Operating Engineer at Operating Engineers

Operating Engineers sponsors this employer-based Operating Engineer apprenticeship program in Bessemer, AL. This non-union, time-based program trains apprentices to safely and skillfully operate a wide range of heavy construction and earthmoving equipment used on roads, utilities, commercial, and industrial construction projects throughout Alabama. Apprentices are paid while they train on the job.

Over four years, apprentices complete 6,000 hours of on-the-job training and 432 hours of related technical instruction. Hands-on training includes operating cranes, excavators, bulldozers, scrapers, and other heavy machinery under the guidance of experienced operators. Technical instruction provides training in equipment safety inspections, preventive maintenance, operational controls, grade and blueprint reading, and applicable OSHA regulations.

Upon completing the program, apprentices achieve journey-level operating engineer status. The Birmingham-Bessemer area has an active construction market, and journey-level heavy equipment operators are sought by contractors working in infrastructure, commercial development, and industrial construction throughout the region.