The first cohort of students has been busy learning through the new heavy equipment operator (HEO) course at the 麻豆传媒AVeast College鈥檚 Estevan campus.聽
Eight started learning April 26. They began with two weeks of safety courses and associated studies programs, and now they鈥檙e into the actual HEO curriculum course work and the simulator operation.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 been going really well,鈥� said Sheena Onrait, the college鈥檚 manager of marketing and communications. 鈥淭he students seem to be really excited about the program, excited that they鈥檙e the very first 鈥� class that the 麻豆传媒AVeast College has for this program.鈥�
Six weeks of classroom time and six weeks spent in the field are provided for each cohort. The program is recognized by the Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association.聽
During the classes, the students learn the operations of a number of pieces of heavy equipment, such as a grader, excavator, front-end loader, rubber tire hoe and other commonly used machines.
鈥淭hey learn safety, mechanical operation, maintenance and those kinds of things,鈥澛爏aid Onrait.
The simulators are a highlight of the program, as they allow the students to experience the operations. 聽
When Onrait was in a session last week, one student was using a simulator to load a truck, so he was digging with a backhoe and filling the truck repeatedly.聽
鈥淚t times you and it grades you, so it grades your simulation work, and you have to get a certain percentage before you pass that equipment,鈥� said Onrait. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very cool and integrated, and a very interesting way to get experience with a piece of equipment, without actually being on the piece of equipment.鈥澛�
The simulator offers different degrees of difficulty, from easy to hard, and can include different settings, including darkness, rain and snow.聽
鈥淓ach of those things makes it increasingly challenging, because you鈥檙e not always in perfect weather conditions when you鈥檙e working outside,鈥� said Onrait. 聽
There are eight simulators in the classroom, so each student could be on their own simulation machine, working at the same time. And they could be doing eight different pieces of equipment as well.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great technology piece that we鈥檝e been able to add to the Estevan campus,鈥� said Onrait. 聽
The college has two great instructors, Shane Dawson and William Cartier, who are excited to get this program underway, and they鈥檙e experienced HEOs with lots of years in the industry.
鈥淲ith having two instructors, we鈥檙e able to really maximize (our resources), and then have one instructor working in the field with the students, and one instructor taking over the classroom with the new cohort that鈥檚 coming in.鈥澛�
With eight students and two instructors, the ratio is low as well.
鈥淲e鈥檙e currently still recruiting for cohort number 2 and 3,鈥� said Onrait. 鈥淲e plan to offer anywhere from three to four programs a year. So three this year, with it being the first year, and then we鈥檙e hoping to get to four in the subsequent years.鈥� 聽
Students who are part of this class are from Estevan and the surrounding rural areas, but the program has generated interest from throughout the province.聽
鈥淲e do expect that as the word grows and the word gets out provincially (interest will increase),鈥� said Onrait. 鈥淭his is an industry-recognized program in Saskatchewan, and we of course have been in partnership with Saskatchewan Heavy Construction right since the start of this. We expect to draw students right from all over Saskatchewan into this program.鈥� 聽
Other programs like it in Saskatchewan are much shorter in length, she said. They might have simulators, but not to the same degree as what the college has. 聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 great to have a program like this in Saskatchewan. It鈥檚 very different from any other program in Saskatchewan,鈥� said Onrait. 聽
With new programs, they never know what kind of response they will receive. But the college did a lot of research and planning with the job market before embarking on the HEO class.
The current cohort will be in the classroom from April 26 to June 4, and then they will have field work from June 7-July 16. The next cohort will start June 7 with the classroom portion, and continue until Aug. 27. The final cohort will be July 19 to Oct. 8. While one group is learning in the field, the next group will be learning in the classroom.聽聽
