Nevada School of Construction hosts CCO workshop

The largest CCO Practical Examiner Accreditation workshop ever held by the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) was hosted May 22-24 by the Nevada School of Construction (NSOC) in Las Vegas, NV.

A total of 30 candidates from 17 states attended the mobile crane workshop, which included first time student examiners, as well as refresher and re-accrediting examiners.

As sponsor of this event, NSOC provided the location, cranes and meals for the 3-day workshop. “Crane operators are in high demand,”said Debra Forbush, NSOC campus president. “One national company has hired about 15 of our graduates and one of the largest national mining companies is also a client.”

NSOC, a member of the National Association of Heavy Equipment Training Schools (NAHETS), was established in 1959, and has been operating in Las Vegas for the past three years preparing students for jobs in heavy construction, including crane operation. The school boasts over 250 years of collective experience among the instructors, and claims a national reputation for graduating operators in the construction industry.

Forbush said the crane operator training program had been a positive addition for the school and its students. “We stress safety, safety, safety!”she says, and claims safety and attitude are the two contributors to success - a belief reflected in a sign on her office wall which states, “Attitude is everything; pick a good one!”

Since January this year, Nevada has required crane operators to be certified. CCO certification is a part of the NSOC graduation requirements. Forbush noted that, with the new legislation in effect, emphasis on becoming certified had intensified. “Employers use our school as a resource to locate new talent, and our graduates use our school as a springboard to find employment nationwide,”stated Forbush.

The NSOC facility comprises a training site as well as classroom space. For hands-on training, NSOC has a Link-Belt RTC-8030 mobile crane on site in addition to other heavy construction equipment. A small telescopic crane (boom truck) was rented for the workshop so the students would have an opportunity to meet the small telescopic hydraulic crane type requirement.

Feedback from the NCCCO Workshop had been very positive, Forbush said, and she noted that she has already had several inquiries from potential examiner candidates for a repeat event.

The expanding Las Vegas skyline is currently dotted with a veritable forest of booms and jibs representing multiple crane types, working on the latest construction projects.

Forbush said NSOC was a good choice for the workshop, since Las Vegas will clearly need more certified crane operators as growth continues and the demand for crane operators rises. “People stop on the freeway and take pictures of our city because of the unique construction scenes,”