Heavy Equipment Operator
Valley ROP · Sanger, CA
- Cost
- $500
- Length
- 8 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- 80%
Program names, program descriptions and occupation titles appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Everything else on this page is translated.
What happened to people who took this
- People enrolled
- 55
- Finished the program
- 84%Based on 55 peopleTypical California program: 85% of 1,951 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Working 6 months later
- 80%Typical California program: 69% of 1,690 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $11,440A single quarter of earnings, roughly three months, not a yearly salary. Do not compare it directly with the yearly pay shown for the occupation.Typical California program: $10,900 of 1,339 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
The job this trains for
This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.
No regional figures for this program's city
Sanger is not one of the metropolitan or rural areas California names when it publishes wages and openings. A neighbouring area's figures would look exactly like a correct answer, so none are shown and the statewide figures stand alone. About half of California's programs are in this position.
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
Job ads may call this: Machine Operator · Back Hoe Operator · Forklift Operator · Operating Engineer
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- Learn and follow safety regulations.
- Take actions to avoid potential hazards or obstructions, such as utility lines, other equipment, other workers, or falling objects.
- Check fuel supplies at sites to ensure adequate availability.
- Start engines, move throttles, switches, or levers, or depress pedals to operate machines, such as bulldozers, trench excavators, road graders, or backhoes.
Show 3 more things this job involves
- Coordinate machine actions with other activities, positioning or moving loads in response to hand or audio signals from crew members.
- Locate underground services, such as pipes or wires, prior to beginning work.
- Align machines, cutterheads, or depth gauge makers with reference stakes and guidelines or ground or position equipment, following hand signals of other workers.
- Typical pay in California
- $89,521per year
- Projected openings
- 33,360
- Projected change
- +7%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- 1 to 12 months
These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.
What people in this job actually studied
Most common: High school diploma — 53% of the people doing this work.
California says this job usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent. 19% of the people doing it went less far than that.
- No high school diploma
- 19%
- High school diploma
- 53%
- Started college, no degree
- 19%
- Two-year degree
- 6%
- Four-year degree
- 3%
- Master's degree
- 0.4%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 0.2%
This counts people already doing this job, across the whole United States. Every other figure on this page is California's, and the federal government publishes no state version of this one. It is what people happen to have, not a rule about who gets hired. A small row does not mean you would be turned away, and a large one is not a promise of a job.
Program details
This program provides in-person instruction only.
A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to operate and maintain a variety of heavy equipment such as a crawler tractors motor graders and scrapers shovels rigging devices hoists and jacks. Includes instruction in digging ditching sloping stripping grading and backfiling clearing and excavating. This program is fully done in-person.
Someone else may be able to pay for this
This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-08-04). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.
The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California
A comprehensive center is where all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. California's Employment Development Department directs people to CareerOneStop's finder to locate one. Contacting a center before traveling is worth it — the state notes that its own staff are not physically present at every location.
The rule: 20 CFR 678.305 — What is a comprehensive one-stop center? · 20 CFR 678.310 — What is an affiliated site? · California EDD — Office Locator
Parlier-Workforce ConnectionAffiliate site
Phone: 559-230-4400
13660 East Manning AveSuite 103Parlier, CA 93648about 14 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm
Tulare County Employment Connection - DinubaAffiliate site
Phone: 559-406-1001 or 559-591-5701
400 West Tulare StreetPrroteus Suite CDinuba, CA 93618about 17.6 miles away
Hours: Mon - Fri 8am- 5pm
Fresno East -Workforce ConnectionComprehensive center
Phone: 559-230-4440
1455 E. Shaw AvenueFresno, CA 93710about 17.9 miles away
Hours: Monday -Friday 8:00am-5:00pm
Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.
Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List
How this gets paid for, and what to ask →
Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.
The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.
How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →