The following article on the IUOE Training and Conference Center outside of Houston, Texas, was posted Dec. 14, 2017 on the Association of Equipment Manufacturers website.
Manufacturers Sought as Partners on Equipment Operator Training Complex
The union that represents 400,000 North American equipment operators, mechanics, welders, surveyors and stationary engineers wants to revolutionize how the workforce gets trained on new technology, and is forming creative partnerships with equipment manufacturers as they prepare to open a massive training complex outside of Houston.
The International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) is launching the training center and entering into partnership agreements with several prominent members of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). Brands like Tadano, Manitowoc, Grove, Potain, Link-Belt, Terex AWP and Genie will provide heavy equipment on which workers will receive training at the center. Discussions are also underway with other prominent manufacturers.
“It’s to everyone’s benefit to expand the pool of highly-trained, technologically-savvy equipment operators,” says IUOE President James T. Callahan. “We have heard the appeals of employers all around the country who are having a hard time getting enough qualified workers on their job sites, and the only way to meet that demand is by creating new, cutting edge opportunities to receive training.”
Scheduled for completion early in 2018 and a grand opening in the spring, the IUOE Training and Conference Center is a first-of-its-kind comprehensive training complex. It features 235 acres of rugged Texas back country as a venue for IUOE members to learn how to operate the latest technology in the heavy equipment, crane, pipeline, surveying and stationary plant domains.
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