Training

[DiggerDave]

Where did you get your training? Was it on the job or did you attend one of the courses offered by ACES or similar. I know one company offers training when you buy there machine but I wouldn't expect that to be a well rounded education in the locating trade.


Thank you in advance for your thoughts. I very much appreciate everyone's time on my newbie questions.

[Mke]

uhhh, school of hard knocks.

No training except for that first 4weeks of Ride along and painting. For sewer inspection I was trained for about....... a half hour. For fault finding I was told to watch one guy for a half hour then was supposed to pick it up. When you buy a GSSI GPR you get a week of training at their facility on the east coast.

mke

[GPGrasshopper]

Step one: Here is your locator.
Step two: Here is your keys and S-10.
Step three: Follow this guy around for a while and play Box Bit@%
Step Four: Here is a stack of tickets for you, have fun.

3 years later, after I learned on my own by researching everything I could, take an in house class to get a card that says I could do what I had already been doing for 3 years.

Is there a better way? (Asked with as much sarcasm as I can type with)

Wish I could help more... I can only hope the locators today were trained better than when I started.

[yahoo]

Utiliquest trained me.......pretty much like GP up there!!!!! hahahha that was a good one dude!!!

[GPGrasshopper]

Utiliquest trained me.......pretty much like GP up there!!!!! hahahha that was a good one dude!!!

Thanks Yahoo. I thought some of the guys probably were on the same program. You and I were probably in the same office briefly a few years back, depending on how long you have been there.

[ifinditunderground]

I worked behnd a vac-ex truck for the first three months. After that, I was a box bitch for three months. Then I was a survey rodman/instrument man for three months. After that I did a combination of all four things depending where the company wanted me. I learned everything by asking questions, listening to answers, observing, trying, making mistakes and learning from them, and practice. And then more practice. 15 years later, I'm still learning.

[UNIONLOCATOR]

We go through a 5 year apprenticeship. Only then, do go solo.

[headcipher]

We go through a 5 year apprenticeship. Only then, do go solo.

ROTFL I was solo the 2nd week. Ten months of floating between top locators areas and then thrown out to sink or swim. Then moved every 6 months to harder areas.

Classes always came long after I had learned what they wanted me to learn. Now they have it set as classes in conjunction with field as it should be.

I can't imagine being baby sat for 5 years though. THAT is messed up, and a waste of time and money.

[Mke]

hmmmm, I had to go solo after 4 weeks, cause my trainer was going on vacation. Weather I was ready or not, I was going to be on my own. Fortunately I was good to go by the 4th week. Then got the "your in a low damage area, we are going to put you in a high damage area" speech. Then miracles happened, the high damage area went down and the low damage area went up........ miricles i tell you.

He probably isn't just a "locator". Although, he probably was the one locating while the one overseeing him just watched and talked to whoever near by.

mke