Pavement Featured Online Articles
Bookmark Page
Most Read
Most Emailed
Email Story
Print Story
Asphalt Industry Future Depends on Proper Training of New, Young Operators
Asphalt industry will need a robust workforce to maintain and build new roads to handle traffic increase.
Related Articles
Read More Pavement Featured Online Articles
Tips to Store Unused Sealer Over the Winter
Evaluating Pavers' Material Transfer Systems
Hey Porter! Entry-level Job Eases Aardvark Hiring and Training
While there is no substitute for experience, Fleming says the trend toward electronics on pavers and compactors means contractors should embrace young operators because the younger employees are often more familiar and comfortable with electronics. "Equipment is changing to become more electronic, sophisticated, and more expensive. We need talented people to operate this equipment," says Fleming. "Young people today are ready to except electronics more than older operators. A young operator, who has received quality training, will ensure the machine delivers what it was designed to deliver with ease and without risk of damaging the equipment or the asphalt as it is being laid."
As both the age of the workforce and the demand on the nation's roads increase, younger operators will become a requirement in the asphalt industry. Contractors who begin embracing these younger operators today will be better prepared to meet the demands of the industry in the future. Training is the element that helps create productive and efficient operators out of an inexperienced young person first walking on the job. Contractors who train their young employees at facilities like the Ingersoll Rand Road Institute will gain an edge in an industry that is getting more competitive each day.
|
The Ingersoll Rand Road Institute is located in Chambersburg, Penn., next to the company's asphalt paver manufacturing facility. The Road Institute has provided professional training on the operation and maintenance of asphalt pavers and compactors for more than 40 years. Ingersoll Rand has also opened Road Institute West, located in Phoenix, Ariz., near Sky Harbor International Airport. Courses at both facilities are two to five days in length and include both classroom instruction and hands-on experience. With the addition of Road Institute West, Ingersoll Rand is the only manufacturer to have dedicated training facilities in eastern and western North America. "Most companies do not have a formal apprenticeship program," says Fleming. Because the number of paver and compactor operators is not as large as some other occupations in the construction industry, courses on the operation of the equipment are not always offered at trade schools. Because training for asphalt pavers and compactors can be hard to find, manufacturers have had to step in and provide the training to support the industry. Fleming says that manufacturers who train operators provide a benefit that could not be gained at a trade school. "Here at the Road Institute, our students can call on experts from within Ingersoll Rand to answer any question on our equipment that comes up," says Fleming.  E-mail Article
 Printer Friendly
|
