Most people’s concept of a heavy equipment operator is someone who is overweight and sits in a cab all day pulling levers and pushing pedals. When it comes to considering a career, that’s it. Nothing could be further from the truth. It actually takes a level of fitness to operate heavy equipment, particularly some of the older models where you have wrestle with the controls all day.

Is there a career path? The field of heavy equipment operations s no different to hundreds of other occupations – it is what you make of it. If you want a career with advancement opportunities then you need to work towards it.

As a heavy equipment operator your career options are varied. You could aspire to being a team leader or crew boss. In this role you are responsible for the allocation of tasks and the ongoing management of those tasks ensuring that jobs are done in the right order. Highway construction crews always have someone who is in charge of the equipment – you may hear the referred to as a foreman.

Training is another area that could be considered. The heavy equipment training industry is always looking for skilled operators with good communication and people skills. At ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools we rely on the experience and skills of trainers to produce skilled operators for the industry.

Many individuals start as operators before undertaking further training to become mechanics skilled in the maintenance and repair of heavy equipment. Others become specialized in electrics or hydraulics.

The ultimate is to either become a construction site manager, or to become a business owner. Some operators eventually buy their own machinery and contract out their skills. Over time they add more heavy equipment along with the operators to satisfy the demand for their services.

There are career paths in all industries including heavy equipment. You can simply be an operator, and there is nothing wrong with that; or you can aspire to other positions within the industry. It’s your future and it’s your career – go for it.

There is a general level of dissatisfaction with the education system at present when it comes to construction, in particular careers as heavy equipment operators. This has resulted in a lack of young school leavers coming into the work force.

The current heavy equipment work force is ageing quite quickly. This has been reinforced in recent years as older people take on the trade. There are of course advantages and disadvantages in hiring mature age operators (by mature age I mean over 21). In fact new operators in their late twenties or early thirties have life skills and a higher level of common sense than 18-21 year olds. They also bring a lifetime of bad habits that often need to be un-learned.

It raises the question as to whether or not schools should be doing more to promote construction as a viable career option. Let’s face it, with out construction there would be no growth, no new housing and no new roads. The nation depends on construction as much as any other trade. Heavy equipment operations is just one sector of the wider construction field.

With more promotion and preparation, school leavers could start a valuable career in heavy equipment operations, learning skills that will last them a life time in an industry that will always have a high demand for skilled operators.

In the meantime, ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools are here to promote the industry and train the next generation of operators. If you have a school leaver looking for an interesting and challenging career, check out heavy equipment operations.

Heavy equipment is one of those industries that has two distinct workforces. There are those that are in for the long term – they find a good employer and stay with them for years. The second group are the transients who travel the country, finding work when they run out of funds. Many from the second group travel the world using their skills to fund their adventures. Because of the second group, there are always job openings for skilled operators.

In today’s modern world, skilled doesn’t always equate to years of experience. Some operators that come out of good training schools can be more skilled than those already in the industry. Sure, they have years of experience, but that is often on older heavy equipment. The latest heavy equipment can require a different set of skills, particularly when technology such as GPS is included. Job openings for individuals with knowledge of GPS are increasing all the time.

For many people, a career in heavy equipment can sound very attractive. What often stops people entering the industry is the lack of experience and confidence to operate the equipment. If you can drive a car, you are half way to operating the equipment.

Training schools such as ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools can provide you with that up to date knowledge and experience along with the confidence to apply to suitable job openings. If your looking for that change, check us our and while there, check out our employment assistance programs – the next job opening could be yours.

There are hundreds of different types of heavy equipment machinery, many of it dedicated to specific jobs. Because of their specialization, the demand is not so great and new operators need specific training on that machinery. However, a background in the more common equipment is always a good stepping stone.

There is a range of heavy equipment that has a constant demand for quality operators. This equipment includes:

• Wheel loaders
• Backhoes
• Excavators
• Scrapers
• Bulldozers
• Road Graders

There are many common training areas in that list particularly when it comes to safety. The key to a successful career in heavy equipment rest in two areas. The first is the quality of the training you receive and the second is simply the number of hours you spend operating the equipment.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools provides quality training across that broad spectrum of machinery. Once you have completed your training we may be able to help you find employment that will provide you with the opportunity to build your working hours. The more hands on experience you get, the better your chances of cherry picking the best jobs on offer. Your career in heavy equipment is only a click away.

As follow on from yesterday’s post “Are There Really Heavy Equipment Jobs In A Recession?“, readers should consider the impact of a new President being elected during a time of economic problems.

One of the key points that President elect Obama has made is the promise to spend around $175 Billion on infrastructure. At least half of that amount will involve heavy equipment and, naturally, heavy equipment operators.

This represents the biggest ever investment in infrastructure and even exceeds the creation of the federal highway system in the 1950s – at least in dollar/time terms.

