You’ve put in a lot of hard work, received the best training from some of the best instructors in the heavy equipment industry, and now you’re ready to look for your first job. What do you do?

First, don’t panic. It’s a scary thing for a young person to be looking for his or her first job. If you are making a career change from one career to another and are beginning your job search in the heavy equipment field, relax. Job hunting takes time. It’s not going to fall together in one day.

Nevertheless, you don’t have to let the fear of looking for work pin you down. There are jobs available and you can land one.

Use ATS’s Free Employment Assistance

Graduates of the ATS Heavy Equipment School receive free job assistance after graduation. In fact, we start working on finding your first job long before graduation.

We want all our graduates to be gainfully employed. That’s why we provide soft skills training, resume preparation, personal career counseling, an employment search website, and free job leads. Employers will be looking for you before you have your certificate in your hand. We do all the legwork up front so you don’t have to do it after graduation.

It’s great that your well-trained and ready for work, but until you land your first job, you aren’t a heavy equipment operator. Take advantage of our career services and land your first heavy equipment job today.

I was speaking to a young man who recently accquired more training and hired at a company that has three branches of operations. I asked him what he’d be doing, and he told me he’d be working in the construction branch. I asked what he was certified in, and he said something interesting:

“I plan on getting as many certifications as I can because it will increase my usability. I want to be able to switch to other jobs in the company, even into one of the other branches when work is slow. I figure if I am able to receive more training any type of their heavy equipment, they will see me as essential and I won’t get laid off.”

I said that sounded like a good idea, and he modestly admitted it was advice from his brother-in-law. It is sound advice, too, because the more usable an employee is, particular in heavy equipment operating jobs, the easier it is to keep them around because they are able to fill so many positions when needed.

Associated Training Services provides the type of training that young man is interested in, because you learn to operate all kinds of heavy equipment when enrolled in the Heavy Equipment Operations Programs. You get a real grounding in the essentials of the industry and a clear understanding of the differences in the types of heavy equipment used today. The skills are carefully taught and you get practice in seat-of-the-pants operating so you are graduating as that “usable” type of employee who is seen as essential.

Finish graders apply the finicky final touches to a surface to get it perfect. That smooth runway and carefully cambered road is due to the skill of an experienced finish grader. The bulldozer started the job, but the grader will finish it and get it ready for asphalt or whatever comes next. It’s an important step in the construction process and you aren’t going to be able to do that job right out of training school because it takes more than a few weeks to get the skill to do it to the precise angles on the engineer’s plan.

It used to be harder for a finish grader to get it perfect but now there’s additional tools like GPS and laser leveling to help them do their job. It still takes that seat-of-the-pants skill, though, that no amount of tech tools can replace. Graders are in demand for roadwork, leveling ground at construction sites, and even snow removal, so the paycheck can go into the winter months.

If a grader operator has been poorly trained, the foundation is pretty shaky for their skill building. It isn’t that perfect, level surface that you need to do the next step. You could think of it this way; getting your heavy equipment training at ATS is like the final leveling of a finish grader clearing the way for the next process to be done on the project. You get the training and the certifications that prove you know your stuff, then an entry level job will allow you to build up those skills to become the grader operator the boss looks for when perfection is required.

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook for the US Department of Labor, construction equipment operators have a good chance to stay employed. They project a 19% increase in construction equipment operator jobs from 2012 to 2022, and that is faster than other categories. Of course, they hedge their statement by saying it all depends on the economy, but everything depends on stuff like that.

The thing is, there are a lot of types of work in this industry. Roads, bridges, water & sewer systems, power grids, and such, all are part of the mix. People always need a place to live, too. But I like this quote:

Workers with the ability to operate multiple types of equipment should have the best job opportunities.

This is exactly why it’s a good idea to get certified with ATS. You don’t just learn one kind of machine, you get in-the-seat training on all kinds. Multiple types of equipment, with a real understanding of what each one can or can not do. Our graduates have the best job opportunities because we think that quote is obvious. We have been training students to operate multiple types of equipment for years.

Backhoe? Check. Scraper? Check. Forklift? Check. Dozer, grader, loaders, rock trucks, excavators? Check, check, check, check, check. Anything else? Yep, we stay on top of the industry so the training is current. There’s also training in skills like grade reading, soil identification, laser levels, safety, maintenance, and more.

Associated Training Services works hard to keep the Heavy Equipment Operation Programs relevant to the job search our graduates will be facing. The need for highly trained operators will always be here, no matter what.

This has been a weird winter so far. Many parts of the country are dealing with more snow than they are prepared for, and the fact is that everyone relies on heavy equipment operators to get things moving again. Hazardous conditions challenge operator skills because you have to add an extra level of attention to a job you are already familiar with.

Check your machinery frequently. Drastic changes in temperature, like hot liquid gushing through freezing cold pipes and lines, cause stress from sudden expansion. It’s not unusual for breakdowns to occur. Maintenance is vital this time of year. If your equipment is out all the time, this is especially important.

Pay attention to your mirrors and windows — you need to see your surroundings in order to react fast. Slippery conditions mean longer stop times. If you are lucky enough to be in a climate-controlled cab, it’s easy to forget the way the weather has affected your job. A lot of operators get hurt after they stop the engine and start to get out…that first step can be icy, and if you aren’t holding on, your feet can go out from underneath you quick.

The biggest difference between a heavy equipment operator and a professional, expert heavy equipment operator is their attitude about training. The best in the business respect their training, remember their training, and apply what they know to their job every day. Good training has included safety procedures, including those for hazardous winter conditions.

