What Will I Learn from Excavator Training Near Me?

Blog, Heavy Equipment School

If you’re interested in working on local construction sites, you’re going to need to know a few things. It takes more than just jumping in the cab of an excavator and moving the joystick around to do a good job. You’re going to need a strong understanding of the facts, strategies, and safety regulations, as well as the practical usage of excavator operation.

The job of an excavator operator is in high demand because of how popular these machines are. With an ability to dig and move heavy objects, this machine is on nearly every construction site, so you’ll be doing yourself a big favor by being proactive and learning exactly what it takes to operate the machine.

Located just outside of Portland, the West Coast Training campus has all the tools you’ll need to not only secure a great new construction job but to excel at doing it. You’ll go beyond just recognizing the boom, dipper, bucket, and everything that goes into your cab. You’ll garner practical hands-on experience with professional excavators and go to your next job interview with the training credentials you need. If you go into your job interview with the projects you’ve already worked on with us, you’ll put yourself in a great position to start this career.

But you might be asking, “What will I learn from excavator training near me?” At West Coast Training, you’ll go through a comprehensive eight-week Heavy Equipment Operator Training that teaches you specifics about safety regulations, operational techniques, and much more. And you’ll not only learn how to operate an excavator, you’ll gain the skills to use backhoes, dozers, graders, loaders, scrapers, and more! Here’s how the breakdown will work.

Hands-On Practical Field Experience

For five hours of each class day, you’ll garner practical field experience by getting out of the classroom and putting your newfound excavator (and other heavy equipment) knowledge to the test. NCCER-certified craft instructors will stand beside you as you get to know the joysticks in your excavator cab and see first-hand what it feels like to dig and move heavy objects. With this experience, your new employer will feel confident about sending you out into the field.

In this course, you’ll get practical experience to help you:

  • Break ground and dig to various levels of difficulty
  • Discover when to switch from different operational modes
  • Plow and maneuver heavy objects with your excavator
  • Pivot and operate at the correct and most efficient speeds

Because of this hands-on experience, you’ll feel comfortable operating the boom and arm and show your boss that you’re the exact right person for the job. You’ll receive direct instruction and supervision from instructors who know everything that can be known about becoming a successful and important entity to a construction staff. You’ll step into your job interview with not only the knowledge of how to operate safely but also with the concrete skills to back it up.

Classroom Knowledge

In addition to the hands-on experience you’ll garner from this training, you’ll also spend five hours of each training day discovering all you need to know about workplace safety, different civil engineering concepts, project-layout, basic surveying, and much more in a classroom setting. Each day you’ll cover a new topic or brush up on fundamentals so that when you do put your knowledge to the test, you’ll know exactly what it takes to succeed as an operator.

In this classroom environment, you’ll get specific instruction from qualified NCCER instructors who are ready to help you succeed. This includes topics on fundamental operations, guidelines, regulations, and what it takes for your work to be safe and up to code. From your first day on your new job, you’ll be able to prove that you know what it takes to be an independent operator who your boss can trust.

You’ll be made aware of industry requirements in the classroom, and you’ll become a well-informed and safe operator in eight weeks. The farther you get in this comprehensive training course, the more you’ll learn the specific and practical techniques you’ll need before heading into the field. And at West Coast Training, we pay special attention to the way that you progress as an operator so that you can push yourself and start to excel before you leave.

Project-Based Tasks for Your Growing Experience Level

At our training facility, you’ll complete levels one, two, and three all in one training course. By the end of it, you’ll also be completing project-based crew tasks with your peers. That way, your growth as an operator will be supervised and will run adjacent with your improvement over the eight weeks. Thanks to these crew tasks, you’ll recognize what it feels like to be part of the team and how to get the job done together. You’ll know everything you need to know by the time you’re stepping into your job interview, making you a useful new asset to their construction team.

Thanks to this model, you can enter this class without prior knowledge and strive to meet a concrete goal by your last day. You’ll see the light at the end of the tunnel and use the one-on-one supervision to make sure you’re satisfied with your performance. We go one step further here than just learning your new trade; we focus on helping you excel at it.

Conclusion

West Coast Training is an Accredited Training Unit (ATU) where you can learn the trade of becoming a proficient excavator operator, while also obtaining the training credentials you need to start working. Operating this heavy equipment is a challenging and rewarding job that you won’t be able to start until you have these training credentials, so when you’re ready to become an industry professional, you can get everything you need to start your career here.

Now that you know the types of things you’ll discover in excavator classes near you, you only have one more step you need to take. Head over to the West Coast Training website to learn all you need to know about this course on operating heavy machinery, including excavators. When you’re done, contact us so we can get you enrolled and starting your new career in excavator operations.