The Southwest region is now into its 8 month of C-Craft training for entry level formwork craftsmen. The program was born out of a need within our industry to provide specific training for individuals entering the trade with little or no experience in the construction of concrete frames.
C-CRAFT training modules are a blend of classroom instruction, videos, and supervised hands-on activities covering a wide range of topics from use of Personal Protective Equipment to Flying and Setting of Panelized Formwork Systems. Rick Martinez, Ceco’s Western Division Manager of Safety and Training explains that a few of the primary goals of the program are to improve safety awareness, competency skills, productivity, Ceco Loyalty and Job Satisfaction.
“I have found the most gratifying part of the program is the feedback we are getting from our field employees. They are excited about what they are learning…. and are asking what the date and topic are for the next session” explains Rick.
Steve Niblett, Regional Superintendent for the SW Operations, says that he has already begun to see the benefits in the field where entry level employees are utilizing the techniques being taught in the training sessions. These employees are feeling comfortable with taking on more of a leadership role when they are presented with activities they have learned in C-Craft. “I feel this provides an advantage over on the job training because we are able to give step by step instruction where time is taken to fully explain the entire process without the pressures imposed by an active jobsite. The employee leaves with a much better understanding of not only how but also why we do things in certain ways” comments Niblett.
While C-Craft is generally taught at an off-site yard facility, it can also be done at jobsites when it is not practical to set a full system up in the yard. Recently Ceco’s team set up a system mock-up at the San Diego Rental Car Facility and trained crews on safety and installation processes. “This allowed us to not only train our crew but also to work some of the unforeseen bugs out of the system and avoid last minute fire drills” said Mark Hopper, Ceco’s jobsite foreman on the project.
While C-Craft was originally thought of as a solution for training entry level craftsmen in open shop markets where training through the union is not available, the advantages of specific training to our industry is now being carrying into Union markets as well. One such area is Seattle where Ceco is in the process of setting up a classroom and an outdoor training area. “I believe if we do not take this to all regions, Ceco will be missing a huge opportunity” says Rick.
Ceco is currently in the process of adopting C-Craft in other regions based on this success in the Southwest. For more information on how C-Craft can benefit your project, contact Ceco today.