| (a) General.
(1) AFS may approve and award training or continuing
education credit for the management-level and employee-level applicants
and certificate holders specified in this section offered by an outside
instructor provided the outside instructor complies with the requirements
of this section.
(A) Authorized Category D outside instructors may offer
only the applicable training and continuing education courses to Category
D or K management-level applicants or certificate holders and to service
and installation technician and appliance service and installation
technician employee-level applicants or certificate holders.
(B) Authorized Category E outside instructors may offer
only the applicable training and continuing education courses to Category
D or K management-level applicants and to DOT cylinder filler, motor/mobile
fuel filler, bobtail driver, service and installation technician,
and appliance service and installation technician applicants and employee-level
certificate holders.
(C) Authorized Category I outside instructors may offer
only the applicable training and continuing education courses to DOT
cylinder filler and motor/mobile fuel filler applicants and employee-level
certificate holders.
(D) Authorized Category M outside instructors may offer
only the applicable training and continuing education courses to Category
M management-level applicants and recreational vehicle technician
employee-level applicants or certificate holders.
(2) LP-gas companies may offer courses to their own
personnel and to other companies' personnel provided that the LP-gas
company and the outside instructor comply with the requirements of
this section.
(3) All curriculum and course materials submitted for
AFS review by an outside instructor applicant shall be printed or
typewritten, organized, and easily readable, and shall remain confidential
within the limits of Tex. Gov't Code, Chapter 552 (Public Information
Act).
(4) Copies of the AFS curricula and materials are available
from AFS at a reasonable cost.
(b) Application process. Outside instructor applicants
shall submit the following to AFS:
(1) a non-refundable $300 registration fee for each
outside instructor;
(2) a copy of the applicant's Category D, E, I, or
M current certificate or, in the case of Category D only, a copy of
the master or journeyman plumber/class A or B exemption card issued
under §9.13 of this title (relating to General Installers and
Repairman Exemption);
(3) for each course the outside instructor applicant
intends to teach:
(A) the curriculum for and a description of the course;
and
(B) the course materials and related supporting information
or a statement that the instructor will use the AFS course materials;
(4) proof that the outside instructor applicant has
experience, during at least three of the four years prior to the date
of filing the application, in both:
(A) conducting LP-gas training or continuing education
courses; and
(B) performing or supervising LP-gas activities; and
(5) any other information required by this section.
(c) Curriculum standards. The curriculum for each course
that an outside instructor applicant intends to teach shall include,
where applicable, information that is at least the equivalent of AFS'
course or courses on the same topic or topics, and shall include all
applicable current LP-gas regulations for Texas. Courses not offered
by AFS may be approved if the courses are equal or greater in overall
quality to other approved courses.
(d) AFS review. AFS shall review the application for
approval as an outside instructor and, within 14 business days of
the filing of the application, shall notify the applicant in writing
that the application is approved, denied, or incomplete. If an application
is incomplete, AFS' notice of deficiency shall identify the necessary
additional information, including any deficiencies in course materials.
The outside instructor applicant shall file the necessary additional
information within 30 calendar days of the date of AFS' notice of
deficiency. The outside instructor applicant's failure to file the
necessary additional information within the prescribed time period
may result in the dismissal of the outside instructor's application
and the necessity of the outside instructor applicant again paying
the non-refundable $300 registration fee for each subsequent filing
of an application.
(e) Additional requirements for approval. Outside instructor
applicants whose applications are approved in writing by AFS shall
attend AFS' Train-the-Trainer Course, the fee for which is included
in the $300 registration fee. The Train-the-Trainer Course shall include
classroom instruction and the subject-matter examinations for each
course for which the applicant seeks approval to conduct. An outside
instructor applicant shall pass the subject-matter examination for
each course with a score of at least 85 percent and shall attend the
subject-matter courses for which the applicant seeks approval to conduct.
(f) Notification of approval. Within 10 business days
of the outside instructor applicant's completion of the requirements
of this section, AFS shall notify the applicant in writing that the
applicant is approved as an outside instructor and the outside instructor
may then begin offering the approved courses.
(g) Term of approval. AFS approval of an outside instructor
remains valid for three years unless the Commission revokes the approval
pursuant to subsection (l) of this section.
(h) Renewal of approval. To continue offering AFS-approved
LP-gas courses, an outside instructor shall renew his or her AFS outside
instructor approval every three years by paying a nonrefundable $150
renewal fee to AFS and attending a Train-the-Trainer refresher course
prior to the outside instructor's next renewal deadline.
(i) Revision of course materials.
(1) An outside instructor who revises any course materials
previously approved by AFS shall submit the revisions in writing,
along with a nonrefundable $100 review fee to AFS.
(2) If AFS revises its course materials, it shall provide
a copy to all outside instructors authorized to conduct the course
covered by the revised materials. Outside instructors using their
own materials shall update their materials to align with the updated
AFS material. Copies of the updated materials shall be submitted for
review. The revised materials review fee will be waived in this instance.
(3) An outside instructor shall not use materials in
a course until the outside instructor has received written AFS approval.
(4) AFS shall review the revised course materials and,
within 14 business days, shall notify the outside instructor in writing
that the revised course materials are approved or not approved.
(5) If the revised course materials are not approved,
AFS' notice shall identify the portion or portions that are not approved
and/or shall describe any deficiencies in the revised course materials.
The outside instructor shall file any necessary additional information
within 30 calendar days of the date of AFS' notice of disapproval.
The outside instructor's failure to file the necessary additional
information within the prescribed time period may result in the dismissal
of the outside instructor's request for approval of revised course
materials and the necessity of again paying the $100 review fee for
each subsequent filing of revised course materials.
(j) Continuing requirements. Outside instructors shall:
(1) maintain their Category D, E, I, or M certificate
or Category D exemption in continuous good standing. The Train-the-Trainer
course shall not count as credit towards any training or continuing
education requirements. Any interruption of the required Category
D, E, I, or M certificate or Category D exemption may result in the
Commission revoking or suspending the outside instructor's approval;
(2) adhere to professional standards of conduct in
course presentations; and
(3) report to AFS within three business days of the
conclusion of a course the names, social security numbers or RRC identification
numbers, and any other information required by AFS, of the persons
completing the course. The report shall be made electronically. The
outside instructor shall ensure that AFS receives the report by securing
written acknowledgment of its receipt by AFS.
(k) Disclaimer. Outside instructors are responsible
for every aspect of the courses they teach, including the location,
schedule, date, time, duration, price, content, material, demeanor
and conduct of the outside instructor, and reporting of attendance
information. AFS may monitor or supervise the actual course presentations
by outside instructors. AFS is not obligated to gather, maintain,
or distribute information about outside instructors' course offerings,
other than the names, telephone numbers, and addresses of approved
outside instructors and the date on which an outside Cont'd... |
