Find Training
F
For this edition of AsphaltPro, we’re devoting more pages than usual to training. Let’s face it, today’s construction workforce doesn’t look like the workforce of the 1970s or ’80s. Workers may or may not have any idea what they’re signing up for when they fill out an application to join the paving or production crew. Just because our industry offers excellent pay and the instant gratification of a gorgeous roadway at the end of the day doesn’t mean every person signing up will know how to earn the paycheck and place the pavement. It’s our job to teach the newcomers to the industry. Frustrated workers who find themselves in the hot seat for failing at a task or who find themselves in harm’s way when members of the crew are ignorant of best/safest practices are the workers who will leave in a hurry. Let’s use the following pages to discuss what options associations, consultants, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and service providers offer to help you train workers on the job. I would be remiss if I didn’t draw attention to the online course AsphaltPro Magazine offers. For the course, we worked with Paving Industry Consultant John Ball of Top Quality Paving & Training, Manchester, New Hampshire, to develop an eight-module online resource of back-to-basics paving best practices. It’s designed to bring new hires up to speed or to offer existing workers a refresher on concepts and tips for getting quality results. We priced the course so you can buy it once but have access to it whenever and wherever you need it, to use it with as many workers as you need to train as often as you need to train them. In other words, you buy it once and use it for the life of your company. The paving portion of our industry isn’t the only area where training is essential. Clarence Richard Company has offered webbased training as a portion of its instructor-led asphalt plant operation schools for a number of years. “He started out 20 years ago by offering classes in his local area with himself and a few guest instructors,” Steve Klein explained. “This quickly grew into a traveling road show of classes scattered
44 // September 2021
BY ASPHALTPRO STAFF
around the country. Each class in a motel conference room for a week with participants from a regional area. The cost of not only the classes, but lodging and travel, were added to the classes. This lasted a number of years before manpower and travel needs had Clarence evolve the training sessions into an online school. He offered individual lessons via an Adobe online-based school with separate modules for instruction in different areas, review and testing sections to make sure the material was understood.” While students were learning in this format, Richard found this style of classes didn’t offer the kind of interaction where individuals could ask the instructor or classmates questions. He solved that by moving some of the training sections to Zoom. “They implemented the use of the breakout rooms and polling for testing, as well as YouTube,” Klein explained. Richard also re-connected with Klein from the original classroom schools and went over material to decide how best to offer the newand-improved Zoom schools. They now offer five-day-long areas with a mix-and-match approach. They include: 1. Safety 2. Mix Quality 3. Production 4. Electrical/Mechanical Day 1 5. Electrical/Mechanical Day 2 “Companies could take one, two, three or five days of classes,” Klein shared. “By offering different combinations over multiple weeks, they could tailor the schools to their needs. “During the classes, the instruction used some of the web-based training aids along with fresh material and examples. During the presentations, not only were the students encouraged to ask questions for clarification, but also to share stories and experiences that they had encountered. We even took one day where, in place of each group breaking for lunch and returning, we had a Zoom style lunch break with ongoing conversations. With this back-and-forth sharing, the school was similar to the older training with new advantages.”
Web-based training advantages, Klein shared, include: • Transportation only to their local workplace or internet access point • Shared expenses with other class members • Questions answered in real time • Handouts and worksheets received via email • Flexible scheduling for classes • Ability to pick up a missed class or portion of a class recorded to the cloud • Full days of training; if a conversation runs long, it can be extended for full answers • Classes bring value to all levels of training and experience Not all learners take information in over the web or during a Zoom conference as well as they do during a live demonstration or in person. To that end, contractors and producers have options in the industry. The team at Astec has announced dates for the Astec plant school and Astec paving school as of press time. Those schools will be held at the Jerome Avenue location in Chattanooga. With Libra Systems’ controls and systems now folded into their offerings, the team at Command Alkon offers in-person training for customers. A spokesperson shared: “Command Alkon’s TRAININGDAYS gives system users the opportunity to stay up to date on evolving industry best practices, solutions feature sets, and leading technologies. Users can freshen up skills, industry network, and strategies for success. Participants can attend classes from a single product line or mix and match classes across product lines to meet training needs.” Other companies offering in-person training include those who will come to your location. A spokesperson for Tarmac International said: “At Tarmac, we enjoy meeting our customers in person and helping them with their equipment at their site. Being in person and at your site helps us to have a better picture of your whole plant and operation. Something you might not think would make a difference could be the key to improving the way your plant works.”
