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TRAINING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Section 1. Trips on duty time by
employees to visit other ATC facilities and/or aviation/weather related
activities shall be permitted. Trips under this Article are subject to
operational needs and staffing limitations. The purpose of these trips shall
be to improve area knowledge and understanding of other facility operations.
The use of government vehicles may be authorized.
Section 2. Employees may participate on their own time in educational
and training programs related to improving their job performance within the
profession. Employees may be reimbursed for such training in accordance with
the Federal Aviation Administration Personnel Management System (FAAPMS) and
subject to the availability of funds. Requests for approval must be submitted
sufficiently in advance to permit final determinations to be made prior to
enrollment. The program shall be made available on an equitable basis to all
employees covered by this Agreement. Approvals will not be given on a
retroactive basis. The Employer shall take action, through issuance of an
appropriate publication, to make bargaining unit employees aware of the
opportunities for outside training and of the procedures for application.
Section 3: The Employer shall continue the policy that shift
adjustments for the purpose of continuing an employee�s off-duty education or
professional training shall be handled on an individual basis. However, no
employee may receive shift preference at the expense of another unless both
employees agree to the arrangement. The employee requesting the shift
adjustment shall be responsible for obtaining the consent of all other
employees affected.
Section 4. In the event the Agency establishes long-term training
programs, the Employer shall ensure that the grade structure of flight service
stations is considered in establishing entrance levels for such programs. The
Agency shall advise the Union at the national and regional levels of those FAA
long-term training programs that accommodate employees covered by this
Agreement.
Section 5. Remedial training shall only be administered to correct
documented deficiencies in an employee�s performance. When an employee is to
be given remedial training, he/she shall be notified in writing of the
specific areas to be covered and the reasons therefore. The training shall be
confined to those specific areas. Only these specific subject areas shall be
entered into the training record. Any remedial training shall be conducted in
accordance with FAA Order 3120.4.
Section 6. Except for initial FSS qualification training, bargaining
unit employees shall receive at least 2 weeks advance notification for any
training assignment away from his/her permanent duty station. An individual
desiring training that becomes available at short notice may notify the
employer, at the local level, of his/her desire to waive this requirement. The
Employer may utilize bargaining unit employees for work they become qualified
to perform through this training, after completion of any necessary
negotiations required by law, rule, regulation, Agency directives, and this
Agreement.
Section 7. Employees may voluntarily enroll in certain directed study
courses designed to improve their work performance, expand their capabilities
and increase their utility to the agency.
Section 8. Supervisors may allow personnel participating in agency
directed study courses to study/complete these courses on duty time, provided
operational and staffing requirements permit.
Section 9. To the extent that it can be accomplished without incurring
additional cost or adversely affecting the FAA's training program or mission,
classes at the FAA Academy shall be reduced or eliminated between December 20
and January 6 each year.
Section 10. Travel and per diem for training outside the FAA resident
schools shall be paid in accordance with applicable directives and this
Agreement. While at school, local transportation shall be provided in
accordance with applicable directives and this Agreement. Information as to
accommodations and services shall be provided to employees when available.
Section 11. The Parties acknowledge that the use of the Read and
Initial (R&I) Binder to satisfy training requirements is not as effective as
crew briefings or classroom training. Normally, items placed in the R&I should
be information that requires little or no explanation. To the extent staffing
and resources allow, management will minimize the use of the R&I binder for
training.
Section 12. Bargaining unit employees are encouraged to have Individual
Development Plans (IDP). Upon request, IDPs shall be developed jointly by the
Employer and the employee.. The employee and the Employer are encouraged to
pursue the goals developed in the employee's IDP.
Section 13. If an employee�s developmental training is interrupted for
thirty (30) days or more, the employee shall be granted sufficient amount of
training to attain the level of proficiency he/she had at the time of the
interruption, prior to the resumption of the remaining allotted training hours
in accordance with FAA Order 3120.4, Air Traffic Technical Training and �The
Train to Succeed Philosophy�. The employee�s evaluations and/or training
reports shall be used by the Employer to determine when the employee�s former
level of proficiency has been re-attained.
Section 14. In the event the Employer issues a waiver to any of its
training directives, the waiver shall be issued in writing and a copy shall be
forwarded to the Union at the corresponding level.
Section 15. When a training review board is convened, the Union shall
have the opportunity to designate a participant to serve as a member of the
board. The purpose of the training review process is to ensure that all
opportunities for training success were utilized while maintaining the
integrity of the training program.
If the employee meets with the training review board, and the employee
reasonably believes disciplinary/adverse action may result from such meeting,
the employee may be accompanied to the meeting, upon request, by a Union
representative.
Section 16. The Parties agree that the Air Traffic Teamwork Enhancement
Course (ATTE) teaches the importance of teamwork in the air traffic
environment and will jointly support its administration.
Section 18. Availability of the Center for Management Development (CMD)
a. A listing of CMD Courses and catalog of
correspondence courses available throughout the Agency shall be available at
all facilities.
b. Employees desiring to attend courses offered at CMD shall submit their
written request to their immediate supervisor. The Employer will notify the
employee if they will be scheduled for the requested course. If a position
is not available for a requested course that has been approved by the
Employer, the Employer shall endeavor to accommodate the employee�s request
at a future date.
c. The Union, upon request, may be afforded access to the use of CMD for
training on an as available basis. When the training requested is for
courses offered by CMD, the training will be conducted utilizing CMD
Instructors. For the purposes of this Section, the Union will bear all
costs, if any, as determined by CMD and make arrangements for use with CMD..
Section 19. Travel and per diem for
training and local transportation while attending assigned training shall be
paid in accordance with applicable FAA directives and this Agreement.
Section 20. To the maximum extent practicable, the Employer shall plan
activities and schedule travel so that a bargaining unit employee performs
necessary travel away from his/her official duty station on duty time. Payment
for time in travel status, including overtime, shall be in accordance with
applicable law, regulation and rulings of the Comptroller General. An employee
may, upon request, be advised prior to the start of scheduled travel why such
travel is not compensable.
Section 21. The Employer agrees that employees will be given the
opportunity to receive training in a fair and equitable manner.
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