Mobile Training Centers revolutionize heavy equipment operator training by delivering simulator-equipped trailers that eliminate location constraints and expand access for communities.
Simulation training offers a safe, cost-effective, and convenient approach to heavy equipment operator training. But what happens when you want to bring your simulators on the road?
Mobile Training Centers are portable simulation training units that are ready to service novice operators wherever they may be. Training centers can hitch a Mobile Training Center to a truck and bring it to trade shows, jobsites, and convenient locations, allowing training to travel right to students. This reduces logistical barriers and helps companies and schools reach a broader audience. In large, rural areas, mobile training programs are especially useful.
Here we’ll explore the value of Mobile Training Centers by answering your most frequently asked questions.
It takes as little as 30 minutes to deploy a Mobile Training Center. All the team needs to do is hitch the trailer to a truck or other sufficiently powerful vehicle and bring it to the desired location. From there, they can either connect the trailer to available electrical hookups or power up the diesel generator.
A ready-to-deploy Mobile Training Center usually includes the following:
- 24-ft or 34-ft gooseneck trailer
- 1-2 heavy equipment simulators, depending on the trailer model
- Quiet diesel generator for sustained power
- Electrical connections to draw power from the local grid
- Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity
- LED lighting with three switch zones
- Shock-absorbing mounts to protect simulators during travel
This provides a great setup for portable construction training. Usually, the simulators are positioned at the front and rear of the trailer with an instructor station in the center. This enables the instructor to visually monitor both students while also managing exercises from their station. Here, they can inject faults and assess performance data. If needed, the mobile training trailer provides ample space for the instructor to move between stations and offer guidance. The two simulators can also be networked together for tandem exercises and collaborative learning.
Mobile Training Centers support recruitment and outreach in several ways. First, recruiters can bring the Mobile Training Center to high schools, job fairs, and colleges to expose new people to careers in heavy equipment operation. Wherever they go, Mobile Training Centers are attention-grabbing assets that draw a crowd and help the organization stand out at the event. Marc Patenaude, the Senior Operations Manager at Fleming College, found that Mobile Training Centers have a big impact on recruitment. “The simulators receive rave reviews whenever we showcase them at events,” he said. “People can’t get enough of them! They line up around the block to get in, and it’s to the point where other vendors have complained about the traffic.”
A Mobile Training Center also offers an experience, while other recruiters have only pamphlets and flyers. Samantha DeAlmeida Roman, President of ABC New Jersey, noticed that this helped spark conversations. “If you invite kids to have an interactive experience, they are much more receptive to hearing what you have to say,” she shared. In a venue where attendees are engaging with dozens of companies, organizations, and potential career paths, the most memorable has the best chance to inspire an application.
The exterior of a Mobile Training Center can also be wrapped with company branding, turning it into a moving billboard. That wrapping can include a QR code leading to your website to drive web traffic. DeAlmeida Roman uses this approach at ABC New Jersey, and has found it to be very successful. “The trailer is wrapped with our logos and QR codes, so when we drive it down the road, we get people tapping into our website,” she said. “It’s different than just a regular work trailer you would see on the road. It’s attention-grabbing.” Whether at the event or in transit, a Mobile Training Center is a true asset for raising awareness.
Because Mobile Training Centers are fantastic tools for recruitment and outreach, they’re also great tools for connecting with populations that are typically less likely to pursue a career in heavy equipment operation.
For example, Build a Dream, a non-profit organization committed to creating career opportunities for women, uses its Mobile Training Center to break down assumptions around what kind of work women can engage in. By delivering a true-to-life experience through simulation, Build a Dream helps empower women and help them see that they have what it takes to become heavy equipment operators.
There is a clear mental shift when potential operators try simulation training for the first time. The thinking changes from “Not me” to “Why not me?” If someone can do it in simulation, they can do it in a real worksite. Companies and organizations can create that moment for marginalized communities and boost recruitment.
Sometimes an in-class, stationary setup is the best fit for an organization. There are other times, however, when a Mobile Training Center is an ideal solution. Mobile training centers are a great fit for:
- Organizations that want to focus heavily on outreach
- Schools and organizations with multiple locations that want to start small and share one simulation training center
- Rural areas where students or training locations may be far apart
- New or transitioning companies that might not have the space or budget for a dedicated classroom
For ABC New Jersey, which has to cover a large geographic area, the ability to bring its training center to different locations is critical. “The mobile aspect is huge for us, especially where we cover the entirety of a state,” DeAlmeida Roman explained. “We have members far away from our headquarters, and having the flexibility to bring the trailer to them is key.”
Mobile Training Centers provide a strategic asset that can make a big difference. With greater accessibility and improved employee recruitment, they offer a convenient solution that can cover a wide area.
Learn more about how Baker Technical Institute was able to train students 2.5 times faster and at a fraction of the cost it would take to train them on real equipment in the on-demand webinar: Energize Your Heavy Equipment Operator Program.
