Workers are always needed to do jobs that fall into the skilled trades category. These jobs include plumbing, masonry, carpentry, masons, plasterers, painters, glaziers, and any of the building trades. With more construction projects underway with a demand for more residential and commercial buildings, there is an increase in jobs for those who are trained in skilled trades.

A skilled tradesman or tradeswoman must undergo hands-on training and have experience in their field, so they can ensure that they do the job properly and to specification. To be a skilled tradesperson, one usually goes to a trade skill or vocational skill to get the needed skills. These are jobs that once required an apprenticeship to get into the field.

Other skilled trades include riggers, heavy equipment operators, electricians, general maintenance and repair workers, CNC machine tool operators and programmers, machinists, and many other jobs.

The Outlook

Job growth in the skilled trades is higher than in the workforce in general and these jobs also have higher than average salaries. If you have graduated high school, or if you have served in the military and you are now looking for a career, a job in the skilled trades could offer you a rewarding career. There are dozens of options, so there is bound to be a job in a field that interests you.

Getting The Proper Training

Associated Training Services (ATS) offers hands-on training in the construction and heavy equipment industry. Since 1959 the school has trained many workers to take on jobs in the skilled trades. Training programs prepare students for jobs in these fields:

• Crane operators
• Riggers
• Signalperson
• Heavy equipment operators
• Truck driver training
• Directional drillers

ATS offers financial assistance and participates in the GI bill. ATS has two national third-party credentials through the National Center for Construction Education & Research and the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators. To learn more about the programs, call (800) 383-7364 today.

Mark your calendars, Associated Training Services will be holding a Skilled Trades Career Fair on August 15th, 2019 from 10:00 am – 2:30 pm at the ATS training grounds. The Wounded Warrior Project & TEAM Rubicon will be benefiting from this event.

“Skilled Trades” refers to a number of occupations that require specific hands-on skills, such as machinists, welders, heavy equipment operators, laborers, commercial truck drivers, and electricians.

These occupations are a critical part of the nation’s workforce and play key roles in the field of manufacturing, construction, and repair.

Please RSVP to Jeremy at jeremy.w@atsdigs.com.

You may also visit Facebook for up to date details about this event. We look forward to seeing you.

It was 1977. Fresh out of high school, with not a clue of what to do in life. A friend calls; they’re building a highway down south and they are hiring!

Another boiling hot South Texas summer; day after day of 100+ temperatures.   But thanks to youth and being in the best shape of my life, a job outdoors was exciting!

Besides, the pay was a whole lot better than anywhere else.  It was twice the minimum wage back then.

TALK ABOUT EXCITING!

My friend and I show up on the job site; an interstate highway through several South Texas counties. We both got hired; both driving scrapers.  The foreman said, “only the best of the best could handle the scraper.”

And I believed him: 15’ tall and over 30’ long; mountains of steel on giant rubber tires.  A scraper looks a lot like a big truck and trailer, with a cab out front that turns independently of the trailer.  But that is where the comparison ends!

Behind the cab is a huge steel trailer, with an open box like a dump truck in the center.  Below the open box is a side-to-side blade, that the operator raises up and down. And scrape it does…when the operator drops the blade, it scrapes long strips of dirt from the earth and into the open box. From there, the operator drives the scraper to another part of the project, lines the scraper up, and opens the door on the bottom of the box to lay out a line of dirt as he drives along.

I spent 3 days riding shotgun with a trainer, on the roughest seat I had ever felt (he had air-ride)! Then I was on my own…on top of the world!

SOUTH TEXAS DIRT

Because the dirt was so dry and hard, the scrapers of that time, even though they were massive machines, could not pull the blades through the dirt without some help.  That help was the “push cat”.  The push cat was a bulldozer with no blade; it had a huge metal bumper on the front, and it did what the name suggests…it pushed.  The scraper driver pulled into line, dropped the blade, and waited. First, you heard that big Allison V-12 bulldozer engine wind up, and then you would feel the push cat meet the back of the big metal bumper on the scraper.  It was hold-on time; that big dozer would push you along, and the scraper operator had to watch for the box to fill up with dirt. Then, the round trip began all over again.

It was hot and it was dusty, but it was one of the greatest times of my life!

Today’s scrapers are more powerful, with enclosed cabs and air conditioning on some. Even so, for a kid just out of high school (or anyone looking for a satisfying job), it is an adventure that should not be missed.

Today, there are heavy equipment schools, where you can learn how to operate any kind of heavy equipment.  There were not any schools back in the ’70s.  Check it out…put some adventure into your life!

