State Of Art Training For Kiwis In Construction Industry

New training simulators are helping Piritahi alliance train new recruits faster and more safely

With significant numbers of newly unemployed, and a civil construction industry set to boom, the future of training is brand new, state of the art simulation technology. Piritahi alliance is training people this way right now to help deliver the earthworks and infrastructure for NZ’s largest ever urban redevelopment programme. The technology will assist Piritahi with their ability to rapidly mobilise, deliver more work faster, and support the recovery of NZ’s economy. Piritahi will deliver over $1b of work over its lifetime and needs to triple its workforce over the next 18 months.

Local civil construction company and alliance participant, Hick Bros Group, has invested in three state of the art training simulators from Caterpillar (CAT). With a cab and controls set up exactly like that of the five heavy machines they simulate, they use software and virtual reality to assess a candidate’s baseline capability, train them how to operate the equipment and test their performance in a safe, rapid and standardised way. All before stepping foot on a construction site.

Training in this way removes the need to learn on real machines that are best utilised by skilled workers carrying out productive earthworks. The health and safety benefits are significant, as are the costs saved with the elimination of on the job learning ‘fails’ that commonly cause damage to highly valuable machines. “With unemployment predicted to increase, and an already under-resourced construction industry expected to receive additional government investment, these simulators have enormous potential to expedite the training and upskilling of workers to meet industry demands”, says interim Alliance General Manager and Piritahi spokesperson, Mat Tucker.

The simulators are currently set up in a dedicated training facility in Auckland’s North Shore and are being used to onboard new staff.

ABOUT PIRITAHI: Piritahi is an alliance of companies formed to speed up the supply of build ready land on behalf of Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities. They work within Auckland’s large-scale urban redevelopment areas where state-owned land is being better utilised for new warm, dry homes. Piritahi will deliver over $1b worth of land development and civil infrastructure over its lifetime, laying the groundwork for thousands of new homes, both state and private. Piritahi currently has active civil construction sites in Northcote, Mangere, Mt Roskill, Ōwairaka and Oranga. www.piritahi.nz.

© Scoop Media