Make Training Stick Beyond 2026

AsphaltPro’s 2025-2026 training guide offers tips for educating your new and veteran workforce

Just as no two workers are alike, no two workers will learn or retain information in the same way. This makes the process of training employees to design, produce, place and test asphalt mixes more complex than it appears on the surface.

Train the Way Your Workers Learn Best

A host of college prep sites and psychology studies show there are some common denominators for retaining what you learn. First, they suggest students talk about what they’re learning right away, and for the AsphaltPro 2026 Training Directory, those students are the members of the asphalt workforce.

Ameritech College of Healthcare has a list of methods that help college students retain knowledge, and No.1 on the list is teaching the new information to another person. To explain a concept to someone else, you must truly understand it yourself. PsychoTactics.com stated “learners” retain about 90% of what they learn when they immediately turn around and teach it to someone else.

You would probably like to have your breakdown roller operator retain 90% of what she learns about the new AI-enhanced system and how it will increase your chances for earning a few bonuses in 2026. That means you should encourage the roller operators to talk about what they’re learning when the dealer or technology consultant is on site helping get everyone up to speed on the new tech. Don’t be afraid to have the supervisor engage them in conversation about what they heard in a session at the state asphalt pavement association (SAPA) conference, during an online webinar or what have you.

A study conducted in 2024 by the J. J. Keller Center for Market Insights found that 67% of managers surveyed would consider using VR training. Photo courtesy of J. J. Keller

This is why the team members of AsphaltPro Magazine encourage companies to use the Asphalt Paving 101 online course in a group setting. Get everyone to talking. Whatever program you use for your crew training, make sure there’s time for everyone to discuss it. Give workers time to teach one another some aspect of what they’re learning. Of course, the training director will want to monitor that to be sure everyone understands their material correctly, but this is a great way to build the team in more than concepts and techniques.

Another point the Ameritech College of Healthcare suggested is to focus on one topic at a time. This is exactly how one Midwest contractor uses the Asphalt Paving 101 online course. He shared that on rainy days, the crew goes to the training room, opens the program and selects which of the eight modules they want to review. That gives them time to focus their attention on one set of lessons, which is another point Ameritech College of Healthcare likes. “Take time to learn bits and pieces, rather than rushing through reams of material,” the advice listed.

However your crew members learn best is the way to go. By setting them up to retain what they learn regarding the best practices of our industry, you’re setting them up to bring your company its best construction season on record in 2026. That also depends on finding the right training for them. It’s not as simple as typing “asphalt training” in a search engine and hoping for the best; that’s why we compile a listing of information from our partners, as well as training articles, in our annual directory. You’ll find all of that in the next few pages.

On the Cover: The AsphaltPro 2025-2026 Training Directory features a scene from the newly launched Construction Safety for Drivers & Equipment Operators Onsite Training Service from J. J. Keller & Associates Inc., Neenah, Wisconsin. The service is designed to enhance job site safety and OSHA and DOT compliance through consultant-led training that’s configurable to a company’s specific equipment and risks.

Prove Training Worked

Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), SAPAs, entities like the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT), national organizations and industry consultants host events geared toward training all levels of employees. When a company owner, human resources (HR) officer or training director sends workers to an event for education, that manager expects a return on the investment, but that isn’t an easy metric to measure. Some schools offer a certificate, proving the student was in attendance. Some offer a certificate proving the student passed an exam or met a specific standard of understanding.

For example, the Hydraulic Institute offers a course titled “On-Demand Pump and System Components Training,” during which students take periodic short quizzes to confirm their understanding of the product-neutral instruction. The Institute also offers a course titled “Variable Frequency Drives Training” that provides the student with 1 professional development hour (PDH) credit at the end.

Another example is the paving certification that attendees of the Rocky Mountain Asphalt Conference and Equipment Show (RMACES) can attain if they attend a specific track of classes during the event. When I took that track several years ago, it required students to score well on simple review quizzes after each class.

Various OEMs offer challenges for equipment operators to prove their mettle and most trade association conferences, like the Association of Modified Asphalt Producers (AMAP), offer education tracks or sessions that allow attendees to register to receive PDH credits as part of their application process. There are ways to prove employees have taken in knowledge at different events if you don’t already have a process in place for workers to return and share their newfound skills or information.

