Trackable, User-Friendly Training Achieved with Irth

In 2019, Ontario One Call started the search for a self-motivated learning program for the office staff of excavators and infrastructure owners to increase knowledge, clarify misinformation, and improve skills for safer digs. As Canada’s only legislated one call center, they wanted to stay ahead of the game. 

Ontario One Call looked for inspiration from several U.S. one call centers, including California 811, Texas 811, JULIE (Illinois), and UDig NY. Inspired by the learning courses available for industry stakeholders through some of these organizations, Ontario One Call sought a similar solution and started the RFP process. 

The team wanted an enjoyable user experience, flexibility in the tool and the data they could extract, user sign-up tracking, the ability to deploy hybrid training to offer in-person and online training, and the potential to create a revenue stream. 

While Ontario One Call had a rough idea of what they wanted in a training curriculum to improve excavators’ outcomes, they didn’t have the scripts or content. 

Irth checked off all the boxes Ontario One Call had in their evaluation process. 

Finding a partner who understood their needs and had experience working with clients in similar situations was vital for Ontario One Call. After seeing the success of UDig NY and the ability to track training, Ontario One Call wanted the same results. 

With Irth Training & Operator Qualifications, Ontario One Call has a user-friendly training platform with: 

• Custom curriculum: Irth connected Ontario One Call with a third-party training curriculum provider to ensure the first training module exceeded their expectations. 
• Intuitive user experience: It’s easy for users to sign up for, purchase, and complete training, and it provides a valuable return on their investment. 
• Hybrid training capabilities: Ontario One Call can offer online or in-person training using the same platform. 
• A turnkey and flexible solution: Irth’s Training & Operator Qualifications is adaptable to Ontario One Call’s needs as new training methods and modules are needed. 

The Ontario team has seen an increase in trainees each year, surpassing 2,500 annually. With a user-friendly platform, Ontario One Call can deliver a lot of training content, such as how to register for the one call system, account set-up, applying for locates, troubleshooting, and more. As Ontario One Call’s team identifies new training needs, they can easily update the program. 

A safe dig starts with an accurate dig ticket. Ontario One Call delivers up to 6 hours of training per user through Irth’s Training & Operator Qualifications, which are critical to starting excavations with a properly completed dig ticket. 

While accurately tracking reduction in damages due to locator training is challenging, users and infrastructure owners have reported more accuracy. 

"Irth and the Coursettra team has been a critical partner in our team’s success. Rather than a limiting factor, we discuss how the tools at our disposal, helping us move from win to win.”

Jeff Hitchcock, Education & Training Program Manager/Ontario One Call 

Established in 1996, Ontario One Call is a public safety administrative authority that regulates the public locate industry and the only one call center legislated in Canada to support the Ontario Underground Infrastructure Notification System Act. They play a critical role in protecting underground infrastructure with a locate request system that links infrastructure owners and individuals who are planning to dig in the province of Ontario. 

Ontario One Call communicates “dig safe” and “click before you dig” messaging to educate the public and protect Ontario communities from harm caused by damages to underground infrastructure.