Dive Brief:

• Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority officials admit employee training and documentation continue to be problems for the rail system. In a September report, Metrorail Car Track Equipment Maintenance, the agency says that mechanics were not participating in formal training; instead, they were provided on-the-job training that was insufficiently recorded.
• Those shortcomings may be affecting service. In a 2016 report, 63% of all rail line delays were due to railcar failures. The unavailability of cars causes 36% of the delays to the system. Serving 4 million riders in only a 1,500 square mile area, WMATA has periodically had up to 70 railcars out of service, potentially impacting 100 riders per car.
• Some mechanics are reported to have received all or part of the needed technical training, but others have never taken any courses led by instructors. The report highlights the need for formal training that is documented, as well as metrics for training effectiveness across WMATA.

Dive Insight:

With more than 10,000 employees, the amount of undocumented or unverified training in WMATA adds to problems for the line which has been reporting budget deficits and reduced ridership. The latest report highlights not only the need for instructor-based coursework for maintenance workers, but meticulous documentation and evaluation of the training protocols put in place. The lack of proficiency checklists throughout formal or informal training are also an issue.

For many companies, formalized training and proficiency metrics are lacking. Tracking is crucial: for WMATA, the need to retrain or test each railcar employee for proficiency may be the only solution to their loose documentation history. For all companies, formal training protocols and evaluation of programs or on-the-job training must be documented carefully to verify knowledge and ensure effectiveness.

When designing training programs, employers can build in methods to measure success and progress. Jason Forrest, CEO and chief culture officer at FPG, previously told HR Dive that “[t]he number one reason employee training programs fail to deliver a solid return on investment is due to a lack of accountability.” Whether the ROI is increased sales or ridership, documentation of training and measuring its effectiveness is key every industry, public or private.