Heavy Duty Equipment Technician, Commercial Transport Vehicle Mechanic and Diesel Engine Mechanic training program standards in BC are out of date, and need updating in order to meet the current workplace requirements of employers, provide learners with the skills needed for career success, and ensure value for the public dollars invested in training.

As the industry training organization (ITO) with lead responsibility for the maintenance of transportation industry training programs, transCDA has commenced work on behalf of the Industry Training Authority to conduct a review and update of these trades, which is scheduled for completion in March 2011.

In particular, these three trades – which contain significant overlapping content – will be realigned to establish common core instruction in Levels 1 and 2, with specialization in each trade in Levels 3 and 4.

This review is being conducted by a committee of instructors representing seven BC training institutions:

• BCIT
• College of New Caledonia
• Northern Lights College
• Okanagan College
• Thompson Rivers University
• Vancouver Island University
• Vancouver Community College

In the future, transCDA will be seeking subject matter experts to participate in industry validation sessions for these programs. If you have any questions about the review process or wish to express your interest in participating in the validation workshops, please contact Greg Shorland, Manager - Standards, Assessment & Moderation at transCDA, at gshorland@tcda.ca or 604 998 4510 ex 2402.

The Transportation Career Development Agency (transCDA) is responsible for industry training programs and career development services that meet the needs of both employers and learners in BC’s transportation sector – including road, rail, aerospace and marine industries. For more information, visit www.tcda.ca.