There are a great many ‘home renovators’ and amateur ‘garden designers’ in amongst us and over the years they have gathered together an array of skills. The question is, can they build on those skills for a heavy equipment career? It is important to understand that just about anyone can find a career in heavy equipment with the right training. Those that have been involved in the workplace, or home activities like those mentioned, bring with them a wealth of skills and knowledge.

There are pluses and minuses to this. Yes – there are minuses. Sometimes we need to untrain individuals of bad habits they may have picked up over time. This is done by training you in the right habits. Having said that, there are a great many benefits to be had by coming into heavy equipment with a few life and trade skills. These include:

Patience – having the patience to know that jobs need to be done in the correct order to achieve a result.

Tool knowledge – heavy equipment operators need a good knowledge of hand tools. Attachments may need changing, minor repairs, and perhaps even changing a tire – these all require the use of hand tools.

Safety awareness – workplace safety is a priority issue in today’s modern workplace. Having a basic understanding of workplace safety helps to rationalize any safety issues specific to heavy equipment operations.

There are many other skills that an individual develops in life that they can bring to a career in heavy equipment. You certainly don’t need to be a youngster to start training although being young at heart certainly helps. Heavy equipment careers are for everyone – all that is require is the desire.

Did you know that our military services used heavy equipment like bulldozers? Did you also know you could have a military career as a bulldozer operator? You can and you can fast track your initial training if you gain a qualification and experience before signing up to the military.

There are two ways to enter the military as a bulldozer operator. The first is to sign up, do the complete basic training then request a transfer to the heavy equipment division. The second is to sign up as a trained and experienced bulldozer operator. You will still need to undertake the basic training.

A career in the US Army, for example, can be an exciting one and can take you to many places around the world, even as a bulldozer operator. Although your specialty skill will be as a bulldozer operator, you will still be considered a part of the infantry. This means learning the basic skills that all soldiers possess, namely, handling weapons and working as a team under attack.

Bulldozers are not the only heavy equipment used by the military. They also use crawlers, wheeled tractors, scoop loaders, motorized graders and towed or self-propelled scrapers. Undertaking training and gaining some on the job experience is the easiest way to get a foot hold into the military.

If a career in the military as a heavy equipment operator sounds good then check out the heavy equipment training options that are available through ATS Heavy Equipment Operator schools.

Heavy equipment careers are there for the taking right now with the demand on operators steadily rising. What is interesting is the world wide shortage of qualified and experienced operators. Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the Middle East are all experiencing operator shortages and those vacancies are often being filled at our expense.

I should qualify the above statement by adding that overseas interest is only in qualified operators that have had several years experience in their respective industries. Not that I am trying to dampen your enthusiasm for travel. However, if you don’t undertake quality training you will never gain the experience required and the appropriate references to verify your experience.

More importantly, this drain of talent is opening doors for the next generation who are looking at heavy equipment careers. There has been an added demand on skilled workers with the economic recovery packages that have increased funding for roads and other infrastructure projects. Whilst each state or region has been able to work cooperatively to stagger starts dates for many projects – they haven’t been in a position to cooperate on a national level. This means every state is drawing on that pool of skilled heavy equipment operators.

Heavy equipment careers are taking off both here and abroad. If your interested in a career operating heavy equipment then now is the time to undertake your heavy equipment training. You can be in the operating cab and on your way to a lucrative career in as little as three weeks.

Many people look at heavy equipment operations as a job and not as a career. This is a mistake when, in reality, every job can be a career – it is just a matter of perception and whether you plan and working in a position ‘just for now’, or to make it a life long job. It’s funny how for many who make it a ‘just for now’ job are still doing it 20-30 years later!

So why choose a career as a heavy equipment operator? What will it offer you and is the work going to last your lifetime? Let’s start with the last question first – will it last. As long as we build houses, factories, shopping centers and other buildings, or construct roads or have mines for resources, there will be work for heavy equipment operators.

What does a career in heavy equipment offer you? Let’s look a couple of key points:

Lifestyle: yes, working as a heavy equipment operator can also be a lifestyle decision. You can choose to follow the work, for example construction and road building trends; work in isolation in the mining industry; or perhaps become self employed.

Variety: you can decide to specialize on one piece of equipment or you can be a general operator with experience on a wide range of machines. The broader your experience, the more varied your work will become. That is not to say that most specialist operator don’t have variety as well.

