In this Summer 2010 IVES Update Newsletter edition our main article is “Training is a Job for Trainers”. We will also cover trainer credentials, clarify online ordering, talk about saving money on shipping, some stuff on aerial lifts, and much more!
Training is a Job for Trainers
The title of this article may seem obvious to you, but there are a lot of people that do not realize and/or appreciate the skill set required to deliver powered industrial equipment operator training. In most cases, companies that select trainers based on operating experience alone do themselves and their trainees a great disservice. Operator trainees that receive training from someone without the appropriate skills are typically not exposed to the information and proper practice needed to be safe, which makes them potentially hazardous as operators.
Ultimately, the best trainers are those who possess the appropriate soft skills and hard knowledge required to train as well as a significant amount of operating experience. To pluck someone with these attributes right out of the workforce of a given operation is an exceedingly rare occurrence. The reason for this is mostly because without some sort of formal training, it is nearly impossible for a person that is normally disassociated from the training world to have the necessary qualifications to train competently. It is even less likely for this person to have the complimentary soft skills and attitude needed to train others, which no amount of training, formal or otherwise, can provide them.
It is very difficult to quantify the knowledge and skills of a trainer without going through a point by point assessment of the relative criteria of each; however it is important to consider the following factors.
The Right Stuff
The road to becoming or acquiring a good trainer starts before any formal training or performance evaluation takes place. It starts with finding a person with the right “ingredients” for the type of work involved. Since instructor-led training is a very social activity, the right person must be a socially adept, which is to say they must enjoy and be skilled at interacting with others. Again, it may seem obvious but do not overlook this. A person who may appear to be knowledgeable and capable but prefers to keep to them self would be the wrong choice.
The potential trainer must have the desire to train for the right reasons. Safety, life and limb, and the preservation of quality of life are all good reasons while the chance to boss people around or get a bit of time away from the usual grind are not.
Being patient, positive and empathetic are also among the necessary traits of an effective trainer. If a trainee gets to the point where they do not have any questions it should be because they understand the information not because they are scared to ask.
There are many other personality traits that lend themselves well to the task of training but perhaps one of the most tragically overlooked one is the ability to speak to a group with ease and confidence. Without this, a would-be trainer becomes a will-not-be trainer; it’s as simple as that. The ability to communicate clearly is arguably the most important trait a trainer must possess. Usually, acquiring a solid knowledge base and understanding of the subject matter along with a thorough lesson plan brings a certain amount of confidence in itself. However, if the trainer has a fear of public speaking it can be the death knell to an otherwise promising trainer.
These are just a few of the soft skills and traits a good trainer must possess. Others, like organizational abilities, questioning and listening skills, attention to details and ensuring understanding are also highly significant however covering each of these in detail requires much more space than is available here.
Knowledge
Earlier, the ability to communicate was offered as arguably the most important
trait of a good trainer. The argument arises in relation to whether knowledge is the most important. Regardless of which side of this argument you fall on, there is no argument that one is a close second to the other. That being said, knowledge is often assumed. With respect to the topic of this article, a person with significant operating experience is often mistakenly assumed to possess the required knowledge to train say, forklift operators. In reality, this assumption is often far from the reality of the situation. When it comes to forklift operator training for example, OSHA lists no less than 12 equipment related topics to cover, all of which branch into several sub-topics and that does not include the all important “other” category. The OSHA regulation then goes on to list another 10 workplace related topics to cover. CSA standards list 17 equipment and workplace related topics that can also be broken down into several sub-groupings.
It is highly unlikely that even the most experienced of operators, even those formally trained as operators (not trainers) have the knowledge or ability to address each of these topics to the degree required and in a manner by which they can be understood by adult learners. In addition, neither of these lists includes the procedures or techniques involved in conducting practical driving evaluations and documenting the results.
Summary
Like most things worth doing, they are worth doing right, and training is no
exception. Employers who must train powered equipment operators must also
consider the scope of such training against the knowledge and capabilities of the trainers they select to deliver it. Doing so ensures not only compliance with the written word of the applicable regulations but demonstrates the desire to comply with the intended spirit of such regulations by actively assessing performance of their training, not merely its execution.
Rob Vetter
Director of Training
IVES Training Group
Once a Trainer, Always a Trainer
The past two years have brought economic hard times to some like no other time in history. The effects of this upheaval are numerous but perhaps the most tragic among them is the loss of thousands upon thousands of jobs. However, times like these often bring out the best in us, particularly when our economic survival is at stake as people in jeopardy attempt to adapt and overcome.
One of the most important steps in adapting to the environment involves taking stock of available assets and resources, then assessing their relative usefulness in taking you where you want to go. If you are an IVES Certified Trainer, don’t forget that your credentials stay with you if and when you change employers or professions. Whether you are putting together a resume or starting your own business, your IVES Certified Trainer credentials are definitely a marketable asset.
If the past economic turmoil has caused you to change employers, contact us and let us know where you are and whom you are working for and we will continue to provide you with all of the benefits of the IVES Training System without missing a beat.
If you have decided to become self employed within the equipment safety training industry, let us know that too as there may be potentially profitable opportunities in carrying on as an IVES Certified Trainer. Keep in mind that operating your own business brings certain liabilities and insurance risks that must be attended to as well as tax implications for you and your business. We strongly suggest you consult a knowledgeable person before proceeding.
As you probably know, operator training can be a very fulfilling job, but keep in mind it can also be a significant source of income if you proceed the right way. If you are struggling in a storm of economic uncertainty, your IVES Certified Trainer credentials may prove to be the silver lining around those storm clouds.
A Little Clarification
We have recently fielded several calls from some customers who were confused over how to proceed with certain training programs. As we delved into their issues more closely, we discovered that, in some cases, they were attempting to train above their level of expertise.
