TRAINING
Robyn Grimsley
The technician training area at Barloworld Equipment ’ s Isando-based Learning Academy .
training capacity , so often even if they do want their operators to acquire a full qualification , they will do some of the training themselves and then ask us to complete the remaining sections of their training or the OEM specific training ,” says Mentor . In addition to initial training offered to new operators or on the purchase of new equipment , they also offer refresher training .
The operator training courses are typically four to six weeks in length and cover both theoretical and practical aspects of machine operation . The first week is dedicated to the theory , covering machine safety induction , preoperational checks , onboard systems , start and after-start procedures , and operating techniques . This is followed by a written assessment , after which the trainees move on to the practical section of the curriculum , which lasts one to two weeks . Here , trainees are exposed to the practical side of machine operation using specially designed simulators . Once they have completed this section , they move on to the third and final component of the course : onthe-job training , in which the trainees actually move on to operating the machines they have been learning about .
“ After the four to six weeks of training is completed , we do the final assessment for certification , for which the pass rate ( external and internal ) is 80 %. At that point , if a person is deemed not yet competent , we identify the remedial action that needs to be taken before they can re-attempt the certification . So , for example , if there is a repeated error in a particular area , then the remedial action will be focused on addressing that particular area and error . Once the person has demonstrated that they can execute correctly , and the assessor or facilitator is satisfied that the issue has been addressed , they can then attempt the certification — there is no specified waiting period between certification attempts — and they will not have to redo all the sections , only the ones that they are not yet competent in . So , if they had a problem with a section of the practical training , for example , they would not have to redo the theory component .”
While the initial practical sections are usually done using the simulators , she says that if customers have a machine available , they can allow the trainees to practise on those machines in a safe environment . The simulators are mobile , and Barloworld Equipment occasionally hires them out to clients , or transports them out to a client ’ s site for training purposes . “ Often the engineers on mining or construction sites want the operator certification to come from the OEM ,” Mentor explains . “ Typically , for the operator training , we either do the training at our facility in Isando , or our operator trainers might go out to the customer ’ s site , because it makes more sense to send one person out to site than to bring five or six people here . The trainers will then cover the curriculum requested by the customer , which typically includes the theory and practical , as well as the actual certification .”
Technician training
“ Our curriculum is aligned with Caterpillar ’ s , and we have in the past and continue to collaborate with Cat by sharing learning materials , as well as hosting boot camps at least once a year ,” Mentor says of the company ’ s technical training offering . “ A lot of other countries are actually building on the qualifications framework we ’ ve developed over the years , because it wasn ’ t just written by a government official ; it was written by industry for industry .”
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AUGUST 2017