Heavy Equipment Operator Apprenticeship Program

Your Path to Becoming a Heavy Equipment Operator Starts Here

What Is An Apprenticeship?

If you want a real path into a heavy equipment career, an apprenticeship is one of the fastest and most credible ways to get there. Gregory’s Department of Labor-registered apprenticeship gives you more than company-specific training; it leads to an industry-recognized credential you can carry throughout your career. You will build skill through 4,000 to 6,000 hours of hands-on machine experience, depending on your experience and pace, while completing 440 hours of related instruction based on the NCCER curriculum, an industrywide training standard. Finish the program, and you will be ready to operate equipment with confidence, advance your career, and take your credential with you wherever the future leads.

What This Program Is:

  • Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program for heavy equipment operators.
  • Typically runs 6,000 hours of on-the-job learning. Prior experience or a fast learning curve can bring that down to as little as 4,000.
  • 440 hours of related instruction using the NCCER curriculum, the same credentialing body used across the industry.
  • Already hold NCCER credentials? Bring them. You'll get credit for what you've already earned.
  • Finish the program, and you walk away with a nationally recognized credential, not just a Gregory certificate. One that follows you anywhere in the trade.
See The Curriculum

PAY THAT

GROWS GROWS GROWS

WITH YOU

Most apprenticeship programs ask you to invest in your own training before you see a return. This one pays you the whole way through. You start at $25 an hour. Hit the halfway mark, and you’ll have the potential to earn $28/hour. Finish the program, and you can progress to up to $32/hour, while also earning a nationally recognized.

What is the Heavy Equipment Operator Apprenticeship?

A Department of Labor registered program combining hands-on machine time with NCCER-based classroom instruction. You'll log 4,000 to 6,000 hours of on-the-job learning and 440 hours of related instruction, and finish with a nationally recognized credential.

Do I need experience to apply?

No. It helps, and prior experience or a fast learning curve can shorten your total hours, but you don't need a background in heavy equipment to start.

What will I get paid?

Start at $25/hour, $28/hour once you hit 50% program completion, and move to $32/hour at 100% completion.

What do I need to qualify?

You'll need to be 18, hold a valid driver's license, and pass a physical aptitude screening (walking 100 yards, getting on and off equipment safely, completing an equipment checklist unassisted, and adding hydraulic fluid to a tractor).

What will I learn?

Everything from safety and reading drawings to running skid steers, loaders, dozers, excavators, and dump trucks, plus grading and site layout. Hold NCCER credentials from elsewhere? Bring proof, and we'll credit them toward your total.
Download the full curriculum breakdown

How do I enroll?

Already on a Gregory crew? Talk to your superintendent; they'll walk you through the next steps. For questions or to learn more, reach out to our Workforce Development team to get started.
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