Six Week, BNSF / Johnson County College Conductor Certificate Course.

[CMStPnP]

So it looks like this course is open to the public based on my read of the materials.    Almost all but last week is done via Zoom at a location of your choice (home).   And I think logical to presume the last week is conducted by BNSF at one of their Overland Park (KC) yards.    I am just curious though if all students get that last week of hands-on training that is required or if it is only employee candidates of BNSF.     My read is that part is open to the public and BNSF would be training anyone in the course that last week regardless.     Below is a link to the course online......see what others think.    Tuition for out of state folks is $8200.   I would guess a large part of that goes to BNSF for the one week onsite portion of the course.

https://www.jccc.edu/academics/credit/railroad-science/online-hybrid-conductor-rrit.html

 

[jeffhergert]

I don't see where BNSF is specifically mentioned.  It appears to be offered by the community college rather than BNSF/BN which originally contracted with the CC for training their new hires.  It sounds like you only have to go to the facility location for the last week.   

I would be surprised that BNSF would be hiring.  But UP has openings in North Platte, among a couple of other places.  Needing more people in NP really has me stumped.  Last I knew, there was people off that seniority district chasing their seniority with some furloughed.

The best bet with a degree from Choo Choo U would be with a short line/regional company.

Jeff

[charlie hebdo]

My opinion is that online learning is OK for courses mostly based on acquiring information with some application, for example,  in a paper or essay questions on exams in an intro history or intro psych class.  But for a course where a graduate is expected to apply that knowledge and skills on the job,  one week in a work setting seems pretty weak. 

[diningcar]

Retired BNSF employees are on the staff at JCCC. This is a specialized class that I believe is supported by BNSF. Had a friend, now deceased, who taught there.

[BaltACD]

One needs some financial commitment to take the class

Johnson County CC

Railroad Conductor Certificate Costs

ResidenceCost
Johnson County$5,892*
Kansas
(Outside Johnson County)$6,216*
Metro$6,684**
Out of State$8,214*

*The JCCC board of trustees can change the cost per credit hour without notice.
**Metro Rate applies only to Missouri students residing in ZIP codes starting with 640 or 641.

Additional Expenses
In addition to tuition, you'll have the following expenses:
$500 non-refundable tuition deposit due six weeks before class start date.
Books: Approximately $100
Railroad-approved footwear: $100 - $150
Hearing and vision tests: Approximately $60
Lodging: One week, approximately $350; six weeks, approximately $1,200-$1,400 (JCCC does not have dormitories)

[samfp1943]

charlie hebdo

My opinion is that online learning is OK for courses mostly based on acquiring information with some application, for example,  in a paper or essay questions on exams in an intro history or intro psych class.  But for a course where a graduate is expected to apply that knowledge and skills on the job,  one week in a work setting seems pretty weak. 

 

     Some time back, I looked into this course offered by JCC.  The infrmation posted by BaltACD; seem to pretty well dovetail with the 'costs' for thie qoteded course; as I remember them being qouted seven or eight years back.  At that time, JCC was touting some specialized training equipment being used in conjunction with their course of instruction; [I believe that ,specifically, there was a mock-up of a diesel locomotive, with cab and controls.] I recall, that it was BNSF that was pretty heavily involved, and some on-site yard experience was also part of the sylabus(?) offered at at at that time.   Admittedly, the offer was pretty tempting, but I suffered some interveaning health problems, which made me inelligible.    

[diningcar]

This was what my recently deceased friend was teaching.

[jeffhergert]

You can have a lot of full sized equipment, or at least the relative parts, in a large room.  To instruct someone on the operation of a switch (including power switches in hand operation) you don't need the entire turnout nor even the mock up to be standard gauge.  Just the relative parts of stand (or switch motor) and points.  Of course, the mock up will probably operate a lot easier than a switch in the field.

Getting on and off moving equipment, making joints, etc still requires the real thing.