Find Best Training Opportunities for Your Workers

Keep in mind, this training directory acknowledges more than the plethora of online-based education, in-person schools and conferences, and bringing product and technical experts to the company headquarters or a job site for group training. In the past few years, contractors have had the opportunity to purchase or rent equipment simulators and virtual reality training systems for use at their own locations. These options speak to the contractor who considers not just the way an employee learns, but also the company’s budget for training.

For example, J. J. Keller & Associates Inc., Neenah, Wisconsin, released virtual reality (VR) training as part of its J. J. Keller® Training online solution earlier this year. Accessible with a compatible VR headset, the new training format allows learners to navigate realistic simulations of safety and compliance situations they may encounter in their jobs. Another simulator-based training program comes from CM Labs Simulations, Montreal, Quebec, with the launch in March 2025 of its Intellia Single Drum Roller Simulator Training Pack. The roller training integrates with CM Labs’ Intellia training platform and joins a catalog that includes training packs for motor grader, dozer and excavator.

Now let’s look at a few of the educational opportunities from OEMs who have partnered with AsphaltPro Magazine, thus making it possible for us to bring this directory to you. Make sure you let them know you appreciate them supporting AsphaltPro, thus your business, when you reach out for more information or to register your team members.

A quick refresher on basic skills could mean the difference between a bonus and a deduct. Make sure you sign up for AsphaltPro’s Toolbox Tips before your next tailgate talk. Photo courtesy of Caterpillar

Astec Industries offers a number of schools, including its new Astec Digital Customer School, which focuses on an exclusive, hands-on experience in either advanced Drumtronic sessions or the PM3 sessions. See the ad on page 47. Get more information here and check out the full list of customer schools in burners, paving, materials solutions, online training and more available here.

Blaw-Knox offers The Blaw-Knox University to provide training for paver operators and foremen on proper paver operation and maintenance. The classes are held in January and early February each year, but seats fill quickly the previous autumn. See the ad on page 51. Details and registration can be found here.

CONEXPO-CON/AGG offers hundreds of panels and seminars in its education sessions portion of the industry’s largest tradeshow and convention. The event takes place March 3-7, 2026, at the Las Vegas Convention Center and surrounding facilities. During the tradeshow, AsphaltPro Magazine will have a robust “Ask the Expert” schedule at booth GL30901 in the grand lobby of the convention center where anyone—regardless of their badge status—can stop by and ask their paving, production and lab questions of our industry experts. Watch our editorial pages for that schedule! See the ad on page 60. Details and registration can be found here. Use code SAVE20 to get 20% off your registration fee.

Gencor Industries offers the Gencor Training School for plant personnel. The classes are held in January and early February each year, but seats fill quickly the previous autumn. See the ad on page 49. Registration is open until Dec. 15, 2025, here.

Top Quality Paving & Training (TQP), Manchester, New Hampshire, is owned by John Ball III, who has partnered with AsphaltPro Magazine staff to create an online course of back-to-basics employee, maintenance, paving and compaction training modules, advertised on page 40. Aside from this course, Ball offers in-person training at association meetings and alongside crews for contractor companies. See his ad on page 62. Get online course information and view a sample of free videos here. Get information about Ball’s TQP consulting services at tqpaving@yahoo.com.

The Wirtgen Group offers a variety of courses geared to customers and to dealers at its Wirtgen America Center for Training and Technology (CTT) at the company’s Antioch, Tennessee, campus. See the ad on page 53 and check out a listing of courses and seating availability here.

Not all OEMs and service providers offer financial support to an industry publication’s training resource, but they still offer information that could be of use to professionals in the asphalt production and paving industry.

For example, in the crushing and aggregate-processing space, Martin Engineering, Neponset, Illinois, has hosted free webinars monthly for the past few years in its Foundations™ series. Those reside on its website on demand, offering similar instructional topics as those you’ll see listed for Superior Industries’ OptimizeU new learning platform, launched in May 2025. An aggregates manager doesn’t have to operate Martin or Superior equipment to access, view and apply the knowledge to his operation.

In the “office” space, Deltek hosts a six-part series of online, on-demand classes designed to guide contractors through the transformation from standard accounting methods to construction-specific accounting methods, using its own programs.

In the heavy building materials space, Command Alkon and Trimble are among those who offer training for their customers each year. Command Alkon’s Fall TRAININGdays event takes place Nov. 3-6, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia. The experience is designed specifically for system users and administrators, offering hands-on learning, access to product experts, and the chance to engage with peers from across the industry. Trimble’s Dimensions User Conference takes place Nov. 10-12, 2025, in Las Vegas, offering Trimble leaders, customers and supply partners a chance to explore together key technologies and ideas that impact the construction, engineering, architecture and geospatial sectors.

In the earth-moving space, John Deere now offers its customers learning experiences that provide focused training on John Deere earth-moving equipment, led by John Deere product training experts. The three-day in-person training courses taking place in December 2025 provide operators with hands-on operations time on the equipment.

The OEMs and service providers mentioned in the three paragraphs above require the attendee to be a user of their products to learn the nuances; and that makes sense. But there are other educational opportunities, sometimes close to home, that offer best practices and general knowledge of systems “similar” to those discussed at an OEM’s training facility. I’m talking about SAPA conferences, regional contractor meetings and state department of transportation (DOT) seminars.

We can point to three among the many SAPAs for examples. The Asphalt Paving Association of Iowa (APAI) hosts a variety of educational opportunities for its membership, including its Design Lunch and Learn “Pavement Rehabilitation Solutions” that took place May 21, 2025. The session was hosted both in-person and virtually and PDHs were available to attendees. Another SAPA that hosts virtual meetings is the Hawaii Asphalt Paving Industry (HAPI). Outgoing HAPI Executive Director Jon Young shared, “HAPI Shorts lunch time lessons launched in July 2020 to satisfy people’s appetite for asphalt knowledge.” Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association (CAPA) partners with the Rocky Mountain Asphalt Education Center (RMAEC) and has, since 2022, worked with the Women of Asphalt Colorado branch to provide an annual training academy for women, and men, in the state. Check out that article on page 20. It’s as easy as making a phone call or sending an email to discover what monthly or quarterly education offerings your SAPA might have available in addition to annual meeting education.

When you check in with your DOT, you may find a surprising list of free education opportunities for your workforce. It behooves the DOT to work with contractors to ensure everyone is using best practices. In the state of Florida, FDOT offers free webinars on Build America, Buy America (BABA) compliance, FHWA’s Manufactured Products Waiver, Design for FDOT and Consultant Designers, and many other topics of concern to contractors. In Colorado, CDOT offers free webinars on Construction Bond Assistance Online Training, Traffic Control Supervisor (TCS) Certification, Small Business Certifications: From Application to Opportunity, and many other topics, again, of concern to contractors.

Near the end of 2024, Caterpillar Safety Services announced a five-session “MindShift for Leaders” training program that introduces participants to the principles of human and organizational performance (HOP) and helps implement the principles to enhance workplace safety. The virtual sessions are structured to encourage participants to begin thinking and acting differently about how they lead and manage safety. Photo courtesy of Caterpillar

Make Training Stick

Whether you find your perfect set of seminars in your backyard or online, finding continuing education for your crews is vital in today’s ever-changing workforce. Many of the concepts and technologies introduced to workers at different industry events, at an OEM training school, at the SAPA annual conference and so on can stay with your team members after the training sessions when you bring the knowledge back to the rest of the team through continued training back at headquarters.

Think of it as building a “train the trainer” program if you wish. Turning freshly educated workers into trainers in the lab, control house, mechanic’s shop or field could pay dividends in the upcoming season.

If you spent thousands of dollars sending employees to various industry conferences in 2025, you may be trying to justify additional training to bring new workers up to speed in 2026. The teachers and trainers will help your workers the best they can and will offer tips and tricks for retaining information. Put those new skills to use right away and let the newly educated share their knowledge as teachers and trainers, too. You may be surprised at how well the best practices and new technology use “sticks” when you let workers teach one another what they’ve learned.

Tips Are Always Available | Don’t forget the pre-shift tailgate talk is an awesome way to impart quick-n-easy back-to-basics skills or reminders to workers. AsphaltPro Magazine has been emailing a weekly Toolbox Tip to our audience for years and has compiled all those tips into a library here. To sign up for the tips each week, visit here.