WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Building Smarter Crews drills and other support equipment across fiber, underground utility and overhead electric jobs.
Participants log in under individual credentials and complete task-based modules aligned with their roles. They train on simulator exercises that match the equipment they use. Beyond the training itself, the simulator generates high-quality reporting that gives Sellenriek a way to document development and evaluate performance. Those insights help reinforce common standards across crews, roles and regions. Woodward said simulation also reveals operator habits early.“ Simple things like seatbelt use show up right away,” he related.“ You can see how someone approaches the machine before they ever step into the field.”
For a multi-state contractor, that kind of visibility matters. It creates a more consistent way to assess behavior, verify readiness and reinforce expectations across crews that may rarely train together in person. It also helps Sellenriek develop operators without putting unnecessary wear, downtime or risk on live production equipment.
Reinforcing Standards
BUILT is not meant to stand alone. It serves as the baseline within a broader system designed to keep instruction consistent when foreman expectations and coaching styles vary. The layered approach extends beyond in-person sessions and includes microlearning modules, internal videos and learning management tools that help reinforce the same operating standards between formal training events.
For a dispersed contractor, that kind of reinforcement matters because consistency across states depends less on one annual safety meeting than on steady communication through multiple channels.
At Sellenriek, training is built around four directives: safety, quality, maintenance and production. The order is intentional. Production is not treated as a
During simulation training at Sellenriek, participants complete task-based modules aligned with their roles, completing exercises that match the equipment they use.
standalone command pushed ahead of everything else. It is treated as the outcome of getting the first three right.
The philosophy fits the realities of the company’ s work across fiber installation, overhead electric distribution and underground utility construction. Safety reduces exposure in high-risk environments. Quality, with a clear emphasis on both Quality Assurance and Quality Control, helps prevent mistakes, callbacks and rework. Maintenance supports equipment condition, reliability and uptime.
When those areas are reinforced together, crews are better positioned to deliver consistent production across jobs, regions and machine types. For fleet and equipment leaders, that framing matters. Upskilling is not only about lowering incident rates. It is also about reducing unnecessary stress on machines, improving uptime and helping operators perform more consistently, whether they are working in the ditch, in the cab or from the bucket. In that sense, Sellenriek’ s model connects training directly to operational performance.
Culture Is the Multiplier Sellenriek’ s approach shows that training at scale can’ t depend on years of experience alone or on a single annual event. It has to be structured, measurable and reinforced across locations, supervisors and crews. Simulation makes that possible with consistent training, in the same scenarios, delivering the same expectations and performance standards across crews and locations.
Upskilling a multi-state workforce requires consistent training, clear accountability and a culture that supports safe, repeatable performance across crews and regions. It also requires training methods that can scale with the work itself. That also means using downtime strategically and reinforcing pre-operation inspections and other routine behaviors that influence safety and equipment performance long before a machine goes to work.
For Sellenriek, that work has become part of how the company supports safety, consistency and operational performance across a growing footprint. At the end of the day, the companies best positioned to meet the workforce challenge will be the ones that train more intentionally as they grow.
Devon Van de Kletersteeg is a Product Growth Manager at CM Labs who leverages his engineering background to focus on addressing real-world training needs with simulation technology.
22 l May-June 2026