SCHOHARIE, N.Y. (WRGB) — How does virtual training translate to real-world results? CBS6 had an opportunity to experience the answer to that question firsthand, after testing out state-of-the-art heavy equipment simulators at Capital Region BOCES this past winter, and then operating an actual machine a few months later.
Thanks to a National Grid Workforce Development Grant, Capital Region BOCES acquired four heavy equipment operator simulators at its Schoharie campus in 2022, according to a release, and another two – new for 2025-26 academic year – at the Career and Technical Education Extension Center in Albany. Back in December, students showed CBS6’s Olivia Jaquith how to operate the simulator, which allows students to switch between several different pieces of machinery without leaving the chair.
“I see the benefits when they go out in the operational field, and they were able to perform a task that I wasn’t quite sure they might be able to attain right away based on their skill level,” Capital Region BOCES Heavy Equipment Instructor Matt Millard told CBS6 at the time. “But the practice in that room shines out there.”…