Here’s What You Can Expect in Crane Operator School

Blog, Crane Operator, Uncategorized

If you’re trying to find ways to increase your income, what that often means is furthering your education. It’s a good idea to constantly be striving to improve yourself, learn new things, and get yourself qualified for new tasks, especially if you’re looking to make more money.

What new skills you decide to learn depends on your area of interest; perhaps you have an interest in heavy construction, or already have a background in construction and want to take that to the next level. If so, you should consider getting a certified as a crane operator.

Why Crane Operator School?

Whether you’ve been thinking about becoming a certified crane operator for a while, or you are considering it for the first time, you might be wondering if it’s actually worth the effort. We’d say it definitely is, for several reasons!

First among these is the obvious benefit to your income; payscale.com states that the average salary for a Crane Operator is $24.42 per hour. Not bad! Of course, as your experience improves, that number should only go up. Businesses are be looking to hire certified crane operators; for them, it’s important to meet the necessary regulatory requirements that have resulted from past crane accidents.

There’s more to it than money, too, of course; the better training workers have, the safer any given construction site will be. Accidents are usually the result of human error, and human error is often caused by improper training. Getting yourself certified at a reputable crane operator school will dramatically reduce your chances of onsite accidents.

What Will I Learn in Crane Operator School?

So you’re interested in getting yourself certified as a crane operator, but you’re probably wondering what exactly that entails. At West Coast Training’s Crane Operator Program, you’ll actually earn not one, but 9 different NCCCO certifications.

The NCCCO, or National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators, is a nonprofit organization founded to develop effective performance standards for safe crane operation. They offer a wide variety of certifications, and the ones you’ll study include the Fixed Cab Hydraulic Crane, the Swing Cab Hydraulic Crane, the Lattice Boom Truck Crane, the Lattice Boom Crawler Crane, the Boom Truck Fixed Cab Crane, the Service Truck Crane, Rigger Level 1, Signalperson, and Tower Crane Operator.

With all of that training, you’ll walk out of school highly qualified and highly employable.

What Kind of Training is it?

At West Coast Training we stress the importance of hands-on training. While receiving your NCCCO certifications does require written tests, it’s important to spend as much time as possible handling actual cranes under the guidance of experienced, professional teachers.

You’ll spend at least 50% of your training time actually working in the field with the various types of cranes you’re being certified in. You’ll practice rigging loads, using various attachments, and learn troubleshooting and OSHA safety requirements.

When training for any task, it’s critical that you learn by doing and that you have access to experienced, certified instructors from whom you can ask as many questions as you need. West Coast Training’s Crane Operator School will ensure that you get the training and experience you need to be a success in the workplace.

Will it Qualify Me For the Real World?

Of course, it’s one thing to practice with cranes in a controlled, regulated classroom environment, but it’s quite another to apply the skills you learn to the real world. West Coast Training’s Crane Operator School not only stresses hands-on training, but also realistic situations like the ones you may experience in the field.

For example, you’ll learn the ins and outs of assembling cell towers, also known as tower erection. Cell phone towers are ubiquitous and after you get certified, you’ll most likely find jobs constructing them. West Coast Training knows this, and will lead you through every detail of safely building a cell tower using cranes. You will actually do it, ensuring you are comfortable with the process.

You’ll also learn some of the more complicated tricks that experienced crane operators know, such as tandem lifts. This is when two cranes have to work together to lift a particularly large object, and it can be both challenging and dangerous if you are not trained properly.

There are other, equally difficult jobs you’ll practice until you’re comfortable; for example, blind picks. This is when you have to assemble vertical concrete piping without being able to see! You’ll be guided by a signalperson, and ultimately you’ll practice both operating the crane and doing the guiding, and receive certifications for both.

Why West Coast Training?

If you’ve made the decision to go to crane operator school, congratulations! You will, however, need to decide exactly which school you wish to attend. West Coast Training has the benefit of being an NCCCO approved testing facility and Training Provider. OSHA has been moving closer to making NCCCO certification mandatory for all crane operators; getting the 9 certifications that West Coast Training offers will improve your employability now, and improve it even more when these certifications become mandatory nationwide.

West Coast Training’s Crane Operator School also offers the benefit of small class sizes. They understand that schooling is a somewhat expensive investment and you aren’t paying to simply sit around waiting for your turn to handle the equipment. For this reason, each class has a maximum of six people operating the school’s 12 cranes.

This means everyone will be working with the cranes at the same time! No student should find themselves sitting around and waiting their turn because there aren’t enough cranes to go around during their valuable time in the field.

At West Coast Training’s Crane Operator School, you’ll also spend about half of your time in the classroom, preparing for the written tests the certifications require. You’ll learn about the most up-to-date OSHA requirements for safety in the workplace, as well as how to stay abreast of the latest technology crane operators make use of. You’ll receive homework and reading material each day.

For more questions or to sign up, contact us today!