STOCKTON, Calif. – Imagine trying to learn a new skill next to a busy freeway as big rigs, cars and motorcycles roar by. That isn’t the best or safest setting for focused training.

With worker safety and more effective training in mind, Caltrans has built an outdoor training center at District 10’s Stockton campus.

The setting brings everything you’d find on the roadside to a quiet environment – free of roadway safety concerns.

For now, the training center is focused on using and repairing remote irrigation control systems and other irrigation work, but it has the potential for classes in everything from electrical work to pruning and planting.

Caltrans officials said the center is available for use to other districts.

In the latest Caltrans News Flash, maintenance workers attend a class at the training center, then repair a pipe break.

The center allows the trainer to simulate a pipe break and repeat the exercise if needed, something you can’t do on the roadside. The center has many stations, including pumps, flow sensors and a cistern. Workers like learning in this comfortable setting. Their supervisors say good training builds skill and confidence, which boosts morale.

With the additional funding from Senate Bill 1, projects are being accelerated. More culverts, potholes, signals and bridges are being repaired and replaced. Caltrans has a growing need to train maintenance workers, and the new training center is an innovative solution.

For more on the Training Center and Caltrans’ water conservation efforts, see Pages 13-15 at http://www.dot.ca.gov/milemarker/docs/MM-2017-Q3.pdf.