Environment: if you’re an outdoors type person then the roll of heavy equipment operator will suit you to a tee. You get to work outdoors, however, in most modern machines you can close off the cab to keep excessive heat or cold out – the best of both worlds.

Income: heavy equipment operators are well paid workers when you compare them to many others in the construction industry.

Portability: an experienced and well trained heavy equipment operator can work in many parts of the world. They can certainly work every where within the country. The only proviso is that some states (and countries) may require special operator licenses.

The key to being a successful heavy equipment operator is in the training and the initial experience on the job. ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools can help you get both. We provide top quality accredited training on a wide variety of heavy equipment. Once your training is finished, we can also help you to find the right job for your circumstances. A job where you can put your training to good use and start to develop the experience that is necessary to be successful as a heavy equipment operator.

Job placement can help you make the jump from training to being employed. Sometimes it can be very difficult to make that transition. Many new graduates lack the confidence and some just don’t know where to look. Heavy equipment is an enormous industry and there are plenty of opportunities, but how can you break into it for the first time and how can you get the opportunity to get the experience that you need to make your own way? The answer is, of course, with job placement.

Job placement gets your foot in the door

At Associated Training Services we feel that it is of the utmost importance to offer job placement to our students. It gives our students an opportunity to put their skills to use in a work environment as soon as they graduate from our school. In the time that follows your training it is absolutely crucial to get into a job as quickly as possible. The longer you delay, the more you will forget. Job placement puts you in work as quickly as possible.

We can offer job placement because of our extensive industry connections. Over the years, many people have passed through the doors of Associated Training Services. Construction companies recognize the fact that our graduates are competent and able to handle real life construction situations. Our job placement program can put you in a company just about anywhere in the country. Talk to us and give us some indication of what you want from your job placement and we might be able to help. Our job placement connections spread throughout the United States, so if you wanted a change of scenery, we just might be able to make it happen. Of course, if you want to stay closer to home, we can do that too.

If you are interested in learning more about our job placement program, please contact us.

Heavy equipment careers can be extremely rewarding, but it does take some commitment and the right sort of character to really succeed as a heavy equipment operator. There are plenty of jobs to go around, the thing that you need to ensure is that you are right for the job. Some people do not enjoy the responsibility that comes along with any of the various heavy equipment careers. What responsibilities are these?

• Being an integral part of your work unit. People in heavy equipment careers must be dependable, end of story. Depending on the size of your company, there may not be too many people around that are capable of replacing you if you take a day off. This is something about heavy equipment careers that some people have difficulty comprehending. You really need to have a strong work ethic to make the best of your heavy equipment career.
• You are responsible for the safety of your fellow workers. Accidents happen, but imagine how terrible you would feel if, as a heavy equipment operator, the accident was your fault. Safety of fellow workers is a great concern to all who work in heavy equipment careers. You need to drive your equipment safely and you need to promote safety around your equipment. Even if you are not the boss, you need to show a little leadership, that is a big part of many heavy equipment careers.
• You are the face of your company. Whenever you drive your heavy equipment in public places, you are an ambassador for your company. You are representing your company; because of the equipment that you drive, you will be much more noticeable to the general public.

There are many more responsibilities that are a part of heavy equipment careers. For some, this is part of what they like about the job; for others it can be quite stressful. If you know what you are getting in for, however, things do tend to go more smoothly. If you are interested in heavy equipment careers, please feel free to contact us at Associated Training Services.

If you are interested in the idea of a heavy equipment career but not all too interested at the thought of spending most of every day on a construction site; dump trucks are worth considering. Driving dump trucks is a rewarding career that combines many of the better aspects of heavy equipment operation and truck driving. While a dump truck falls more correctly into the category of trucks rather than heavy equipment, you will see that dump trucks and heavy equipment go hand in hand in many situations.

As a driver of dump trucks there are many different opportunities open to you. Of course dump trucks are big in the construction industry, but you will find a lot of them in mining and fairly large numbers in other sectors as well. This is a great way to get a break from an industry while retaining a career. It is also useful if ever you feel the need to relocate. Dump trucks are everywhere and drivers can find work all over the country.

The money in dump trucks is not bad either. If you are an owner operator, you can really do well, but those that are employed to drive for other people do quite well too. One of the best points about dump trucks is that they are all weather vehicles. You can keep operating your vehicle as long as your place of work stays open. That is not true for all other types of equipment. Drivers of dump trucks can at times enjoy more days of productive work than some types of heavy equipment.

If you are interested in driving dump trucks and would like to learn more, please contact us at Associated Training Services.