Companies Like Banks Construction are Training the Next Generation of Operators
Print this Article | Send to Colleague
Training the Next Generation of Operators
By: David Behr
For some time now, there has been a growing need for skilled equipment operators in the construction industry in the South. This is particularly apparent in the Carolinas where population growth has sky-rocketed and with it has come an equally high demand for infrastructure to keep up. Rather than standby and do nothing, a handful of companies down in Charleston, SC decided to think outside the box. Banks Construction Company, Blanchard Machinery, Austin Construction, and the Dorchester Country Career and Technology Center (DCCTC) came together and started the first Heavy Equipment Operator course designed to specifically train high school students to enter the workforce after graduation and meet this need.
Each company plays a vital role in the success of this endeavor. The DCCTC purchased five (5) simulators and hired an Agricultural Mechanics instructor to lead and facilitate the classroom portion. Blanchard Machinery provides the heavy equipment for the students to run once they have mastered a skillset on the simulator. Austin Construction provides the sand pit where they operate the equipment. And Banks Construction sends current, full-time equipment operators employed with them, to teach the students how to safely and properly perform the various tasks required on a daily basis.
Under the tutelage of their classroom instructor and Banks Construction Company operators, the students have learned how to operate a rubber-tired backhoe, excavator, loader, and bulldozer. They can dig a trench, hold a grade, and load with a full bucket. As the 2019 school year draws to a close, it also marks the completion of the first year for the Heavy Equipment Operator course. After graduation, four (4) of the students will be coming to work for Banks Construction Company running some of the same equipment they have been learning on. The company and the students are excited about the future and we at SCAPA are excited to hear about their progress in the coming months and years.
