If You Are Looking For Certification – Make Sure It’s Accredited

Generally speaking, heavy equipment training is well regarded with most training organizations taking the time to undertake accreditation. There are, however, some people who offer to deliver training without any training credentials at all. Gaining certification under those circumstances will almost result in an expensive yet worthless piece of paper.

If the training organization is accredited then you know that your certification is going to be recognized by potential employers nationwide. This is important, particularly in areas such as crane operator training where state legislation has made certification compulsory before you can work in that field.

So what is accreditation? This is a process where training organizations meet a set of minimum criteria. These standards include the material taught, the qualifications of the trainers, the type of equipment used in training, and a standardized set of assessments. In the latter, that is important since this means that all training organizations are assessing students for common skills.

If the organization meets the minimum standards set (and they are high standards) then that training organization can deliver training, undertake assessments, and issue national certification documents.

One accreditation body is The National Center for Construction Education and Research or NCCER. They have been accrediting training organizations since 1995 when it was established by 11 of the world’s largest and most progressive construction companies and several national construction associations.

Before you undertake any form of heavy equipment training, check the training provider to ensure they are accredited and that the certification they provide is recognized across the nation. This will ensure that on completion of your training, you will have a valuable document in your hands instead of a very expensive piece of scrap paper.