Students in 12 Georgia high schools and career technical centers now have a pathway into the construction industry through the state of Georgia’s Heavy Equipment Operator (HEO) training program. Using Cat® Simulators systems along with SimScholars™ HEO curriculum, the program is meeting industry needs by properly training students to be safe and productive heavy equipment operators. Learn more about Georgia’s successful and growing program:
One out of every five worker deaths occurs in construction. Creating a safety program for your construction site can help prevent accidents and protect your workers. Download our free infographic to learn how to create your own safety program so workers can return home safely daily.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Tennessee College of Applied Technology Knoxville is answering a call directly from the local construction industry.
The college’s heavy equipment operator training program gives students hands-on training and practical field experience.
“Right away they are aware, they are safe, they are not hitting equipment, they are not running over somebody or doing something very, very unsafe,” said Jose Miranda, TCAT Knoxville heavy equipment operator instructor.
Miranda said they build muscle memory from repetitive motion on the college’s three Cat simulator systems. Students learn how to operate an articulated dump truck, an excavator and a dozer familiarizing themselves with the Cat controls.
The six-week program is a mixture of curriculum covering workplace safety and maintenance, simulator training incorporating virtual reality learning and field training.
“These simulators translate out in the field pretty close to the real pieces of equipment and no one really has any issues,” said Tim Blais, TCAT Knoxville operations specialist.
TCAT Knoxville has partnerships with local construction companies to train students on equipment in the field. The college also works directly with companies or people who are out of work.
“It gives them a little leg up because they have a certification, they know how to use the equipment, they know how to be safe. They also have OSHA 10 training,” said Blais.
The simulator systems also provide a track report, which Blais says is helpful in an industry looking for qualified workers.
“It gives you all that detailed information of how you actually used the piece of equipment and how good you were, your productivity on it and that right there equates to dollar amounts for employers of how much money they are going to save,” said Blais.
The training program is taught at the Ruth and Steve Workforce Development Center on the Blount County campus of Pellissippi State.
Several heavy equipment operator students have graduated from the program with jobs at Blount Excavating.
“People look at simulators and say they’re just for new hires. They’re not. They are for new hires. They’re for re-evaluations,” says Steve Kean, Finning Canada. Kean shares how customers benefit from using Cat® Simulators systems – from training future heavy equipment operators to sharpening seasoned operators’ skills to evaluating current employees.
Kean explains Cat Simulators systems’ training benefits including the value of authentic Cat controls, pre-operation walkaround training, cost savings customers realize and much more! Find out what other benefits Kean shares:
Set in a mining environment, the Cat® Simulators Off-Highway Truck system provides hands-on training for learners on authentic Cat controls. In addition to learning how to conduct a walkaround inspection, training exercises include driving, braking, loading, unloading and much more in numerous real-life mining scenarios.
Our 7-part video series, “VR Training Benefits,” highlights the advantages of VR training.
This seventh video focuses on how learners experience deeper engagement with the Cat® Simulators VR NOW™ system. The immersive, hands-on training learners experience with VR, along with repetition, increases their ability to retain knowledge and skills that they will use on the job site.
Download the free infographic. If you would like a copy of the video, contact us.
Our 7-part video series, “VR Training Benefits,” highlights the advantages of VR training.
This sixth video highlights how learners become fully immersed when training on the Cat® Simulators VR NOW™ system. VR removes distractions so learners are more engaged and better able to focus on the new skills they are learning.
Download the free infographic. If you would like a copy of the video, contact us.
Our 7-part video series, “VR Training Benefits,” highlights the advantages of VR training.
This fifth video highlights how operators learn skills and can practice them at their own speed and pace using Cat® Simulators VR NOW™ systems. Additionally, learners using VR are four times more focused than eLearning students.
Download the free infographic. If you would like a copy of the video, contact us.
Our 7-part video series, “VR Training Benefits,” highlights the advantages of VR training.
This fourth video shows the benefits operators experience with hands-on learning using Cat® Simulators VR NOW™ systems. Operators can learn new skills more effectively, gain muscle memory through repetition and much more while in the safety of a simulated environment.
Download the free infographic. If you would like a copy of the video, contact us.
Our 7-part video series, “VR Training Benefits,” highlights the advantages of VR training.
This third video focuses on how learners can fully immerse themselves on the Cat® Simulators VR NOW™ system and train at a time and location most convenient for them. The compact and portable SimLite™ Dozer and Excavator models can be set up anytime, anywhere.
Download the free infographic. If you would like a copy of the video, contact us.