Vocational Programs for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators Career

The role of Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators is to 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.

The average annual wage of the occupations is $62,180 and $30 per hour. 2 vocational programs could be taken for the Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators career. Based on BLS data, a total of 450,370 employees were employed in the Occupation.

The 2024 average tuition over the programs for preparing Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators is $14,657. The average length of the programs is 867 hours and the average completion time is 10.00 months.

Vocational Programs to Prepare Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators Career

The following 2 vocational programs are required or helpful to prepare Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators.

The tuition, program length, and completion time program information is average amounts over all schools that offer each program. This information is only for vocational programs (i.e. certificate programs) and not for bachelor's or graduate degrees.

2024 Average Tuition and Time for Preparing Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
Program Name	Number of Schools	Tuition & Fees	Books & Supplies	Program Lengths	Avg. Completion Time
Construction/Heavy Equipment/Earthmoving Equipment Operation	67	$12,083	$619	867 Hours	10.00 Months

Related Occupations to Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators Career

The following 20 occupations are related to Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators.

Related Occupations toOperating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
Occupation	Total Employees	Annual Wages	Hourly Rate
Construction Laborers	1,019K	$49,280	$24
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators	43,080	$55,170	$27
Pile Driver Operators	3,010	$70,260	$34
Highway Maintenance Workers	151K	$49,070	$24
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators	18,770	$67,330	$32
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining	32,630	$55,500	$27
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas	18,010	$60,250	$29
Continuous Mining Machine Operators	15,700	$62,110	$30
Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining	5,160	$63,620	$31
Helpers--Extraction Workers	7,360	$46,990	$23
Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines	177K	$64,340	$31
Industrial Machinery Mechanics	413K	$63,690	$31
Maintenance Workers, Machinery	58,040	$58,500	$28
Millwrights	37,930	$64,310	$31
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General	1,503K	$49,650	$24
Riggers	23,870	$62,020	$30
Crane and Tower Operators	42,260	$68,040	$33
Dredge Operators	940	$53,700	$26
Hoist and Winch Operators	2,230	$65,810	$32
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators	779K	$45,720	$22

Schools offering vocational programs for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

The following 70 schools offer the vocational programs and certificate courses for preparing Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators. The list includes some 4-year colleges that have certificate or associate programs for the career.