Heavy equipment operators will be in demand and the one of the benefits of a national plan is that the demand will spread nationwide. You can play a part in the rebuilding of the economy by becoming a heavy equipment operator yourself and now is the perfect time to get started.

The demand for operators will not occur until the spring and will peak in the late summer. If you start your training now and follow that up with experience on smaller jobs in your area, you will have the training and experience required to take on the larger jobs as the demand arises.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools can help you on two fronts. We can provide you with all the necessary training to be successful as an operator of heavy equipment. Just as importantly, we may be able to help you find employment to help you gain that additional experience. The complete package that will help you to play a role in rebuilding our economy.

Oh how we hate that word – recession! It brings on images of doom and gloom yet it shouldn’t. For some sectors, a recession means more work.

One way that governments try to fight a recession is by spending up on what is termed ‘infrastructure’. This is the spending on road, rail and port facilities along with health and education. Of course this increase in construction id good news for heavy equipment operators.

As the economy starts to improve, developers step in to have their blocks cleared and sub-divided ready for the land boom – they want to make their money too.

If you look around you will see construction happening everywhere. Sure, houses and highrises are not being built and perhaps the number of factories being built has dropped. The roads and other infrastructure activities are more than making up for it.

There is plenty of work for heavy equipment operators if your prepared to look for it. You will also need a decent set of qualifications behind you and that is where ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools can help. They are accredited to deliver training to a national set of standards so you can be confident your skills will be recognized everywhere.

Heavy equipment is one field where the quality of the instruction is determined by the quality of the instructor. There are some academic fields where a student with a terrible instructor can still achieve great results, simply by reading texts. Heavy equipment is a practical form of training so the instructor is the focal point. The are seven key areas that make a good instructor. These are:

• Knowledge of a range heavy equipment
• Experience operating a range of heavy equipment
• Good communication and people skills
• Confidence in the subject matter
• Patience and understanding
• Currency – that is, an understanding of the latest range of heavy equipment
• Certification by a recognized body.

Certification is normally only done if you can demonstrate the first six requirements. Over time however, some of those skills can be lost if you are not using them all the time.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools only employ certified instructors so we can always guarantee quality training.

The construction industry is not everyone’s preferred area of work, however, the work itself is steady and readily available for heavy equipment operators. The work is varied; one day you may be clearing rubble from a housing development, the next you may be working in the city demolishing an old warehouse. The working conditions may not suit you either, particularly working outdoors in all weathers.

If you decide you do want to be a heavy equipment operator then you can rest in the knowledge that people employed in this area still enjoy regular, rewarding pay even while the job changes; there is simply more demand than there are qualified employees, and thus there always exist job opportunities.

ATS Heavy Equipment Training School can help prepare you for a job in the construction industry. Our short, comprehensive, training programs are accredited and recognized nationwide. The training covers a wide variety of heavy equipment, including modern bulldozers and excavators, all under the watchful eyes of qualified instructors.

If your and owner operator of heavy equipment then you know it’s a seven day a week job. You may not be out on a site but you will probably be working on your equipment doing all the mundane routine jobs that never seem to get to done whilst working Monday-Friday and often on Saturday.

Maintenance is one of the most important parts of owning a piece of heavy equipment. It is also one of the most important aspects of an operators job. Simple things like low oil pressure, or low hydraulic fluids can make a huge impact on a machines performance, and more importantly, its lifespan.

Other areas that require constant attention include the ‘working’ components. For example, an excavater needs to dig so those digging tools need to be examined closely for any damage. Tires or tracks need to be examine for breakages,

To be an effective operator you need the skills and knowledge to not just operate the machine but also to be aware of how the machineis performing. ATS HEavy Equipment Training Schools can provide the training required to get your career started.

The construction industry has a huge appetite for heavy equipment operators, so much so it is fairly easy for a school leaver to go from classroom one day to operator the next. Of course, a little training is first required, but that is really a case of replacing one classroom with another.

Heavy equipment does not discriminate when it comes to age. There are obviously some legal requirements, but that is true with car licenses as well. What is required, rather than age, is competence. Either you can operate say a bulldozer, or you cannot. If cant operate the equipment, no one will want you on their construction site as a heavy equipment operator.

The key is the training you receive. Not all training is equal and some training organizations have excellent records whilst others are recognized for not delivering to an acceptable standard. Find the right training organization and their name alone will often be good enough to secure you a job.

Training providers like ATS Heavy Equipment Training Schools work hard to build a reputation for supplying operators to the heavy equipment industry that are of a high standard. You can see this by the number of companies that are ready to employ graduates before they have even completed their training.

Find a training organization that has this quality reputation and, no matter how old you, if you meet the legal operating conditions you can almost be assured of smooth transition from school to the seat of a piece of heavy equipment.