Crane Industry Services Hosts Open House, Power UP Workshop

Participants in the CIS PowerUP Workshop learned how to tie rigging knots, one of the most challenging aspects of the day’s activities.

November 6, 2018- September, Crane Industry Services LLC (CIS) held an open house at its new 8,892-sq.-ft. Centered on Safety Training Center in Carrollton, Ga.

Representatives from CIS customer Maxim Crane Works helped cut the ribbon on the new facility. About 40 customers, vendors, and members of the local business community attended.

CIS’s primary focus is training and certification for the crane and rigging industry. However, CIS also invests in the future of the industry by inviting area students to learn about careers in construction. The open house was followed by a one-day workshop that gave local 8^th-grade girls a chance to learn about construction professions.

“The girls really got into it,” said Debbie Dickinson, CEO of CIS. The students learned how to tie rigging knots and worked on crane operator simulators.

“They were working pretty hard, and they kept at it,” says Dickinson. About 10 girls took part, and several parents and educators observed.

CIS kept the number of participants low in order to track how much they could accomplish in a day and to give them meaningful learning. Though there was no written test, at the end of the day participants were given an oral test with an emphasis on safety. “They made connections about thinking through decisions and being aware of their decisions and surroundings,” Dickinson added.

Workshop participants were given personal protection equipment (PPE) including a job-approved hard hat and a safety orange T-shirt. “We talked a lot about safety—jobsite safety, PPE, and why you should wear this. We talked about how the construction world has changed. Once upon a time jobs were only for men because it took brute strength to do the job. That’s not necessarily true anymore because equipment is more sophisticated today. There was lots of interest in careers that the girls heard about during the workshop,” says Dickinson.

“I learned how to tie a bowline knot, how to give hand signals, how to control a crane, and rigging. I would recommend this to my friends,” said one student in her evaluation. “It’s a little place with so much to offer. It exceeded my expectations,” said another. A third participant said she is “going to keep the craning career an option for when I’m older.”

While the event “was all about the girls,” said Dickinson, she reported how important it is for parents to hear the message: Construction is a field with great opportunities for everyone. “They, too, were hearing about careers they’d never considered, and they were happy their daughters were being exposed to careers and great opportunities,” adds Dickinson