In This Issue
- New Cat® Simulators VR Paving System Teaches Operators Foundational Skills
- McConnell Dowell Offers Heavy Equipment Safety Program to Construction Industry Featuring Cat Simulators
- 5 Reasons to Upskill Heavy Equipment Operators
- Cat® Simulators Career Pathways Video
VR Paving Launch
Set in a highway construction site environment, the VR-based training system teaches learners how to operate the Paver and Roller, including inspecting the machine, paving the highway, compacting asphalt and more. The Cat® Simulators VR Paving system adds flexibility to programs because it is portable and easy to move from a training room to a trailer to satellite locations.
“Operators in the paving industry often face the dual challenges of high employee turnover rates and the need for effective, hands-on training. We designed the Cat Simulators VR Paving system specifically to address these issues by providing new and inexperienced operators with a comprehensive, VR-based training experience,” says Simformotion Vice President Vanessa Price.
Contact us to learn more about integrating the VR Paving system into your heavy equipment operator training program.
McConnell Dowell Offers Heavy Equipment Safety Program to Construction Industry Featuring Cat Simulators
Employee safety is a top priority at McConnell Dowell. To help its over 18,000 employees recognize the blind spots that plant (heavy equipment) operators encounter while working with machinery, the safety team created the VR Simulator Plant Awareness Program. The program utilizes Cat® Simulators’ SimLite Compact Track Loader and SimLite Excavator systems, both of which incorporate virtual reality (VR) technology.
After experiencing the realistic virtual environments provided by the simulators, participants not only have a better understanding of the blind spots on dozers and excavators, but they also appreciate the concentration and skill required to operate heavy equipment safely.
Greg Evangelakos, Health and Safety Manager at McConnell Dowell, explained, “We know from our metrics that behaviors are changing. Eight to nine people out of 10 have all come out with a greater appreciation of how difficult it is to operate the plant and how difficult it is to see out of the plant.”
Due to the program’s success, the company has recently decided to offer it, along with its Cat Simulators SimLite systems, to the broader Australian construction industry for a two-year period. “We were looking for safety initiatives to share and went back to the success we’ve had with the VR Simulator Plant Awareness Program in our own business,” explained James Crewe, Regional Environmental Manager at McConnell Dowell.
5 Reasons to Upskill Heavy Equipment Operators
As current operators continue to retire and new businesses emerge, more businesses will need heavy equipment operators. Upskilling is essential to stay competitive and keep employees engaged. Upskilling any employee yields a significant return on investment (ROI) for the employer.
A study by the World Economic Forum found that closing the skills gap through employee upskilling could add $6.5 trillion to global GDP and create 5.3 million new jobs by 2030.
Upskilling operators using technology that expedites the learning process can lead to a higher ROI for both your company and your operators. Depending on the operators’ learning styles, training methods can vary. They can include both classroom and remote training, utilizing hands-on training with simulators that feature authentic controls, as well as immersive virtual reality (VR) experiences.
Contact us to learn how to integrate Cat Simulators systems into your training program.
Cat Simulators Career Pathways Video
High school students throughout the state of Georgia have the opportunity to participate in the Georgia Heavy Equipment Operator Pathway Program, which provides a pathway forward for them after graduation. The program includes Cat® Simulators Dozer and Excavator systems in each classroom, where students receive hands-on training to prepare them for careers as heavy equipment operators.
“The vision for our program is to capture seniors in high school that maybe don’t have a solid plan of what they want to do after they graduate and bring those students in and give them some job training and some career prospects so that when they do graduate, they have a plan and there’s a path forward for them to be successful,” said Stephen Woolard, 4C Academy instructor in Albany, Ga.
Brent Holcombe, the Safety and Health Director at McLendon Enterprises, explains why his company sponsors and supports the Toombs County High School Heavy Equipment Operator program. “We were facing an employment crisis, trying to find people to work, and we knew we weren’t going to be able to accomplish that in real-time. But, if we put forth the projected effort toward the high school level, we knew in about three or four years, we would have seniors come out, we would have great potential for new hires.”
“And our first year of graduates, we had 100% job placement. It wasn’t just with our company. We wanted to be more of an economy spread for other companies as well. So, we had students, graduates going to multiple companies, not just our own. Every year since then, here at Toombs County, we’ve had 100% job placement for every graduate,” explains Holcombe.
Watch the video to learn more about Cat Simulators role in the career pathway program:
