WOODLAND, WASHINGTON, October 15, 2017 - The International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) and Industrial Training International (ITI) have finalized a purchase agreement that allows all IUOE member training centers and locals in the Union to access ITI’s Virtual Reality (VR) Crane Simulator library of content under one subscription agreement. Under the terms of the deal, IUOE’s per-user subscription price is progressively reduced as each new member organization joins the program.
Local training centers in California and Manitoba are among the first to incorporate the simulation library into their respective training programs, with rapid adoption expected throughout the IUOE member base. Interested IUOE Members can learn about the subscription agreement at www.iti.com/iuoe.
The ITI VR Crane Simulation library will be expanding substantially in 2018, with 8 additional crane types, localization features and enhanced learning management capabilities being added. The community of subscribers has also grown significantly with the addition of Mammoet, Bechtel, General Electric and more over the past month. Additionally, more than 20 organizations are involved in Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs) which contribute to the development of new training scenarios, situational environments and crane types. Learn more about the ITI VR Community at www.iti.com/vr-community.
Zack Parnell, ITI President & CEO, says that allowing IUOE members to experience the simulators first-hand has been the key to adoption for use in IUOE apprenticeship and beyond. “ITI VR was designed to revolutionize the way crane operators are trained, and there could not be a better and more important place to do so than through the incredible network of IUOE training centers throughout North America.”
Individual IUOE locals now have access to all hardware stations and joystick configurations relevant to their equipment training needs and can subscribe for the specific number of users that they need thanks to ITI’s simulation-as-a-service model. The ITIVR subscription allows its community of subscribers to benefit by accessing all new crane models and updates as they become available, at no additional cost.
The IUOE was excited to learn earlier this year that Bechtel, a global leader in engineering, procurement, and construction, had helped fund the development of 5 additional crane models including carry deck, boom truck, tower crane, overhead crane, and a heavy-lift crawler crane. This investment will also allow IUOE members to gain access to these crane models as they become available.
About ITI
Industrial Training International is a global leader in training and technical services for users of load handling equipment, and the maker of the ITI VR Simulator, the most widely-used VR training and assessment platform in the industry. In business since 1986, ITI provides hands-on instruction in over 75 countries and online at ITI.com.
About the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE)
The International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) is a progressive, diversified trade union that primarily represents operating engineers, who work as heavy equipment operators, mechanics, and surveyors in the construction industry, and stationary engineers, who work in operations and maintenance in building and industrial complexes, and in the service industries. Founded in 1896, IUOE today has approximately 400,000 members in 123 local unions throughout the United States and Canada. For more information about the IUOE, visit www.iuoe.org.