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Training: How do you assess what your trainees know?

Teaching or training is an art form. One of the biggest challenges facing teachers and instructors is discovering how well information being taught is understood.

7 ways mobile technology can be used for in-field safety training

Rapidly advancing mobile technology is opening up big opportunities for in-the-field safety training. Here are 7 ways in which smartphones and tablets can be used to enhance the training function.

The perils of unstructured on-the-job training

Plan for better training outcomes in your mine

In most mines, inadequate training tends to be invisible, until it is revealed in operational challenges. It then gets fixed in a reactive manner, in the field. Why not modify your training methods instead to produce better outcomes from the start?

Web-based training comes of age: An affordable, efficient solution for mine training

Web-based mine training has matured to the point where it offers mines a compelling, affordable way to deliver basic training to new hires and experienced equipment operators.

Is your mine training program crippled by these 10 hidden inefficiencies?

Now that cost-cutting is the norm in the mining industry, you need to take a fresh look at all aspects of your operations for ways to improve efficiency. Here are 10 hidden inefficiencies we see in many mine training programs:

Rethink training for today's cost-constrained mining environment

In light of today's unstable mine commodity market and current labor trends, it's time for mines to rethink training and labor development.

On-site training: Bandages only last so long

How are you approaching on-site training at your mine? If you rely on a training firm to come on-site, train and then leave every time you hire new equipment operators, is that cost-effective? Or is it just a bandage, a superficial, short-term solution to an immediate training need?

10 ways high-quality equipment training can save your mine money

Training isn't an expense but an investment in business improvement, productivity and increased safety. Our new report outlines 10 ways high-quality equipment training saves mines money.

Goldcorp's Day of Remembrance: A golden opportunity to rethink safety

Goldcorp doesn't just give lip service to worker safety - it's a core value that runs deep. It takes its safety culture so seriously that it shut down every operation and office worldwide for a Day of Remembrance.

VISTA supports the Mining in Society merit badge

VISTA Training applauds and supports the recent launch of the Mining in Society merit badge by the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME) and the Boy Scouts of America. This worthwhile workforce development initiative will hopefully attract young people to consider a career in mining as the industry faces a growing labor shortage.

Mining labor and skills gap will widen significantly, SME warns

SME recently updated its briefing, Workforce Trends in the U.S. Mining Industry. It paints a picture of an industry that will face some herculean workforce challenges in the next 5 to 15 years.

10 ways e-learning can improve mine safety

As mines continue to look for ways to cut costs and increase productivity, driven by instability in mineral prices and other economic factors, they need to look for ways to deliver training more efficiently. E-learning offers many benefits to mines and can also deliver a very attractive return on investment (ROI).

VISTA deploys innovative tablet-based solution for training in remote areas

In response to a client need, VISTA recently developed a mobile solution that not only delivers courses in remote locations, but also automates the process of maintaining training records in a centralized database.

TruckLogic™ wins both customer and peer recognition

The Gold Level Blended Learning Award VISTA recently received from the Canadian Society of Training & Development is the second one for which our TruckLogic haul truck operator training curriculum has been recognized. In 2011, it also received a President's Award for Operational Excellence from Suncor Energy.

Winter shut-down precautions for large mining equipment

Large mining machinery, like a world-class athlete, needs time to cool down at the end of a long run, even if the ambient temperature is downright frigid. Your machine needs to go through a cool-down period. Here's an effective winter shut-down procedure

Winter start-up precautions for large mining equipment

Starting up large a mining machine in cold weather can place a lot of stress on its diesel engine and hydraulic system, if not done properly. Here are some helpful tips on how to bring a machine up to operating temperature after starting it.

VISTA Training Inc. recognized with major award for training excellence in Canada

VISTA Training Inc., has been recognized with a Gold Award for Blended Learning from the Canadian Society for Training & Development (CSTD) as part of its 2013 Canadian Awards for Training Excellence for TruckLogic™.

8 common threats to haul truck tires (and how to avoid them)

Haul truck tires are one of the largest expenses for most mines. This means that improving their lifespan can not only save your mine millions of dollars. Here are 8 common threats to haul truck tires, and what you can do to minimize them.

Are your haul truck operators guilty of distracted driving?

Are your haul truck operators guilty of distracted driving? Several recent stories in the media illustrate the dangers of this growing problem.

Why a simulator alone is not a complete training solution

Mining equipment simulators need be integrated into a blended curriculum in order for them to be effective training tools.