Jeff    

[mudchicken]

JCCC is to Argentine & Murray as North Platte CC is to North Platte. They both offer classes in multiple disciplines. (What's being discussed here is just one of many career path oportunities through NARS.) Nobody coming out of here is instantly qualified to be stand alone qualified - you are still following around a mentor conductor and on probation with BNSF or other railroads , instead of being thrown to the wolves.  What it does do is get uniform training in place instead of the old hit/miss apprentice programs that had their issues. Not sure what the financial aid side looks like right now, but there is some. In the end, what happens is the railroad generally gets to raise the lowest common denominator in its employee pool. 

I've been in both facilities as a guest as we had AREMA Committee meetings at both places and I taught at North Platte. Good thing they are there and supported by the railroads (Our AREMA C-1 committee had an engineering/ M/W instructor there until recently that is now too busy being a consultant. There are folks there of different railroad and railroad pedigrees doing something they seriously want to do which is teach. The week of OJT and the probationary training reinforce what was taught in the training classes.)

 

The Zoom portion  is just a new wrinkle that helps bring a wider variety of students into the environment without the room & board costs. The OJT and probationary period will flush out the buttonpushers who can't function in the railroad environment (and vice versa)...

(Sam - I got to watch the simulator and student in action. - Good stuff.)

[mudchicken]

JCCC is to Argentine & Murray as North Platte CC is to North Platte. They both offer classes in multiple disciplines. (What's being discussed here is just one of many career path oportunities.) Nobody coming out of here is instantly qualified to be stand alone qualified - you are still following around a mentor conductor and on probation with BNSF or other railroads.  What it does do is get uniform training in place instead of the old hit/miss apprentice programs that had their issues. Not sure what the financial aid side looks like right now, but there is some. In the end, what happens is the railroad generally gets to raise the lowest common denominator in its employee pool. 

I've been in both facilities as a guest as we had AREMA Committee meetings at both places and I taught at North Platte. Good thing they are there and supported by the railroads (Our AREMA C-1 committee had an engineering/ M/W instructor there until recently that is now too busy being a consultant. There are folks there of different railroad and railroad pedigrees doing something they seriously want to do which is teach. The week of OJT and the probationary training reinforce what was taught in the training classes.)

 

The Zoom portion  is just a new wrinkle that helps bring a wider variety of students into the environment without the room & board costs. The OJT and probationary period will flush out the buttonpushers who can't function in the railroad environment (and vice versa)...

(Sam - I got to watch the simulator and student in action. - Good stuff.)

[CMStPnP]

jeffhergert

I don't see where BNSF is specifically mentioned.  It appears to be offered by the community college rather than BNSF/BN which originally contracted with the CC for training their new hires.  It sounds like you only have to go to the facility location for the last week.   

I would be surprised that BNSF would be hiring.  But UP has openings in North Platte, among a couple of other places.  Needing more people in NP really has me stumped.  Last I knew, there was people off that seniority district chasing their seniority with some furloughed.

The best bet with a degree from Choo Choo U would be with a short line/regional company.

Jeff

It is mentioned it is a partnership with BNSF railway elsewhere on the website.   The last week of the Conductors course is spent at a local frieght yard to apply what was learned and I presume the yard belongs to BNSF.   

BTW, if you remember a ways back this type of cooperative deal is not unprecedented.    Milwaukee Road in the Menonimee River Valley used to sponsor an Army Reserve Railway Bn at it's shops in Milwaukee one weekend a month for training purposes.    The relationship ended sometime in the 1970's or 1980's though.   

At any rate, I was wondering if the entire course including the one week at the end was open to the public and how BNSF handled that.    Not interested in the course myself, too old.    I am just curious how they would handle the liability concerns if it was open to the public.

Found this on youtube....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdcKNIQ3mbs

 

[CMStPnP]

BaltACD

One needs some financial commitment to take the class

Believe it or not, still cheaper in cost than say a Certificate in Oracle DB Administration.    It is steep but I have seen worse.

[SFbrkmn]

I have worked w/former instructors who taught the JCCC rr course of study. It is a program through the public junior college but the instructors are BNSF employees. These are salaried management positions. Many of these folks continued to pay union dues and thus returned to the craft. One of the pool engrs I worked with taught there several yrs before coming back "home' and tending to his side business of owning a FM country/western radio station.