The Education Standard

High-level instruction makes Pipeline Assessment Certification Program successful

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In the April issue of MSW I discussed the importance of planning the evolution of the Pipeline Assessment Certification Program (PACP) to maintain the standard’s value while keeping the data relevant and meeting the needs brought about by new technologies. Another important component of the success of this standard is the PACP users’ initial certification training.

Over the past two years, NASSCO has taken a closer look at the quality of our more than 140 trainers and made a significant effort to ensure these PACP trainers are prepared to provide quality training and have adequate, practical experience with CCTV so they can answer a wide spectrum of questions from students. This starts when individuals who are either certifying initially to become trainers, or recertifying to maintain their trainer status, submit an application and resume. The PACP Trainer Board reviews each application and resume, and either approves or denies the application based on experience with coding, teaching experience, use of PACP to develop project deliverables, and other areas. Not all applicants are approved.

Trainers who are approved by the board are required to take an online PACP examination and code a video. After successfully completing the exam (with a higher score than required by PACP users) and accurately coding a pipe segment video, they may then attend a PACP trainer class.

The purpose of the PACP trainer class is not to learn PACP, but rather to confirm that the potential trainer can train the PACP class in accordance with the approved syllabus. During these classes, which are conducted by PACP master trainers, potential trainers are expected to teach PACP to their peers and one or more master trainer; answer questions using personal experience; and meet the time demands of training on all the material. Only after they have met all of these challenges can they become PACP trainers.

This sounds like a lot for PACP trainers to go through, and perhaps it is. However, those trainers and potential trainers with years of experience using PACP data, experience working in CCTV trucks and creating deliverables with the data generally have few problems successfully completing all the steps. The classroom time actually presents opportunities to explore the limitations of PACP and look for improvements.

When new PACP training opportunities arise, NASSCO has been using webinars to review information with PACP trainers. Webinars are a very efficient way to provide a great deal of information at minimal cost to recipients. When MACP and LACP were added to the manual, many trainers took part in a 90-minute webinar to review the new materials with trainers. With the addition of the one-day PACP recertification class, NASSCO will conduct similar webinars to introduce the new training materials to the trainers.

As NASSCO was creating the new material used in the one-day recertification class, it became apparent that much of the material could replace material in the two-day PACP class. We hope to get these improvements, which follow the book better than the previous training materials, out to all trainers in the near future.

NASSCO, and particularly the experienced, dedicated PACP trainers, have been working hard to continue setting industry standards for the assessment and rehabilitation of underground pipelines and to assure the continued acceptance and growth of trenchless technologies. If you would like to get involved in the myriad of opportunities that NASSCO offers, please feel free to contact us and discuss how you can participate. F

Ted DeBoda is executive director of NASSCO. He can be reached at director@nassco.org. NASSCO is located at 11521 Cronridge Drive, Suite J, Owings Mills, MD 21117.



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