ACPA Hosts First ATA Training Workshop

On June 7, the day before the opening of the World of Concrete trade show, the American Concrete Pumping Association hosted its first-ever Train the Trainer workshop. Train the Trainer workshops are part of ACPA’s improved Operator Safety Training and Certification Program, which launched in 2020. Referred to as “Certification 2020,” the program expands on its mandatory safety training requirement for certification and adds greater integrity to the certification testing process.

“The ACPA is excited to launch the Train the Trainer program as part of Certification 2020, which will elevate the quality and effectiveness of the industry’s operator training program,” says ACPA executive director Christi Collins. “Due to the pandemic, the program had to be tabled, so there was a lot of enthusiasm surrounding the first workshop, which consisted of 24 attendees from 20 ACPA member companies.”

Authorized Training Administrator

Train the Trainer workshops will allow participants the opportunity to become ACPA Authorized Training Administrators (ATAs), who are authorized to train operators for ACPA Operator Certification.

Certification 2020 offers three paths for an operator to achieve certification:

• An in-person ACPA seminar;

• the online Click Safety portal; or

• via an ATA.

Companies that want to pursue the ATA route may either designate a person from their company to go through the ACPA Train the Trainer course that teaches the proper way to administer ACPA operator training and certification, or they may hire an ATA by contacting the ACPA National Office. Fees will be charged if using an outside ATA. There will be a one-time cost to go through the Train the Trainer program, but it allows a company to train all its operators at once, or individually as needed.

Participants who earn their Level 1 ATA certification can train operators at their company and proctor the operator certification test. Level 2 ATAs are paid presenters companies may hire to come to their location to train operators.

ATA Eligibility

Any individual meeting the following criteria will be eligible for participation in the ACPA Train the Trainer Program:

• Possess a minimum of three years’ experience in the concrete pumping industry, which can be fulfilled with any combination of the following:

  • operating a concrete pump;

  • materially participating in the management of a concrete pumping company’s operations; or

  • acting in the role as the ACPA member’s designated safety director.

OR

• Has demonstrated a broad understanding of the industry and the safety rules being presented to the ACPA committee.

The ACPA’s next Train the Trainer workshop is scheduled for October 17, 2021 in conjunction with the Operations, Safety & Maintenance (OSM) event in San Antonio, Texas. For more information, visit www.concretepumpers.com.