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.

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.