New forklift course offered at ECC this fall
A new forklift operator training course offered by Elgin Community College is aimed at increasing and enhancing employability for truck drivers and warehouse workers.
The two-day, one-credit course will be offered in fall 2017 at the ECC Center for Emergency Services, 815 Plank Road, Burlington.
This credit course, which ECC is the first in the area to offer, is beneficial for truck drivers who may need to use a lift truck over the course of doing their daily jobs and for warehouse workers seeking to attain promotion within their companies. Students can choose from two weekend options for the course.
One class will be held on two consecutive Saturdays, Sept. 16 and 23, and a second will take place on two back-to-back class days on Friday, Oct. 20, and Saturday, Oct. 21.
Each course section includes 14 hours of training-which is more training and learning hours compared to other area programs. Students will spend 11 hours in the classroom and three on the lift truck. By the end of the course, they will learn how to safely operate a forklift, perform pre-operation safety inspections, use safety principles and identify hazards, safely operate a lift truck, prevent accidents, and properly retrieve and store loads.
All training follows guidelines set forth by OSHA and ANSI for the safe operation of lift trucks. Students will earn an operator's certificate after passing a multiple choice test and demonstrating successful operation of the lift truck.
The cost of the course is $131 for in-district residents. ECC has joint agreements with College of DuPage, College of Lake County, McHenry County College, Harper College, Triton College, Kishwaukee College, Oakton Community College, and Waubonsee Community College that may allow students at those colleges to take the class at in-district rates.
To register, new students must complete an online application at www.elgin.edu/apply. Be sure to select "Certified Forklift Operator" as your program of interest. For more information, contact Don Anderson, truck driving program director, at (847) 214-7317 or doanderson@elgin.edu.