In one instance, a customer had sent a trainee through a forklift operator certification program and then tried to use that same operator to conduct training for other operators. His company assumed that taking the operator program somehow qualified him as a trainer as well as an operator but, of course, the operator found himself woefully unprepared to train others. See feature article “Training is for Trainers” in this Update for some further insight to why the operator may have fell short in his attempt at training other operators.
In other instances some individuals or their companies have mistakenly believed that successful completion of an IVES Trainer certification program qualifies that person to train other trainers. Once again, this is not the case. IVES Train-the-Trainer programs are designed to qualify trainers of mobile equipment operators, not other trainers. Training and qualifying an operator is one thing but training another trainer is quite another.
It is easy to see how these types of misunderstandings can occur; we just wanted to make sure there is no confusion and that everyone is on the same page.
Advice – A Penny $aved
It is amazing how many wasteful spending habits you become aware of once you slip into cost-cutting mode. With so much economic uncertainty, looking for any way to save money is not just wise, but necessary.
For instance, did you know that the more equipment Compliance Packages you buy the more you save? There are possible savings of more than 25% per package!
In addition to material costs, remember that shipping can be expensive. If you do a significant amount of training over the course of a year you can save a lot of money by placing one larger order instead of several smaller ones. You will see savings in the per package price by ordering a larger quantity as well as in shipping costs. Having Compliance Packages on hand means you will be ready to deliver training or re-training programs whenever you need to. This is especially helpful for those training programs that come out of the blue and end up costing even more because of the extra cost of expedited services like express or overnight delivery. It truly pays to be prepared.
Consider this example where ABC Company places the following orders for Compliance Packages and has them shipped by a standard ground service:
Quantity
| Date |
Quantity |
Cost |
Shipping |
| January |
12 |
$303.44 |
$13.37 |
| April |
21 |
$532.77 |
$15.21 |
| May |
5 |
$126.85 |
$12.77 |
| October |
10 |
$253.70 |
$12.98 |
| Total |
48 |
$1216.76 |
$54.33 |
| Grand Total |
|
|
$1271.09 |
If the company had been able to anticipate their training needs and order accordingly:
| Date |
Quantity |
Cost |
Shipping |
| January |
48 |
1043.52 |
$26.18 |
| Grand Total: |
|
|
$1069.70 |
| Savings: |
|
|
$201.39 |
If ABC Company places one order for 48 Compliance Packages they will save more than $200 compared to if they had placed four smaller orders. Without even considering expensive express shipping services you can see what a difference a little forethought can make. Place your order today online!
Michelle Little
Marketing & Communications
Simon Says…
I have been asked many times about training people on manually propelled aerial lifts as described by ANSI/SIA A92.3. As you may know, we do not have materials that apply directly to these machines at the moment, but they are on the way. For those of you training on these units you should know that our (IVES) Scissor Lift Operator Reference Manual can easily be adapted and used.
There are some sections in this manual that will not apply to the push-arounds, so to help you understand what pages and sections should be covered, go to www.ivestraining.com log in to the members section and click on Free Training Material Updates, then select Manually Propelled Lesson Plan (Scissor Lift). This is a very simple lesson plan that I made to guide you through the process which, I can assure you, is not difficult providing you have some familiarity with the equipment yourself.
Remember though, this lesson plan must be used in conjunction with the equipment-specific manufacturer’s user manual.
Simon Larkin
Assistant Director of Training
Let’s Get on the Same Page
We are constantly revising our operator training materials to keep them accurate and current. We do our best to let you know when a revision occurs, but the news doesn’t always make it to you. We realize how frustrating and potentially embarrassing this can be when you have a different book than your trainees do during a program. However, there is a quick and easy way to make sure this doesn’t happen.
The first thing you should do when you receive an order of training materials from us is to check the revision dates. To do this in the operator reference manuals, open the book to page 1 and look down at the bottom right corner. There you will see a product code followed by a “rev.” date. For example, ALP-EN-US rev. 09-019:
- ALP = Aerial Lifts
- EN = English (SP=Spanish, FR=French)
- US = United States version
- rev. = Revision date
- 09 = Year (2009)
- 019 = Number of the day in the year (out of 365)
All of our documents have a “rev.”(which stands for ‘revision’) date on them so it is always a good idea to check and make sure that any new material you receive from us matches any earlier materials you may have. Usually, the revisions themselves aren’t significant enough to cause a problem for you as long as you know they are there. Keep in mind that just because a document is revised, doesn’t mean that all previous versions of it are obsolete. You should always use up old stock although it is advisable to keep it separate from new stock so you don’t get a mix of both in any single
program.
To help accomplish this, we recommend that when you receive newly revised stock from us, stack any old stock on top of it so you use it first. Placing a piece of colored paper or a sticky note so you can see the end of it sticking out between old and new stock is a good and easy way to help you stay aware of your inventory levels.
Phyllis Williams
Materials Manager
Ask Bob
Q: I have a lot of trouble filling out the evaluation form during the driving test. Things happen too fast for me and sometimes I can’t keep up. Can I jot notes down on a separate piece of paper and fill in the form later using the notes?
Darin.
A: You are definitely not alone. Staying focused on the operator as much as possible during a practical evaluation is something that I struggle with at times as well. If you find that doing things this way helps you to get the job done properly, then by all means, go for it. Personally, I only use this method when it’s raining hard so I don’t ruin all of my evaluation forms. The reason I don’t do it otherwise is because I find that it just makes more work for me after the class. After certifying more than 1000 operators, I have developed a system that allows me to keep up reasonably well but if you don’t do evaluations that often, by all means use notes if it helps.
Bob.
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