Complete learning curve for working with green machinery

Always up-to-date offer thanks to new leasing formula

Battery-powered tools are - or, if you will, are becoming - the new norm in gardening and landscaping. Whether you are an early adopter or prefer to wait and see first, eventually there is no getting around it. In order to introduce municipal green services, garden contractors and other green professionals to current technology always and thoroughly, the PCLT training center invested in a brand new machine package this year.

"Our ambition is clear," begins PCLT director Marc Ballekens. "We want to have not only the best instructors for our practical training, but also the best equipment. That means we have to bet heavily on cordless tools today. Whether it's brush cutters, hedge trimmers, chainsaws, leaf blowers or lawnmowers...: electric is the future in all categories." 

Partnership with manufacturers

Ballekens has been at the head of the PCLT for a year. In that time, he can not only put a brand new machine package on his record, but most importantly, a unique leasing formula. 

"In the past, our demo machines were purchased. As a result, it was not always possible to invest immediately in new technologies, and obsolete machines were therefore sometimes kept in rotation for longer periods of time. Because standards and machines evolve so quickly, there was a need for a new solution. Today, we have therefore entered into partnerships with manufacturers such as Stihl and Husqvarna. We lease the equipment from them and immediately receive the latest innovations. This way, our instructors and trainees can always work with the best machines and tools."

Five additional benefits of latest generation machines

In addition to the always up-to-date training and machine offerings, Ballekens highlights five other key benefits of the new collaborations and machine packages. 

"It's not just about innovation an sich, but just as much about safety, environment, noise, ergonomics and ease of maintenance. We all know by now that battery-powered machines are the most ecological solution. Thanks to their silent operation, they also allow us to organize training anywhere and at any hour of the day, without disturbing the residents and with increased comfort for both teachers and students. Since a quasi-collective back problem is the ailment of our time, we also pay a lot of attention to ergonomics in that respect." 

From newer and more complex machines, one might then expect a complicated maintenance approach, but according to Ballekens, the opposite is true. "Finally, the safety aspect is also a priority for us. Fortunately, you can rest assured that no machine on the market is less safe than the older versions. In other words, if we always have the latest tools in our package, we also always have the safest."

PCLT, deep in practice

Today, the PCLT has some 250 brand new, battery-powered machines. 

"These include brush cutters, hedge trimmers, tophandles and chainsaws, but also, for example, leaf blowers and grass machines. They are at the disposal of our 126 trainers who move all over Flanders to give green services and green professionals the necessary training. This can be both customized, being at the specific request of a green service or garden contracting company, or in an open offer, accessible to individual green professionals."

The training courses focus on the practical use and maintenance of the machines in question, but are also invariably preceded by a theoretical section. "The duration depends on the complexity of the machine. In any case, what is essential is that in the practical part, everyone can work with the tools in a safe manner." 

All training is eligible for the SME portfolio and the Flemish training leave. The EDU+ sector fund also provides financial allowances. In addition, training courses at the PCLT result in the necessary certificates of competence. "Among other things, we are recognized for taking the chainsaw ECC1 to ECC4 exams," Ballekens illustrates.