NW-SCC plans forklift safety class
A Counterbalanced Sit-Down Forklift Safety Class will be conducted by AIDT on the Phil Campbell campus of Northwest-Shoals Community College.
The course, according to instructor Michael Reaves, is part of an effort to increase workforce readiness among local students as well as the under-employed.
“We’re working with the students in the industrial sectors, encouraging them to take this class because it’s no cost to the college students. It’s built into their tuition,” explained Reaves, project manager for AIDT. The course fits in with the mission of the Workforce Development Council, brining additional training to students who will soon try to enter the workforce, as well as adults who are having difficulty finding employment or changing jobs.
“It makes them more hireable,” Reaves said. “If there is an individual who is unemployed, they can come take this class and, a lot of times, go get a job the next day.”
The course will be offered Sept. 28, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Building 312, Room 2, on the NW-SCC Phil Campbell campus. Cost is $125 for non-students, and pre-registration is required because of limited seating – “but we can always schedule another class, if one fills up,” added AIDT administrative assistant Diane Singleton.
Reaves said although this course has been offered in the past at NW-SCC, this is the first time it has been offered on the Phil Campbell campus. He has been in contact with Franklin County students about offering the course at the high school level as well, coordinating with MiMi Wood.
On the Phil Campbell campus, the planned course has been well-received. One enthusiastic proponent is welding instructor Brian Keeton.
“I think it’s an outstanding thing,” Keeton said. “It’s great for my students because we want to give any upper hand we can give our students to get a job. That’s what we’re here for.”
A number of Keeton’s welding students will take the forklift safety course as a way to expand their skills and employability.
“That’s pretty much guaranteeing my students jobs,” Keeton said. Although being able to operate a forklift might not be the crucial aspect of a job, it could still be a required skill – to be able to move one’s own equipment and supplies around on a job site, Keeton said. Having that skill gives a job candidate a foot in the door. “The more we can arm our students, the better off they will be.”
The course is a combination of theoretical and practical instruction.
“They have so much time they spend in the classroom, and then they will have hands-on (instruction),” Singleton said. For example, “they have an obstacle course set up they will have to complete.”
As laid out by the course guide, the eight-hour class consists of four hours in the classroom and approximately four hours of hands-on. The class room portion covers a number of topics using videos, Power Point, written reviews, and questions and answers:
- Lift Truck fundamentals
- Stability, balance and capacity
- Preoperational inspection
- General rules of the road
- Safe load-handling techniques
- Refueling gasoline, diesel and LP lift trucks
- Battery charging and changing
There is a written exam at the end of the classroom session.
The hands-on portion will involve a preoperational check, followed by completing an obstacle course without any major infractions. A major infraction requires the trainee to complete the course a second time. The hands-on portion will be done on a LP powered lift truck.
“To drive a forklift, according to OSHA, you have to be certified,” Reaves said. “This class certifies individuals to drive the forklift, and when they get hired by a company as a certified driver, the only thing the company has to do is a check ride or an evaluation.”
North Alabama Works assistant director Stephanie McCulloch commended the program.
“I think it’s great. Anything like that is wonderful for our area,” she said. “I’m glad AIDT is partnering with (NW-SCC) to make that happen. Anytime we can enrich the skills of people in our area, it helps everybody.”
To register, or for more information, contact Singleton at 256-331-8043 or dsingleton@aidt.edu.
