Operating Engineer at Operating Engineers Local #520

Operating Engineers Local #520 offers a union Operating Engineer apprenticeship in Saint Jacob, IL. Administered through a Joint Apprenticeship Committee (JATC), this program combines union-backed training resources with real-world job site experience to prepare apprentices for careers in heavy construction equipment operation. Apprentices earn wages throughout the program's duration.

The apprenticeship runs for four years and includes 6,000 hours of on-the-job training paired with 432 hours of related technical instruction. Apprentices develop competency operating equipment such as cranes, excavators, motor graders, bulldozers, and loaders across a variety of construction project types in the southwestern Illinois region. Classroom instruction addresses operational safety, equipment diagnostics and maintenance, and construction site coordination.

Graduates earn journeyman status as Operating Engineers, a union credential that supports access to stable, competitive employment on commercial, infrastructure, and civil construction projects in the greater St. Louis metro area and throughout the state, backed by the benefits of IUOE membership.