VISTA Training launches 9 new Silver Series training programs, plus a convenient new pricing model

Blended learning: A more effective model for haul truck operator training (video)

Blended learning is a powerful tool for training new equipment operators, because it helps them to better retain key machine knowledge than other training methods. That was the core message of the technical paper VISTA Training presented at the recent Haulage & Loading Conference in Phoenix, which you can experience in this just-published video.

New technical paper from VISTA addresses key mine training challenge

Too often, haul truck operator trainees don't retain enough of the knowledge they learn during training. Blended learning shows a lot of promise as a tool to address this challenge.

Visit with VISTA Training at the 2013 Haulage & Loading Conference

If you're planning to attend the 2013 Haulage & Loading Conference in Phoenix May 19-22, be sure to stop by the VISTA booth and say hello. We'll have an exhibit there, where we'll be talking about the latest developments in our mining programs and services.

Facing a slow-down at your mine? Now's the time to step up training

Now is the time to manage costs more aggressively at your mine. But it's also an excellent time to redouble your investment in training. Here's why.

What's behind the worldwide decline in mine equipment performance?

According to the presenters of a paper at the recent SME Annual Meeting in Denver, worldwide mining equipment performance has declined by 34% since 2001. We believe a lack of training is one of the culprits.

Are the workers in your mine ignoring safety violations?

Is turning a blind eye to safety issues the same as a systematic cover-up, like the one that MSHA says took place at Massey's Upper Big Branch Mine? Not exactly. But the end result, unfortunately, is all too often the same.

10 reasons to hire a training firm with deep mining expertise

When it comes to hiring an outside firm for training services in the mining industry, you have two choices: Hire a generalist firm with some experience in many industries, or hire a specialist firm that has a deep level of expertise in mining. Here are 10 practical reasons why you ought to hire a specialist firm like VISTA Training that has a wealth of experience and expertise in mine training and operations - and can help transfer best practices from other mines to yours.

Training challenges in mining and commercial aviation have much in common

The mining and aviation industries face similar training challenges. Here's what VISTA is doing to address them in the mining industry.

The mechanic who cheated death

What do you do when a laborer doesn't take safety seriously in his job? This VISTA employee took matters into his own hands - and ended up saving a life.

Benefits of blended learning in operator training

Blended learning can make a tremendous difference in the results you can achieve with operator training, especially in a high-performance mining environment.

Article points to mining industry's labor challenges, need for innovative training

A recent article in The Globe and Mail, Canada's largest national circulation newspaper, draws attention to a looming labor shortage in the country's booming mine industry.

VISTA's TruckLogic haul truck operator training program wins Suncor President's Award

Suncor Energy recently awarded its training department and VISTA Training Inc. one of eight coveted President's Operational Excellence Awards for the implementation of the innovative TruckLogic haul truck operator training curriculum at its oil sands mine in northern Alberta.

The principles of adult learning - explained

For safety training to be effective, it needs to take into account how adults learn. That's the key message of an excellent paper presented in Professional Safety, the journal of the American Society of Safety Engineers. This paper is highly recommended reading!

Suncor update: Further proof of the effectiveness of the TruckLogic™ curriculum

The TruckLogic™ haul truck training curriculum has accomplished something truly remarkable at Suncor Energy: The reduction in the incident rate has held steady since the pilot program ended one year ago this month.

New VISTA Tire Care training program helps mines extend the life of their haul truck tires

Suncor achieves impressive results with TruckLogic

VISTA Training Inc. recently presented a technical paper at the 2011 Haulage & Loading Conference in Phoenix, Arizona that summarized the results Suncor Energy has achieved with its new TruckLogic haul truck operator training curriculum.

New research study says safety, operational effectiveness are top mine concerns

A recent survey of top-level mining executives worldwide shows that the major issues they're concerned about are aligned almost perfectly with the benefits that TruckLogic offers.

Innovative new haul truck training program helps to improve operator safety and productivity

Blended learning is crucial to operator retention

Mines are facing a major challenge in attracting and retaining haul truck operators. Here's how TruckLogic™ can help.

Why is there a need for mines to rethink haul truck operator training?

A number of factors have converged to create a need for a new model of haul truck operator training. In this blog post, we'll take a look at some of those factors, and explain how they are driving the need for a more comprehensive blended learning curriculum.

Helping haul truck operators understand how they fit into mine operations

Many haul truck operators don't understand how their actions affect the rest of the mine's operations. In fact, the way they interact with dozers at dumps and lifts and with loading equipment at the production face is critical to the mine's productivity.