Modern Technology Aids Apprentices’ Development Greatly Ontario Construction News

An abridged version of the article “Modern technology aids apprentices’ development greatly” which appeared in the January 2003 issue of the York/Durham region Ontario Construction News. © 2003 Sheppard Publishing. All rights reserved.

As the only community college that offers mobile crane training in the Province of Ontario, the Skills Training Centre at Durham College has been ‘hoisting’ the bar for apprentice crane operators. Now in its seventh year, the college’s apprenticeship crane course continues to utilize technological advancements, increased enrolment, and more resources to continually produce “a better crane operator for the industry”.

Since 1996, Durham College has offered apprentice mobile crane operators a place to develop their skills prior to taking their exam for the 339A Provincial Hoisting Engineering Certificate and enter the workforce as a certified mobile crane operator. The college’s mobile crane course, offered to apprentice operators only, is comprised of two six-week classes taken over a span of two years and lasts three years. When completed, apprentices must log 6000 hours of operating time, which includes the 480 hours apprentices complete in the mobile crane course.

In January 2003, Durham College will begin its second year with the newly developed Mobile Crane Personal Simulator; Durham College own three units. Produced by the Montreal-based computer firm Simlog, the Mobile Crane Personal Simulator has already highlighted its advantages both in the classroom and in the field. Connecting to any computer monitor or video-projector, two PC joysticks stand in for real crane controls and the computer software simulates situations that would be found in true to life craning – allowing apprentices the chance to experience crane operations without the actual crane. Offering another strong contribution to the course, the Simlog product allows students not operating one of the college’s five cranes to get even more “seat-time”, but on the simulator, so no time is lost in training.

Says Instructor Steve Sheridan:

“The PC joysticks and the way Simlog simulates real craning situations, is just like sitting in the crane seat. There are even simulated situations facing crane operators like concrete form pouring and lifting various objects and materials by simulating loads.

John Smith of the Mobile Crane program concurs:

“We have found the Simlog crane simulator very advantageous to our program, especially with the first year apprentices who are usually a little intimidated by the cranes. Because the simulator is as close to life as can possibly be without actually sitting in a crane, it helps greatly in developing hand/eye co-ordination, which means the students are concentrating on the load and not their hand movements, thus allowing crane controls to become second nature faster. The Simlog product also has a tracking database so I can monitor individual ability and time of each student.

“The students also really get into challenging one another on the simulator. They’re always trying to get better each other’s scores, which makes them really develop their skills and concentrate on what they’re doing.”

“Apprentices have equal time operating the five different cranes we have here, and run each crane each day. They then have the same length of time, or more, on the simulator in the classroom. It’s been a big accomplishment, and we have really noticed a big difference in the students’ development with the incorporation of Simlog’s simulator.”

For 2003, the class schedule at Durham College runs from January 6 to March 28.