Bulldozer School in the Good Old Days

Came across this old archive British Pathé clip again on You Tube this weekend, and figured it would be great to pop it on the blog.

The footage from 1956 shows men being instructed on how to operate bulldozers and heavy plant, and in this instance, a crawler loading shovel from Allis Chalmers at a dedicated training facility in Feltham, Middlesex.

Its classic British Pathé material from the bygone era when Britain was Great in every way and the narrative of the time is real “Mr Cholmondley -Warner” stuff, just like the spoof character created by Harry Enfield in the 1980’s.

There is not a CPCS card in sight, nor any Hi-Viz clothing as the lads are taught about good practices and the hazard’s they might encounter out in the real world. It may all seem a bit “Tally Ho” but we really could do with getting back to some form of training like this, with the ever-looming skills shortage we face today. It needs to be funded too so the operators and potential operators are not facing crippling financial charges.

In addition, today, once you have gained your ticket, in my opinion it should be for life, not having to stump up more money every 5 years like we all have to do these days under the current CPCS regime, what do you think… Discuss.