CIS Sponsors In-House Accredited Training & Assessment
As an NCCER sponsoring organization, Crane Industry Services, LLC (CIS) can help companies benefit from accreditation. In addition to sponsoring other crane and rigging training providers, CIS now sponsors Graycor Southern Inc. (GSI), a heavy industrial contractor based in Atlanta, Ga.
“Sponsorship was important to us,” says John Paul White, Graycor Southern’s director of safety. CIS’s expertise in training and qualifying trainers was important to White. “Not only did they ensure we comply with NCCER, but they also showed us the right way to do that training for our accreditation. You can’t ask for any better experience,” said White.
Under CIS’s NCCER sponsorship, companies have access to training and assessments backed by teams of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). The NCCER programs are evaluated through the National Craft Assessment and Certification Program. NCCER’s crane operator certifications are ANSI accredited and OSHA recognized, which meets current compliance regulations.
As a sponsoring organization, CIS offers its clients cost savings and a long list of administrative benefits. Companies may train and assess their employees in more than 70 different craft and construction management areas. The process makes sense for contractors that specialize in building power plants, commercial buildings and government facilities.
Managing credentials can be quite labor intensive. “We handle their application for assessment, the reporting of assessment results, the processing of assessments, and verification of individual credentials for every person in their organization,” explains Debbie Dickinson, CEO of CIS. CIS also manages the auditing process, conducting an inventory of exams every 30 days and maintaining all records necessary for audit completion.
As a part of its NCCER sponsorship services, CIS works with the organization to train its in-house instructors. “We conduct an instructor certification program, and every candidate has to complete registration and application. We manage that process all the way to the cards in their wallet. We also track their individual credentials,” said Dickinson.
CIS carefully evaluates the companies it chooses to sponsor under NCCER. Dickinson says Graycor Southern Inc., is a company that is serious about achieving a quality, trained, and documented workforce. “One of the things that made us willing to sponsor Graycor Southern is their commitment to setting a safety culture. That’s a big investment on their part, and they’re serious about it. In addition, they invest in workforce development, and are a strong part of the community.”
In fact, White submitted to a battery of NCCER tests to experience what the entry-level craft professional would go through. “A little out of the ordinary” is how he describes his choice, “but we wanted to know if the NCCER training is worth what we think it’s going to be. If we’re going to put someone through the rigors, we’re going to go through them too, to gain an understanding of the full expectations and goal of the training,” he explains. “It gave us a better understanding of how to conduct the tests. That’s important to us.”
Dickinson appreciated White’s approach. “He put himself, as a leader, in the shoes of an employee at the most entry level. That’s the right message to send to your employees,” she says of White and Graycor.
