TRAINING
Respondents with difficulties recruiting lifting operators
were asked what they do to address these difficulties. The most common response, by some distance, is to train existing workers to take on these roles. Yet almost seven in 10 respondents (69%) reported that some staff in lifting operation roles on-site have gaps in their skills and knowledge of behaviours. Only 29% of respondents said their staff in lifting operation roles are all fully proficient. One must hope that the non-proficient staff members perform lifting operations only rarely; yet, worryingly again, it was respondents in firms whose main activity was the use of lifting equipment who were most likely to report that at least some of the staff in lifting operation roles have skill gaps (79%). The clear and obvious lesson is that more skills must be imparted. The way to impart skills is through training. What then is the state of training, in the UK and elsewhere?
There are also retention issues: 58% of firms
struggle to retain lifting operators. Challenging environments (36%) and competition for skilled staff (16%) have been given as reasons. Gaining the right skills, says the report, is a major part of the problem: 69% of firms report skills gaps. The main causes include new hires (66%) and lack of ongoing training (46%). Nor is that all. The digital revolution is changing the skills that are required in crane operators. Put crudely, familiarity with digital systems, connectivity issues and all things that can go wrong with software are now as important as manual dexterity and precision – especially since automated and semi-automated systems now routinely handle such previously manual skills as anti- sway control, precision in placing loads and the like. Around a quarter of respondents reported difficulties in getting people with the required IT or digital skills. Ninety percent of firms expect lifting operators to need new skills within a year. Despite that, only half of the firms interviewed provide at least annual training. Barriers include lack of time for both staff and management. Over a third of respondents reported a lack of communication skills (39%) and of management or supervisory skills (34%). More worrying still, 22% of firms found it hard to recruit workers with basic skills in literacy or numeracy.
Play it by ear Training in recent years has changed. Training used to be through apprenticeships, generally on-the-job. With years of experience, it produced the highly skilled operators who, working only by eye, feel and ingrained knowledge, could manipulate heavy levers to move loads without swaying them and deposit them again with pinpoint accuracy. Today crane operation has become more digital. So
too has training. There is face-to-face classroom-based training with a teacher or instructor; but there are also video call courses; there are online courses that can be completed at the student’s own pace at his or her own home or place of work; and there are full-blown virtual reality simulators that can reproduce – in fine detail on
ITI provide classroom- based as well as online and simulator training.
Konecranes have teamed up with ITI to provide training.
www.hoistmagazine.com | November/December 2026 | 31
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