There are a variety of Forklift Academy classes available to companies looking to get their employees trained to be designated forklift safety trainers. You’ll find everything from one-hour, online courses to week long classes. The type of training you choose should match your needs and the requirements set out by OSHA for training an operator to become a forklift trainer.

The key to successful forklift train the trainer training is to ensure that trainees will be qualified to conduct an evaluation of an operator. This requires an evaluation that can be observed under the same working conditions that operators will experience in the workplace. A qualified trainer can do this, however, only if the trainer has received formal and practical training themselves.

Driving Excellence: Advancing Your Career with Forklift Train-the-Trainer Certification

Generally, online forklift trainer training is conducted by forklift dealerships or a 3rd party such as a staffing company or agency. These online programs are generally PowerPoint slideshows or videos and include quizzes and a final exam. However, the downside to online courses is that they only fulfill the formal instruction requirement for operator-trainees — they do not fulfill the practical evaluation requirement.

In general, in-person forklift train the trainer classes are held by technical schools or colleges. To find out if they offer these classes, start by doing a Google search of “tech school + your city” or “colleges near me.” If you cannot find a course in your area, then consider traveling to a nearby community college. In most cases, these courses last for up to two full days and are a more intensive training course that focuses on practical skills and the actual operation of various types of forklifts.