In the report, auditors raised concerns that mechanics working on rail maintenance vehicles did not participate in a formal training, and that their on-the-job training was not sufficiently recorded.

The quality control team “discovered [on-the-job] training is not being properly documented and there is no proficiency checklist throughout the … training process,” one auditor recorded during an interview with maintenance supervisors and mechanics.

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“Some mechanics have received the necessary or some of the [necessary] technical training,” auditors noted in another part of the report, “while others have not received any [Metro] instructor led courses.

The amount of training received varied from mechanic to mechanic, according to the review.

“Management has no guidelines for [on-the-job] training and no assigned [on-the-job] training instructors,” the report said. “Senior technicians accompany junior mechanics during jobs as means of knowledge transfer.”

These training issues had previously been raised by the Federal Transit Administration. As of early September, three on-the-job training instructors had been selected by Metro management, but those experienced mechanics are still awaiting their own training — on how to become adept instructors and mentors.

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Formal instruction checklists have been drafted, but not incorporated into day-to-day training operations.

Mechanic training, the report said, “is still being conducted informally.”

In a response to questions this week, Angel Peña, managing director of Metro’s Quality Assurance, Internal Compliance & Oversight unit, said the concerns raised in the report did not necessarily mean that workers were unqualified to perform their jobs. Instead, he said, there needs to be formal documentation to ensure that standards are met across the department.

“[Car track equipment maintenance] mechanics receive appropriate training for their primary duties and responsibilities, and possess knowledge and experience from previous work on similar systems and components,” Peña said.

“There is a greater need for a more formalized process to document on-the-job training,” he added. “Work is underway to ensure these activities are captured effectively and consistently across multiple maintenance groups.”