What Is a Trade School for Crane Operators?

Learning to operate heavy machinery, such as cranes, requires a great deal of knowledge and experience. While in times past this knowledge was built almost entirely on the job, nowadays, the industry has become more competitive than ever before. For this reason, most successful people in the field have learned their skills at a trade school for crane operators.

If you’re looking to break into this ever-expanding and highly competitive industry, you may want to consider attending one of these schools for yourself. In this article, we’ll tell you what you can expect at a crane operator school, as well as how to find the right one in your area.

You Learn Both in a Classroom and on a Jobsite

Both classroom learning and on-the-job training are critical to a crane operator. When learning the ins and outs of heavy equipment, you’ll need to be able to read load charts and make decisions with regard to the safety of a jobsite. Much of this will be studied during the classroom portion of your time at a trade school for crane operators.

Of course, you’ll also need to actually get behind the controls of the various types of machines you’ll be operating on the job, which is why a good crane operator school will offer plenty of opportunities for you to do so. Look for a school that offers about a 50-50 split between classroom learning and time spent in the field performing essential tasks for the job.

You Learn About Several Different Types of Cranes

When most people imagine a crane, they picture a lattice boom crane, which is certainly one of the most commonly used for construction. However, there are many other types of cranes, such as telescopic boom swing cabs and lattice boom crawlers. Each is used for specific tasks on various types of terrain. A good crane operator school will offer courses on many different types of cranes, as well as other heavy equipment.

You Walk Away With an NCCCO Certification

Many employers won’t even consider hiring you if you don’t have a certification from an entity like the NCCCO, or National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators. This is an organization run by professionals in the field who seek to standardize safety and ethical behavior for crane operators across the country. In many places, it’s not even legal to work as a crane operator unless you have your certification, which is a requirement to ensure that employers can be sure that you will be well informed of the latest safety practices in the industry.

How to Find the Best School in Your Area

If you are interested in furthering your education and breaking into this difficult but rewarding industry, you will need to seek out the best crane operator school that you can. Look for a school that meets the above criteria, including about a 50 percent split of classroom learning and hands-on training. They should be NCCCO certified and cover different types of cranes, ideally with multiple available courses. The best ones, such as West Coast Training, will also help you in your job search after you have completed the course, assisting with networking and resume construction.