Wanted - Heavy Equipment Operators

Heavy equipment operators will have plenty of career opportunities in 2009.

Job opportunities for construction equipment operators are expected to be in abundance through 2012, due to the shortage of adequate training programs, according to the National Heavy Equipment Operators School. The National Heavy Equipment Training program is offered in two phases: distance learning and resident training. Resident Training requires a month of hands-on heavy equipment training, of which students are required to complete 201 hours of hands-on heavy equipment operator training in order to graduate. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, construction equipment operators held about 416,000 jobs in 2002. Jobs were found in every section of the country and were distributed among various types of operators. About three-out-of-five construction equipment operators worked in the construction industry. Many heavy equipment operators worked in heavy construction, building highways, bridges, or railroads. About one-out-of-five of all heavy equipment operators worked in state and local government. Others, mostly grader, bulldozer, and scraper operators, worked in mining, manufacturing, and utility companies.