Industry and Education Partner to deliver Interactive Skills Courses
October 9, 2015—West Georgia Technical College and Crane Industry Services, LLC (CIS) today announced a partnership through the College’s Economic Development Division to provide a new series of Skills Development Training Courses essential to construction, utilities, power generation, manufacturing, mining and refining.
Custom courses and open enrollment options are available at the new Centered on Safety Training Center™ on the WGTC Murphy Campus in Waco, Ga. The partnership between CIS, which provides crane and rigging training nationally and internationally, and WGTC is the result of an initiative to support workforce development needs.
Courses delivered by CIS’s certified instructors with on-the-job experience initially will include Basic and Advanced Rigging; Rigging Inspector; Crane Operator training, certification and qualification for Mobile, Overhead, and Tower Cranes; Crane Inspector; Crane Site Safety Management; and Power Line Safety for Utility Workers. Additional courses are in development.
“Our partnership with WGTC opens opportunities for employers to provide hands on, job specific training for personnel and for students to enter the exciting and world-wide industry of crane and rigging,” said Debbie Dickinson, CIS CEO. “We bring accredited programs and certified instructors with on-the-job experience for the purpose of developing skilled craftspeople that America desperately needs to compete in the global economy.”
WGTC President Steve Daniel said the partnership allows the College to offer expanded programs.
“We are very pleased to be able to work with Crane Industry Services on this new partnership,” WGTC President Steve G. Daniel said. “Their deep industry expertise allows us to offer greatly expanded training in technically challenging program areas. This is a big benefit for area industries who need this training.”
Employer Driven Skills Development
After years of watching industries grapple with compliance issues, Crane Industry Services seeks to shift the priorities, Dickinson said.
“Test prep courses have minimal value when training is not relevant to the knowledge and skill employees need for day-to-day work. An over-emphasis on compliance can be a tragic mistake. Skills and safety development are a means for achieving organizational excellence, productivity and efficiency. Maintaining compliance is part of the process, not the ultimate goal,” she said.
Dickinson said she believes that:
· Employers care about the safety of their workers, as well as profits.
· Employees appreciate being equipped and able to excel at their jobs.
· Experienced workers can and will learn new methods when the value is real and relevant.
· Young people are willing to work to be independent. With the right instruction, they are the future of innovation among craft professionals.
What Is Different about Centered on Safety?
CIS courses delivered at the Centered on Safety Training Center™ on the WGTC Murphy Campus are designed for industry-specific crane and rigging. “Training and testing are not one size fits all,” said Cliff Dickinson, CIS President. CIS employs NCCER certified master trainers, instructors and examiners who deliver validated and accredited training and certifications.
Among the unique features of the training center are:
· Entire companies and their crews working with cranes and/or rigging can fulfill compliance requirements for crane operator and rigger certification or qualification, while also getting hands-on practice with equipment in a safe, supervised environment.
· Employers can provide direction and input for training that is tailored to job specific tasks relevant to the industry. They can also utilize the Centered on Safety Training Center to plan and practice skills development critical to safety on courses that simulate actual work conditions under the supervision of trainers.
· Novices—trainees with no experience—can learn the basics of crane operation and rigging and become certified as crane operators and riggers – basic – advanced or safety managers.
· Advanced courses are designed to prepare employees for crane safety management roles or to increase skill and credentials of existing crew members, transition military personnel to civilian employment, and provide career development for skilled craft professionals.
· Open enrollment programs provide convenient and efficient training options for people from different companies and industries to experience job site relevant training.
· Qualification and skills testing do not use the same course over and over; new designs and challenges keep the learning fresh and assessments relevant to increasing skill levels.
WGTC Foundation Seeks Equipment Donations
To complement training offered at the Center, the WGTC Foundation is seeking short- or long-term loans or donations of equipment for the Centered on Safety courses. All types of cranes, aerial work platforms, rigging gear and other lifting equipment, excavators, welding equipment and other construction equipment are needed.
“WGTC provides a great opportunity for manufacturers to showcase their equipment in action,” Daniel said. “The campus is a great home for industry equipment that can gain a whole new life for training our future workforce.”
The WGTC Foundation is a private, non-profit 501(3C) corporation that has been established to encourage, solicit, receive and administer gifts and bequests of property and funds for the benefit of the college and college activities. Donations are tax-deductible. For information on making a donation, contact Foundation Executive Director Kim Learnard at 678.664.0515 or kim.learnard@westgatech.edu.
WGTC President Steve G. Daniel and Crane Industry Services CEO Debbie Dickinson sign a cooperative agreement to offer industry training on the College’s Thomas B. Murphy Campus in Waco. Also in attendance were representatives from the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce, the Haralson County Chamber of Commerce, Crane Industry Services and West Georgia Technical College.
About CIS and WGTC
Crane Industry Services LLC, based near Atlanta, Ga., was established in 2008 and provides crane operator and rigger training, nationally accredited certifications, equipment inspections, expert witness services and consulting to the lifting industry. CIS is centered on safety and known for creating innovative and affordable solutions for the crane and rigging industry.
The Centered on Safety Training Center is strategically located near Atlanta, which services more than 200 non-stop flights from cities around the United States. Corporate hotel rates are available for nearby accommodations. Nearby points of interests range from hunting, fishing, wineries, theme parks, Talladega Raceway, museums and arts in an area known for hospitality, good weather, great food, music and sights.
To register for classes at the Centered on Safety Training Center (existing WGTC students or corporate clients) should contact Candice Eldredge, candice@craneindustryservices.com or 770-783-9292.
West Georgia Technical College, with campuses in Carroll, Coweta, Douglas, Haralson and Troup counties and class sites in Heard and Meriwether counties offers over 120 associate degree, diploma and technical certificate programs of study. A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, West Georgia Tech is the fourth largest of the state’s 22 technical colleges.
