CICB’s Houston Training Center Expands

With substantial job growth forecasted for Texas and the Gulf Coast Region over the next decade, Crane Inspection & Certification Bureau (CICB) has taken aggressive steps to tailor state-of-the art programs that match the area’s demand for highly trained and certified Crane Operators and Riggers.

The expansion of certification programs and classrooms, in addition to new equipment and dedicated lab areas, continues CICB’s mission to upgrade the skills and certification of the current workforce and provide a continuous pipeline of trained and educated workers entering the field.

CICB’s Houston training center, an approved testing site by the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operator (NCCCO), recently purchased an additional lattice boom crane, adding to their onsite fleet of cranes available for training and NCCCO certification exams.

The center has also invested in CM Lab’s Vortex training simulator to support its crane operator training and certification programs. The crane simulator is equipped with multiple large HD screens which display telescopic mobile and lattice boom crawler crane simulations.

The realistic experience of Vortex simulator training not only reinforces learning for the beginners, but also benefits the advanced operator with certification-level scenarios, comparable to a NCCCO exam. The instructor guides and monitors the trainees by controlling the exercises from dedicated interfaces, review performance, plot metrics, comment on progress, and trigger faults.

Headquartered in Orlando, FL since 1969 with a second training facility in Houston, TX, Crane Inspection & Certification Bureau (CICB) provides customized training for every type of lifting equipment and inspection services worldwide.

“CICB’s crane operator training programs now include theory, simulation, and practical training,” said John O’Connor, CICB’s Houston Manager and Career School Director. “Simulator training is a great way to bridge the learning gap, allowing students to hone their skills on a lift and build confidence in the controls, computer system and the crane.”

The center’s upgraded rigging lab houses applied training areas for load rotation, load drifting, managing the center of gravity of non-symmetrical objects, and rigging gear inspection. The facility also has dedicated lab areas for overhead crane operations, certification, and inspection; aerial lift operations and inspection; and, a future area for fall protection and communication tower rigging and safety.

“Building and maintaining a skilled workforce in critical job shortage areas, such as crane and rigging operations, is a top priority for CICB,” stated Craig Epperson, President and CEO of CICB. “Our expansion and investment in new equipment, along with our six Houston-based instructors who bring more than 159 years of subject matter expertise in all facets of crane operations, addresses the current and future skill needs of our industry partners.”