An operator trainee attempts to straighten a pallet stack while training with Ives in Macau, China.

North America-based Ives Training Group is crossing cultures to provide forklift training in China, Japan, Spain and Dubai.

The company just completed nine days of forklift and aerial lift operator and 'train the trainer' programs in Macau, China.

"This is a first for us and we are just over the top about it," says Rob Vetter, Ives' technical director and Forkliftaction.com News' Safety First columnist.

"I'd be willing to wager that there are very few, if any, North America-based equipment training providers that have delivered programs in China," he adds.

Vetter explains that a US-based client provided a positive reference for Ives to the company in China.

The anonymous Chinese client, a "very prominent [player] in the live entertainment business with extravagant productions worldwide", ordered five days of operator training on counterbalanced forklifts, aerial boom lifts and scissor lifts.

After that, four of the nine attendees joined Ives' 'train the trainer' program covering, among other things, regulations and standards, instructional techniques, communication skills and training and evaluation forms and procedures.

Vetter says Ives considered the different training environment in China.

"Certainly, we have to do our due diligence on the local regulations, then familiarise ourselves with any cultural issues and, of course, the language barrier.

"We didn't have any issues in China as the attendees were Australian and American, but in Japan, we will be going through an interpreter which is going to be a real challenge."

Ives has been asked by the Chinese client to conduct four more programs in Macau and operator training and 'train the trainer' programs in Japan, Dubai and Spain in 2008.