Hey, at the time it was my duty. Could have swam North on the Detroit River to get you fair country but the US side of the River was way too polluted. Now both sides are blue water.
I like Canada, Labatt's Blue and Candians too! I met a lot Canadians when they would come over to see what Lord Stanley's cup looks like in Hockeytown! (LOL) Grew up watching a famous Canadian play w/o head gear & lots of padding at the Olympia Stadium - Gordie Howe!

John, you hit the nail on the head with `students who don't want to learn`
People take it what they want to learn. If someone really wants to learn, they will retain the info. The online courses will help the ones who want to learn at their own pace, be it slowly or fast tracked.
On your Draft issue, I cant imagine how rough that would be to sent to another country in horrible conditions...at such a young age!
It`s one thing to volunteer, (like a few thousand Canadians did) in Vietnam, Korea, but to to told to go overseas to fight and possibly lose your life...that`s rough.

MECH

Don't get me wrong. I was not belittling your statement. I know where you are coming from. Are there those indididuals who really do not want to be there? Most certainly however those people usually get fired after I fail them for not paying attention and thereby failing the course. Companies are shelling out good money for proper training, and in my case, they rely on me to provide the proper training, and report on how there staff performed in a sincere manner. Any disruptive staff, and they are forewarned at the start of the class by me, can very well lose their jobs if they do not show any consideration into the overall success of the session.
Fortunately, I do not run into that issue, not recently anyhow. I simply do not believe in online training for forklift operators. I do not train WHIMS, waste hazard, but maybe whims can be trained online. Safety is safety. We all want to go home smiling at the end of the day. Maybe the decision makers would go home smiling if they saved the company a few hundred dollars by providing online training but once someone gets injured or killed, the smile will be wiped off their faces in a sudden hurry.

RayTech,
Your reference to online training on how to repair something on how it teach peopel to do things, it is some what true maybe up to 80% true. Many online fix & repair procedures (or in written repair manual) do not take into account what it takes to remove & properly reinstall an componemt. They often say or state simply remove & inspect the faulty item and reinstallation is just a reverse procedure and omit many other details, like torques specs, special tools required etc. With live instructions & then hand on doing it you get the opportunity to get a complete education. It is always a good idea to give a pre test (don't make it too easy) before the training session starts & give the same test at the end of the class to determine what & how much was learned. A simple bar graph on key points covered is a good thing easy to understand and send a copy to the person who is paying your training invoice. The "disruptive" students tend to pay more attention in class, your invoice are processed quicker and you increase your chance to coming back.
Oh, live discussions both the students and instructors can learn from each other.
This is all difficult to do on line.
Since training or skill improvement is training what i stated above can be this applied to almost any training program - operator, sales, product sales, etc. etc. An hands on is always the best way to learn - it all cannot be done out of a teext book or on line (an electronic version of a text book)

Many years ago when I was in college I had a two hour lecture class (Political Science) via video screen with a live but monotone professor - 1. boring 2. My rear got real tired after 50 minutes 3. no chance to ask questions 4. I learned & retained very little but just enough to get a "C" - my motivation to get a C was to stay in school long enough to earn a degree and not get drafted into Uncle Sam's Army too soon until my mission was accomplished & receive an all expense paid vacation w/the promise of 3 hots & a cot to Southeast Asia (Vietnam).

When you trim portions out of a sentence, you basically change the entire statement.

Yes, a trainer/instructor is the most important link in the chain, especially if qualified to address issues specific to individual facilities or areas of industry.
But I also know that "live" training classes can sometimes be derailed by disingenuous students who don't want to be there to begin with. Having 1 or 2 of those in a group can waste time and change the mood of the class.

Online training per se does not address queries of the nature cited, but that is where you, the trainer comes in.

I simply meant that if someone wishes to learn as much as possible, online sources can be as beneficial as having a DVD tutorial to watch, or a manual to read..........whenever one wants.

"Online tutorials or classroom instructions can certainly be important modules in the process to become a competent operator"


Not so sure about that. I get asked a gazillion questions when I do my training, especially about concerns regarding their particular facilities where they operate their forklifts. How does online training address their queries?

Hmmmmmm
Would I want my heart surgery done by a medical staff who had only online "training"?
Online tutorials or classroom instructions can certainly be important modules in the process to become a competent operator, but by themselves simply cannot substitute for "hands on training".

Were talking about how bad an idea is, to surf the net and get taught how to drive a lift properly...like it cant be done.
However, people who know very little about fixing lift trucks are getting valuable info, online, from us. They are fixing the trucks by `surfing `online and getting the information from us!
And you said it couldn't be done!

Think about this: if you go to court or give a deposition will you be able to defend your training? If you follow OSHA 1910.178, ANSI/ITSDF B56.1, PAL, CALOSH, MIOSH, and as many safety organizations and forklift manufacturer's training recommendations as you can find then you will be able to defend yourself and your employer. Training should consist of formal instruction such as classroom instruction, written materials, videos, exams, discussions, hands-on including pre-shift inspection and driving skills evaluation, etc. The more you document what you do the better. Yes you can surf the internet about how to drive a forklift but you may kill yourself or someone else without the proper training. Just like you can read about how to swim but you may drown when you jump in the lake.

Online courses are fantastic at answering questions like what's a monotrol pedal on a Hyster? What does the SAS light on the dash of my Toyota lift truck mean when it comes on? What's that big red button at the end of my handle on a Clark walkie style truck do? Online courses are fantastic at motivating people as well. I have seen many engaged and excited people at a computer terminal taking online courses! I change my thought process and priorities many times after reading someone's Facebook post... NOT. Can we please stop accepting the easiest path as being "good enough"? Can we please care about the intent behind any training law, it's not to have proof I faked training. The intent is to help our operators make better choices on a daily bases improving their chance and their co-workers chance to make it home every night to have supper with their families. And not end up in an emergency room or the morgue. If all you care about is PRETENDING to be in compliance with workplace law as cheaply and quickly as possible... GO ONLINE!

I'm doubtful any certified trainer would accept completion of an online course as substitute for their own theory learning material.

You can buy anything off the internet. Buying a doctorate from qualificationsrus.com don't make you no doctor.

Thinking about taking that online brain surgeon course. Who wants to be my first patient?

Yup online training is just for theory part and for attaining the basic knowledge about the loading instructions and allowances. But i think you also have to give the practical training just like the Driving test to get the valid forklifter's license.

Yes it is available online. obviously, a driving test is needed as well but the classroom theory can be given online. Too many drivers dont even know what the load capabilities are. They think nothing of picking up 2 skids of water that weigh 6000 lbs!
even experienced drivers cant tell you what the max load rating is.
Online theory might suit some people better than a packed classroom with a boring monotone instructor!

Forklift operator training online? I'm confused?

That's like learning to swim by reading a book about it.