York County school offers workplace training — without the heavy machinery

For years, Chad Forry prepared his students for the commercial driver's license test through discussions and readings. They'd talk about the mechanics of a forklift, for example, but they never actually drove one.

That has changed, thanks to a simulator — a forklift-sized computer that at first glance looks like an arcade racing game.

“Seventeen-year-olds, even 16-year-olds, can be trained on this,” the Northeastern High School teacher said.

The simulator offers all the experience of driving a forklift, he said, without the inherent dangers of turning the keys over to a teenager.

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According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, it is illegal for minors to operate a forklift. While Forry's students graduate with a certification from his class, he said employers sometimes have to retrain them when they turn 18. 

“This is just going to give them a leg up on that,” he said. 

Junior Leo Griffin said he took the CDL class to get the training. When he is certified, he said, he thinks the test will be easier after taking the class so he can “jump right in.”

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The CDL certification is his fallback: Griffin wants to join the Marines., but having a the license is a marketable skill.

“Almost anything in industrial work, if you have a forklift certification, it is a bonus,” said the high school's principal, Mathew Gay. 

Forry said the skill is useful across many industries, including in metal companies. The school's metal teacher, Brad Schaefer, is also trained as a CDL instructor because it comes up often enough in the industry. 

Forry's passion is getting students employed, which was why he started the program and an annual job fair. This year's fair will be April 4 and will be open to adults and students from other schools after 3 p.m. 

There are plenty of industry jobs locally, Forry said. 

“The kids don’t have to go far,” he said, noting the ubiquity of warehouses across York County. “Let’s train kids for jobs in our school district.”

Even if the students decide to go to college, Forry said, they can use the CDL training to find jobs to help pay their tuition. Another advantage the simulator has over a forklift, Gay pointed out, is that there are fewer challenges, such as the cost of maintenance and gas and finding a place to store and use the vehicle. 

The training also teaches students about driving safety. 

Forry said people often don't realize how dangerous a forklift can be. 

"They are like three times as heavy as a truck — like your [Ford] F-150," he said. "Kids have to realize it's serious."

When forklifts flip, Forry said, people can die.

Locally, a man recently died after a forklift collapsed on him at J&K Salvage. In 2019, a man died in Lancaster County after he was pinned underneath a forklift. 

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Forry is currently learning to use the simulator and figuring out how he may need to update his curriculum so the forklift and driving simulator can be used simultaneously during his classroom or homeroom periods. He also allows students to train during their free time, provided they have nowhere to be and have already finished their work. 

When the simulator is in use, the operator gets a full view of the setting they are in, such as a warehouse. 

“It sets it up like a video game,” Forry said. 

There are engine noises, a horn — the simulator even beeps when students put the forklift in reverse. It comes equipped with toggles on one side of the simulator to represent the toggles that newer forklifts use; older forklifts use levers. The simulator is programed with multiple situations and environments to operate in and will remind users of OSHA requirements, such as putting on a seatbelt. 

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Griffin said the simulator is pretty fun and it felt like he was in the warehouse. Another student, 17-year-old senior Bryson Haugh, said it gave him the feeling of driving a real piece of machinery. 

— Reach Meredith Willse at mwillse@yorkdispatch.com or on Twitter at @MeredithWillse.