CPA Bulletin

www.cpa.uk.net CPA Bulletin > February/March 2021 27 ESTA: 1 ESTA Sarens - the Belgium-based international heavy lift and transportation company - is the latest organisation to complete the process of becoming an approved European Crane Operators Licence (ECOL) training centre and is expected to start its first ECOL courses shortly. The company’s training centre in Wolvertem, Belgium, received its ECOL Certificate at the end of last year following final approval from Lloyds Register, the body tasked with overseeing standards. Ton Klijn, ESTA Director and Chair of the ECOL Supervisory Board, said: “The ECOL Supervisory Board congratulates Sarens and we wish them many successful ECOL training sessions and certified operators in the future.” Sarens is the fourth ECOL training centre to be approved after Mammoet in the Netherlands, EUC Lillebælt in Denmark and Liebherr in Germany. Three more companies have so far announced their intention to set up ECOL training centres - Aertssen and Michielsens in Belgium and Manitowoc in Germany. In addition, the German Genosk organisation is taking steps to qualify their IHK apprentice training scheme under ECOL. In a further development, the online examination system for ESTA’s ECOL project is now up and running in three languages - English, Dutch and Danish - and work is underway on German and Spanish versions. Talks are also ongoing about signing Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) between ECOL and relevant organisations in Spain, Germany and the UK. So far two MRAs have been agreed, with TCVT from the Netherlands and BCACS from British Columbia, Canada. To date, ECOL has carried out 19 examination sessions in four different languages. A total of 38 operators have been certified. They were examined in three different countries. Wouter van Noort, ESTA’s Section Cranes President and European Managing Director for Mammoet, has warned the crane industry of the long-term dangers of losing skilled employees during the Covid-19 crisis. He made a strongly-worded plea during a recent joint meeting of ESTA’s transport and crane sections. “As the crane industry, we are of course largely dependent on what our clients are producing or building. As a result of the crisis and the subsequent lack of production, the understandable reflex of many companies is to do whatever they can to cut costs. “But good entrepreneurship requires us to look further than the present month or even year and we should bear in mind that before the pandemic crisis a shortage of personnel was looming that will quickly return after the current health issues have been resolved.” He continued: “Saying goodbye to well-trained and experienced employees may look a sensible action now but could be dearly regretted in the future.” Sarens receives ECOL training centre approval Van Noort warns on future skills shortages