Flagler Schools instructors show off the district's heavy equipment simulator
Flagler Schools instructors show off the district's heavy equipment simulator on Thursday. School officials say Flagler is the only school district in the state with the system.
One thing heavier than the backhoes and bulldozers used by students in Flagler Technical Institute’s heavy equipment operator program may be the demand for their skills.
As part of an effort to inform the public about the program and encourage students to consider a career as an operator, FTI officials last week displayed one of their newest pieces of high-tech equipment: a heavy equipment simulator.
Visitors to the Government Services Building on State Road 100 were invited to take turns behind the controls using the backhoe program on the simulator to try to put bucketfuls of dirt in the back of a dump truck.
This is a very needed program,” she said. “There’s a lack of a talent pipeline going into the industry right now and the construction companies all around are begging their people not to retire because there are no heavy equipment operators coming up to replace them.”
To ensure students are getting the right training to meet industry needs, an advisory committee comprised of representatives from local construction companies helped FTI officials develop the program.
