they will have one- on-one training with an instructor for 1 week on topics that they are struggling with. After extensive training another test will be given and the trainee must pass this test or else they will not be hired for employment with CTA.

Direct Cost | Cost/Benefit Analysis | In-house instructors (20 days@ $480) | $9,600 | Materials ($40 *20 trainees) | $800 | | | | | Compensation for Trainees | | Trainees salaries | $32,000 | | | Total training cost | $42,400 | | | Cost per trainee | $2,120 |

Training Evaluation Plan After the trainee has passed all tests and has started working on their own, an instructor will ride with the operator and observed them to see if all rules are being followed properly. Not only will instructors ride with new operators, they will further ride with all operators at random to see if they are following all rules and procedures of the company. CTA will also hire spotters who will go out and observe operators to see if procedures are being handled properly and if procedures are not followed the spotter will report the operator to CTA officials. Another thing that CTA does to ensure that training is followed effectively is that once a new bus operator has started they will be evaluated every month for a year to see if there have been any violations or accidents.
In addition CTA will also provide on-going education services (recertification class) so that employees may continue to refresh existing qualifications and obtain new skills. This type of training will be given to all employees every two years. A retraining class will also be given to an operator if they have been involved in an accident by which it was their fault. This type of training will consist of what might have been done to avoid the accident along with going over necessary techniques. This training can range from 1 to 5 days depending on how serious the accident was. A test will also be given following retraining to insure the operator has a thorough understanding of what they have learned and how they can avoid being involved in another accident. CTA must stay committed in making sure that all operators are following proper procedures throughout training evaluation to ensure they are committed to their goal which is provide necessary transit service with the highest standards of quality and safety for its customers.
References
Chicago Transit Authority. (2011, June 17). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved , from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chicago_Transit_Authority&oldid=434808174

Chicago Transit Authority. (2011,June 15).CTA Overview. Retrieved from http://www.transitchicago.com/about/overview.aspx

Mass Transit.(2011,June 9) Managers Forum. Retrieved from http://www.masstransitmag.com/article/10220533/managers-forum

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References: Chicago Transit Authority. (2011, June 17). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved , from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chicago_Transit_Authority&oldid=434808174 Chicago Transit Authority. (2011,June 15).CTA Overview. Retrieved from http://www.transitchicago.com/about/overview.aspx Mass Transit.(2011,June 9) Managers Forum. Retrieved from http://www.masstransitmag.com/article/10220533/managers-forum *