CPA Bulletin

TRAINING: 1 It is a year since the National Construction College (NCC) invested in 16 state of the art plant simulators creating the first all- weather facility of its kind in the UK. Whilst others have followed the NCC suite remains the biggest with the largest selection of experiences on offer. A typical month sees around 100 trainees benefiting from this high tech enhancement to their training. For those who have never used any form of plant machinery before, the simulators allow trainees to quickly learn how certain controls work which helps them feel more confident when using the machines in real life and when bad weather would stops outside work there is no down time in training. Feedback from trainees and experienced plant operators alike tells us the simulators are a resounding success; plant operators tell us that the accuracy of the simulators matches the real thing making the experience very life-like. The simulators are used to train apprentices and trainees in a wide-range of plant machinery, including excavators, cranes, crawler dozers, telehandlers, tractors and dumper trucks. CITB plans to use this technology to train people for an even wider range of jobs in the future. The simulators provide a unique immersive experience for all learners. They give trainees a chance to try out what the equipment is like with an incredibly life-like experience, while minimising health and safety risks. The simulators also electronically record progress and analyse how learners behave in different scenarios. GrahamMcPhail, Head of Education and Training says: “New methods of technology are playing an increasingly important role in construction and this investment has helped us modernise the way we train. It is really pleasing to see the added value the simulators provide to all our learners.“ “We are committed to ensuring the right training is in place to produce the highly- skilled workforce required in our industry.” The simulators offer environmental benefits by reducing the amount of carbon emissions associated with traditional plant machinery. They can demonstrate the adverse effects that different weather and time of day can have when operating plant – for example changing from day to night, or rain, wind and snow – as well as creating modern construction scenarios that cannot be replicated in a typical real- life training session. Whether your need is for plant operator training or driving assessment NCC can support your business. To discuss your specific needs call 0300 994 4433 or visit citb.co.uk/plant Whatever the weather the National Construction College can keep your plant training on track www.cpa.uk.net CPA Bulletin > May 2019 55