Training and Certification of Construction Inspectors for Transportation Infrastructure (2023)

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118 APPENDIX E – STA INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE The National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) is supporting a research project to prepare guidance on the education, training, certification, recruitment, retention, and career development for construction inspectors on transportation infrastructure construction projects. The goal of this research is to create guidance for STAs and their industry partners in establishing and maintaining a construction inspector (CI) training and certification program for transportation infrastructure construction. (Read more about the project here: https://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=4786). The goal of this research is to create guidance for STAs and their industry partners in establishing and maintaining a construction inspector (CI) training and certification program for transportation infrastructure construction that is responsive to changes affecting the CI workforce and their development. To ensure the research satisfies the need for CI guidance, the research objectives are: 1. Identify and analyze gaps and needs for construction inspectors in: a. core competencies, b. formal education, and c. informal education 2. Investigate and develop training strategies to meet the needs of the transportation infrastructure CI workforce 3. Investigate and develop strategies for certification programs that are transferable across multiple STAs 4. Identify professional development opportunities for CIs to further their core knowledge and changing CI requirements 5. Determine strategies for recruiting and retaining the future CI workforce 6. Investigate technology-specific KSA requirements for CIs For the purpose of this study, transportation construction inspectors are defined as the field personnel that perform field inspections, observations, and documentation of the construction process. Transportation agencies may refer to these individuals as inspector, field inspector, technician, engineer, and others. Interview Information Interviewee(s): Agency: Title(s): Describe CI Experience and relative years of experience: Time and Date: What division or section at your agency do you currently work in (check all that apply)? ☐ Construction ☐ Materials

119 ☐ Training ☐ Other, please specify: __________________________ Construction Inspections 1) Who determines the inspection level needed and/or presence of an inspector on a transportation construction project? 2) How do you feel about the current inspection levels for transportation construction projects at your agency? Please explain. Training and Certification 3) In what areas (e.g., training, certification, recruitment, retention) of construction inspection is your agency performing well? Why are you succeeding in this/these area(s)? 4) In what areas (e.g., training, certification, recruitment, retention) of construction inspection does your agency need improvement? Why are you struggling in this/these area(s)? 5) Which components (e.g. materials testing, structural inspection, and soils testing) of construction inspector training, certification and development are working well for your agency at this time? 6) Which components (e.g. materials testing, structural inspection, and soils testing) of construction inspector training, certification and development need improvement at your agency? 7) Please explain your agency’s balance of internal and external training use. Is the decision based on resources (e.g., personnel, funding) available? Is the decision based on the desire to customize training for agency needs? 8) What aspects of training, certification, and development of construction inspectors would you change (e.g. certifications required, passing rates, career paths)? Inspector Development 9) Are the in-house inspectors at your agency trained to be specialized in certain areas of inspections (e.g., Concrete Pavements) or are they trained to conduct all inspections as needed (e.g., “Jack of all trades”)? Please explain. 10) How are your agency’s in-house construction inspectors trained to use technologies (e.g. tablets, non-destructive evaluations, remote sensing, etc.) to perform inspections? 11) What career paths are available for construction inspectors at your agency? 12) How are your in-house inspectors certified? How are they re-certified? 13) What happens at your agency when a construction inspector fails a certification exam? Final Thoughts 14) What future challenges do you think your agency may have to deal with that relates to construction inspection and the construction inspector workforce? 15) What are lessons learned that your agency has in terms of training, certification, and development of transportation construction inspectors? 16) Do you have any final information or documents (e.g. handbooks, guides, and other resources you provide for inspectors) you would like to share with the research team regarding this research project?