West Virginia University’s Appalachian Hardwood Center will offer a six-day Certified Logger Training Program beginning Monday, Oct. 24, and running weekdays through Monday, Oct. 31.
“The logging workforce is undergoing a transformation and requires new well-trained people to provide raw materials to help traditional forest products industries and help new green energy facilities to grow and prosper,” said Ben Spong, a WVU Extension Specialist with the AHC and one of the event’s organizers.
This Certified Logger Training Program provides an excellent introduction, including basic logging skills training and the required training for certification by the state.
“With this training and certification, you will be well positioned to start a career as a logging professional,” Spong said, recommending the training for anyone who is “underemployed, a private forest landowner, a student and most anyone else interested in the field of logging.”
Training will include an industry overview, a look at best management practices for logging, CPR and first aid training for loggers, equipment operation basics, OSHA compliance training for loggers, chainsaw operation and safety.
Participants in the course will receive: instruction and hands-on training; personal protective equipment including chainsaw chaps, hard hats, gloves, boots, and other supplies; payment of initial West Virginia Division of Forestry Certification application; and networking opportunities and job placement assistance.
There are no enrollment costs for this program, which is being offered with the support of the US Department of Labor, Workforce WV and the West Virginia Community and Technical College System. Participants will be required to get to and from the primary training location, the MeadWestvaco Natural Resources Center at the West Virginia University Forest, and to provide their own lunch. Prospective participants should keep in mind that the training will feature difficult working conditions on uneven ground in all weather conditions.
While the course is free, space is limited, and enrollment will be on a first-come, first-served basis. To register, please contact Ben Spong at 304-293-9425 or ben.spong@mail.wvu.edu.
The training, with funding coordinated by the West Virginia GREEN-UP Council, will be offered again in the Elkins area in December and in the Princeton area in March of 2012.
-WVU-
dw/10/05/11
CONTACT: Ben Spong, Appalachian Hardwood Center
304.293.9425, ben.spong@mail.wvu.edu
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