New England Transportation Technician Certification Program (NETTCP): A Regional Approach

The six New England states have implemented a technicians certification program. Working together with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the highway industry, academia, and private consultants throughout New England and New York, a non-profit organization was established entitled the New England Transportation Technician Certification Program (NETTCP). The intent of the program is to jointly develop training and certification courses that are supported and recognized by the New England states. Training and certification courses have been developed in a number of technical areas, including hot mix asphalt plant and hot mix asphalt paving, portland cement concrete and soils and aggregate. The background for this effort is the movement of the state Department of Transportations (DOTs) toward Quality Control/Quality Acceptance (QC/QA) specifications with the active support of the FHWA. In addition to the training and certification courses developed, there is movement to standardize the test methods which are used, i.e. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and/or ASTM, standardize test forms and to reduce problems with test result differences. The results of these efforts lead to a regional approach wherein technicians will be recognized as qualified in all six New England states. Future endeavors include additional positions at the technician level and the possible creation of a second level of certification that would be QC/QA technologists with specialties in hot mix asphalt, portland cement concrete and soils and aggregate.