CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY TRENDS


A drone shot of the equipment used for training at the Operating Engineers Local 3 facility in Northern California.


better grip on what we do,” Hopkins said. He pointed out they are also very cost-effective compared to purchasing and running the actual equipment. Te simulators are a big draw at


career fairs and recruiting events. “We have a 24-ft. enclosed trailer with two full-motion simulators and a signaling simulator that we can take to job fairs, schools and for other recruiting tasks,” Hopkins said. “We can put a 14- or 15-year-old school kid in a simulator and give them the opportunity to run a piece of equipment without the danger


“We can put a 14- or 15-year-old school kid in a simulator (at a job fair) and give them the opportunity to run a piece of equipment without the danger of actually being out on that machine.”


– Larry Hopkins, OE12 training program


www.AGC-CA.org


of actually being out on that machine. Tey’ve already got that eye/hand coordination because of the computer games they are used to playing at home, so they tend to do really well and not be afraid of it.” In Northern California, Operating


Engineers Local 3 (OE3) also relies on the latest technologies for use in their heavy equipment operators and technical engineer apprenticeship programs. “We have some of the newest


equipment offered in the GPS world, including drones for mapping, hand-held rovers for grade setters and robotic total stations,” said Greg Gasaway, Director of Apprenticeship for OE3 Joint Apprentice Training Center (JATC) in Sloughhouse, CA. “We have some VR (virtual reality) trainers for cranes that make you feel like you are actually in the crane performing lifts and tasks that would be done on the job site. Te cool thing about the VR crane is that the program has multiple options for different manufacturers of cranes, which gives our students exposure to some cranes and computer systems that we don’t have at the training center but our employers might.” Gasaway added that OE3 heavy duty repair (HDR) classes are also


“We have some of


the newest equipment offered in the GPS


world, including drones for mapping, hand-held rovers for grade setters


and robotic total stations.” – Greg Gasaway, OE3 Joint Apprentice Training Center


extensively employing lap-tops for diagnostic procedures. “With the new regulations in California always changing, our HDR curriculum has changed to stay on top of the way you work on the new machines.”


Quick Pivot to Virtual Training Virtual training is another key


technology application that proved indispensable in 2020 for construction industry training programs. Hopkins said the OE12 program barely missed


Continued on page 14 Associated General Contractors of California 13


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