About this program
A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to operate and maintain a variety of heavy equipment, such as a crawler tractors, motor graders and scrapers, shovels, rigging devices, hoists, and jacks. Includes instruction in digging, ditching, sloping, stripping, grading, and backfiling, clearing and excavating.
Career Opportunities
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Hoist and Winch Operators
operate or tend hoists or winches to lift and pull loads using power-operated cable equipment.
$62730
No degree required
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Excavating Machine Operators
operate or tend machinery equipped with scoops, shovels, or buckets, to excavate and load loose materials.
$48500
No degree required
Strong job growth
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Dredge Operators
operate dredge to remove sand, gravel, or other materials in order to excavate and maintain navigable channels in waterways.
$53790
No degree required
Strong job growth
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Crane and Tower Operators
operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions.
$64010
Post-secondary certificate
Strong job growth
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Continuous Miner Operators
operate self-propelled mining machines that rip coal, metal and nonmetal ores, rock, stone, or sand from the mine face and load it onto conveyors, shuttle cars, or trucks in a continuous operation.
$58340
No degree required
Personality Match
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Earth Drillers
operate a variety of drills such as rotary, churn, and pneumatic to tap sub-surface water and salt deposits, to remove core samples during mineral exploration or soil testing, and to facilitate the use of explosives in mining or construction. May use explosives. Includes horizontal and earth boring machine operators.
$51040
No degree required
Strong job growth
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Explosives Workers
place and detonate explosives to demolish structures or to loosen, remove, or displace earth, rock, or other materials. May perform specialized handling, storage, and accounting procedures. Includes seismograph shooters.
$51040
No degree required
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Track Equipment Operators
lay, repair, and maintain track for standard or narrow-gauge railroad equipment used in regular railroad service or in plant yards, quarries, sand and gravel pits, and mines. Includes ballast cleaning machine operators and railroad bed tamping machine operators.
$57430
No degree required
Personality Match
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Highway Maintenance Workers
maintain highways, municipal and rural roads, airport runways, and rights-of-way. Duties include patching broken or eroded pavement and repairing guard rails, highway markers, and snow fences. May also mow or clear brush from along road, or plow snow from roadway.
$43200
No degree required
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Construction Equipment Operators
operate one or several types of power construction equipment, such as motor graders, bulldozers, scrapers, compressors, pumps, derricks, shovels, tractors, or front-end loaders to excavate, move, and grade earth, erect structures, or pour concrete or other hard surface pavement. May repair and maintain equipment in addition to other duties.
$55280
No degree required
Strong job growth
Related Majors
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Aviation/Airway Management and Operations
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Air Traffic Controller
A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to air-traffic management and control, usually with additional training at the FAA Flight Control Center in a cooperative education program. Includes instruction in flight control, the use of radar and electronic scanning devices, plotting of flights, radio communication, interpretation of weather conditions affecting flights, flight instrumentation used by pilots, and maintenance of flight-control center or control-tower log books.
Airline Flight Attendant
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Flight Instructor
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Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor
A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to drive trucks and buses, delivery vehicles, for-hire vehicles and other commercial vehicles, or to instruct commerical vehicle operators. Includes instruction in operating gas, diesel, or electrically-powered vehicles; loading and unloading cargo or passengers; reporting delays or accidents on the road; verifying load against shipping papers; arranging transportation for personnel; and keeping records of receipts and fares.
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