Winter can challenge operator skills, but being well-trained prepares you for it. ATS Heavy Equipment Operation Programs will get you there.

Have you seen that reality TV show, Railroad Alaska? Anyone interested in heavy equipment will be fascinated by the portrayal of all the big machines that are needed to keep the railroad functional. And it’s true that for many folks, the railroad is the lifeline of communication through the wilderness. Of course, the directors seem to think that “human drama” is what sells the show, but I bet a lot of viewers watch because they love watching big machinery get a job done right. Who wouldn’t want to watch a cannon blast an avalanche loose so the excavator can move it off the tracks?

The show demonstrates something that many often miss; it takes a lot of different types of machinery to do things. In this case, a railroad is more than trains. Businesses often rely on more types of heavy equipment than most people realize.  This is why ATS offers Specialized Training.

We can come to your site or you can come to our training site and get training, testing, qualification, certification, and even licensing in the exact area it needed for the equipment you use. It will be OSHA compliant and meet NCCCO and NCCER standards. We know the industry because we’ve been in operation since 1959, but we haven’t stagnated. We’ve strengthened.

Customized training and specialized curricula are part of our strengths:

• we can train your employees for the work you do with the heavy equipment you use
• we can meet regulatory, insurance, and safety requirements 
• we can help you be productive and profitable

That Railroad Alaska TV show is a showcase for the need to train heavy equipment operators expertly so they can do an important job safely and well. If those guys didn’t know what they were doing, it’d be terrible.

If you’ve been contemplating heavy equipment training, truck driver training, or crane operator training and you’re wondering how you’re going to pay for the training, then you might look into financial aid or financial options to help you pay for it. The important thing is that you get your career off the ground seamlessly and without obstacles.

When it comes to financial aid for career training, there are different levels of assistance you may qualify for.

• There are quite a few state and federal grants, which amounts to free money that you don’t have to pay back.
• You might also qualify for an educational scholarship.
• If all else fails, you can take out a career loan.

Concerning grants, you could qualify for several types of grants from a variety of organizations. The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) is a federal program enacted by President Bill Clinton while in office. It is designed to provide funding for educational purposes for people pursuing certain types of careers.

Other financial assistance programs include:

• Department of Workforce Development
• Trade Adjustment Act (TAA)
• Displaced Workers
• Displaced Farmers
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Tribal Education (BIA
• Veterans Benefits (VA)

Don’t let lack of education funds hold you up on your career plans. If you need money for training, seek out financial aid from one of the programs for which you might qualify.

Since 1959, Associated Training Services (ATS) has been training heavy equipment operators to maneuver and drive equipment on roads and construction sites. We’ve been quite successful. Many of our students have gone on to rewarding careers, which is why we do it.

The ATS founder, Robert Klabacka, wanted to build a family business that helps people. In the family, he is known for many wise words, including:

Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work another day in your life.

Robert Klabacka

He proved that by his own life.

ATS has trained people to be crane operators, bulldozer operators, dump truck drivers, riggers and signalpersons, and general heavy equipment operators. With several different training programs, we offer flexibility and affordability. We can even come to your work site and train your employees as a group.

Our specialized training includes mobile crane operations, truck driving, and rigging/signalperson training.

With quality, integrity, and pride, we will take on the task of training one person or a thousand.

Why ATS elected to do employer-specific specialized training because we saw the need in the marketplace – long before anyone else did. Employers need qualified heavy equipment operators who can move between types of equipment with ease and with safety their top priority. So we compiled our years of knowledge and experience on the various heavy equipment and put them all into a specialized training service that works.

When you want the absolute best training possible, pick the pioneers who practically created the industry. We understand heavy equipment training.

Associated Training Services would like to wish all truck drivers, their families, ATS students and their families, and all future truck drivers a Happy New Year. We’re getting started on the right foot. Are you?

We encourage you to check out our training schedule for the coming months and choose a time and place that is right for you.

This coming Monday (January 6, 2014), we will start a new truck driver training course in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Three weeks later, on January 27, 2014, we’ll start another one. You can get a free brochure for our upcoming training classes and be in the know so that you don’t miss any.

Now is the time to set your career goals for the year – and beyond. No matter what kind of equipment you want to train on, ATS can help you get trained and certified.

Our training programs include:

• Commercial truck driving
• Crane operator training
• OSHA-certified rigger/signalperson training
• Heavy equipment training

Whether you want to operate a bulldozer, a forklift, or a backhoe (or all of the above), Associated Training Services can help you get the training and the certification you need to get your first job in heavy equipment. Our job services department assists all graduates with landing their first jobs. Our graduates also go on to have the best careers.

So go ahead. Pick your training and join in.

One of the keys to happiness is being in the right career that you love. Poll enough people and you’ll discover that the people who are the happiest in life have a few things going for them. One of those things is that they are working in a career that is suited for them. Truck drivers are no different.

If you have a desire to be a truck driver, why not start right now? Associated Training Services offers truck driver training, and we have a few classes opening up soon.

Maybe you don’t want to be a truck driver. Perhaps you’d prefer to be a crane operator or a rigger. That’s fine. We have training classes for those occupations too.

The heavy equipment profession is one of the most lucrative non-degreed occupations in the world. It’s a highly specialized field that requires the proper training in safety and behind-the-wheel practical training in order to ensure that the workers let loose on the job site are qualified and certified for the job. Whether you desire to operate bulldozers, forklifts, cranes, dump trucks, or something in between, it all starts with training.

Now that the New Year is here, why not evaluate your career goals? Are you ready for a change? Do you think you’d enjoy the heavy equipment field? Then look into the training necessary to build a successful career as a heavy equipment operator.