Manitowoc Cranes sponsors exam calculators

In support of the USA’s National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators’ (NCCCO) policy of providing calculators for certain CCO written exams, Manitowoc Cranes has agreed to provide 10,000 calculators for candidates’ use.

Basic calculators are supplied for CCO Mobile Crane Operator Specialty Exams, Digger Derrick Operator, Rigger Level II, Mobile Crane Inspector, Mobile Crane Lift Director, and Tower Crane Lift Director exams.

Larry Weyers, president of Manitowoc Cranes said, “Manitowoc is delighted to show its support of CCO certification programmes and the safety benefits that certification brings. This important sponsorship opportunity demonstrates Manitowoc’s commitment to NCCCO’s primary mission of promoting safe lifting practices.” Under the terms of Manitowoc’s sponsorship, candidates will be permitted to keep the calculators after completing their exam(s).

Since the policy allowing calculators on specific tests went into effect three years ago, NCCCO has given away over 45,000 calculators to certification candidates. For security reasons, only NCCCO-supplied calculators are permitted on CCO examinations. Candidates using computer-based testing are provided with an on-screen calculator.

NCCCO began allowing calculators on specific exams following a study conducted by International Assessment Institute (IAI), the company that provides test development and administration services to NCCCO. The study, The Effects of Calculator Use During NCCCO Testing, concluded that, while the use of calculators would not be appropriate for use on basic maths questions contained in CCO Core exams, their use would be supportable on load chart calculations used on CCO Specialty exams.

Manitowoc was the first sponsor of the NCCCO calculator programme and, to date, has provided more than 30,000 calculators for use by CCO candidates. Manitowoc’s calculator sponsorship is only one part of their support of NCCCO’s 20th anniversary.

“We’re delighted that, in NCCCO’s 20th Anniversary Year, Manitowoc has once again agreed to make this major investment in support of CCO certification,” said NCCCO Commission chairman, Ellis Vliet. “NCCCO strives to maintain the highest possible standards of quality, integrity and fairness in testing, and our calculator policy, which permits candidates to keep the calculators for use in their daily work, is directly in line with that goal.”