Virtual-reality simulations will be the centerpiece of a new education and training facility that’s intended to provide a pipeline of sorely needed construction workers in Nevada.
The heavy equipment operator training program will use the region’s first virtual reality construction heavy equipment simulators, according to the Nevada Chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America, which recently received a $200,000 government grant to help launch the facility in Reno.
Contractors in Reno and beyond are looking for ways to address a shortage in skilled workers – from heavy equipment operators to diesel mechanics. In Reno, that’s evolved into a brick and mortar approach that will become a concrete reality within months.
“Spending on infrastructure in Nevada, and the nation, is expected to increase resulting in many new positions over the next ten years – positions we are having a difficult time filling without proper training avenues,” says Lance Semenko, president of the ACG’s Nevada chapter.
“The lack of a simulator training program has proven to be a barrier to employment. Before training students on valuable machines, and running the risk of a mishap, operator training can begin in an always-safe environment of a simulator.”
The new facility will be in the ACG Nevada chapter Reno’s offices in what’s currently storage space, association officials tell Equipment World. Doors will be open and training will begin by late Spring 2018, they say.
The preconstruction phase is under way for a 1,200-square-foot classroom that will feature Caterpillar’s newly released Large Wheel Loader Simulator System as a tool to enable students to get a realistic training experience. Two of the systems are being ordered, the association says.
