Prospecting Equipment

Now our youth have a variety of career options to choose from. A career in heavy equipment repair is one such opportunity and an ideal choice for youngsters who have a mechanical inclination and who like to deal with this machinery that is used for construction or mining industries.

Machinery like bulldozers, cranes, forklifts, excavators and many others fall into the category of heavy equipment because of size and strength. This machinery can only operated by well-trained and skilled operators. Heavy equipment operators undergo training for operating as well as repairing these expensive machines.

There is a huge demand for operators as well as heavy equipment repair technicians due to industrial growth in transportation, trucking, construction etc. Employers are unable to recruit highly specialized repair technicians due to a shortage of trained technicians. So if you are keen in making a career in this field then you can join any of the heavy equipment training colleges to become an accredited repair technician.

These training schools design programs educate the candidates with details of the equipment as well as train them in repair and maintenance of the heavy equipments like wheel loaders, backhoes, forklifts, bulldozers, skid steers and excavators.

Training courses guide you through the repair and maintenance prospects and show you the right way to grow in this career. Such courses are highly practical and provide hands on training. This career can provide you a start from $10-$25 per hour and as you gain experience in this field you can surely expect a high pay scale. After gaining five years experience in this field, you can surely expect a hike of $70,000 per annum.

Repair training courses are available throughout the year and some colleges offer courses in the evening, while some offer regular daytime courses to enable you to adjust your schedules accordingly. The demand is ever increasing in the field of heavy equipment repair technicians in the field of transportation technology and those who love hands on work experience as well as those who are mechanically skilled can choose this field. This repair course allows you to flourish in this field and avail of many opportunities. You can even learn to impart your skills and you can expect a pay scale of $10-$25 per hour or more. Career prospects in this area include automotive, aviation, heavy equipment operation, equipment repair, truck driving and collision repair.

If you have an interest in heavy equipment repair, then you can take up an accredited training. Once you are trained, you can surely grow in this field and get many credentials and become a professional technician.

Growth prospects range from service technicians to service mangers or you can start your own repair shop some day. This can be achieved with an academic career-training program provided by various training schools. The jobs provide job satisfaction as well as help you to earn an attractive pay package. Initially the pay scale may be modest, but it is bound to increase with experience and expertise.

A construction project manager is a qualified individual with a degree in construction management, civil engineering or construction science. Being in charge of construction projects, he has to ensure that the entire project is completed on time, without exceeding budgetary limits. It is a high pressure job. The manager has complete control and is responsible for everything related to the construction project.

The label Construction Project Manager is loosely used to define any supervisory level managers who direct supervisors in construction projects. He may also be called by other titles such as construction superintendent, general construction manager, executive construction manager, constructor or even contractor or sub-contractor. He could be a salaried employee of a construction company or engaged to manage a particular construction project.

The construction project manager has to be involved in the project from the beginning through to its completion. By employing his knowledge and expertise in terms of the efficient use of required resources, he has to ensure the achievement of predetermined objectives of cost, time, and quality. To make sure of these objectives, he has to decide which construction methods are appropriate for cost effective scheduling. He has to discuss architectural and engineering drawings with design engineers to effectively plan and harmonize every facet of the project. This may include preparation and use of complicated flow charts and bar charts, and various graphs for data representation. Nowadays, project managers use computers to analyze, conceptualize and implement plans and designs.

The construction project manager has to plan a logical, phase wise implementation of the project, assigning predetermined timeframes for the completion of each phase. He has to take all measures to see that the time frame is adhered to.

These days, there is a great demand for people with a good academic foundation in the field of construction management. Employers generally prefer a degree in construction science, with special focus on the management aspect. It is a four-year degree course offered by over 120 colleges in the country.

Coursework for a degree in construction science is very comprehensive. Some of the subjects covered would be engineering and architectural sciences, mathematics, statistics, computer science, project control and development, site planning, building design, construction methods, construction materials, value analysis, cost estimating, contract administration, building codes and standards and inspection procedures.

The American Institute of Constructors (AIC) and the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) also give certification after written examinations and verification of education. The AIC awards the Associate Constructor (AC) and Certified Professional Constructor (CPC) designations and the CMAA awards the Certified Construction Manager (CMM) designation.

There are better job prospects for candidates with work experience. The preference in the job market is for academically qualified people who have undergone internships and worked in the construction industry. They should be well versed in building technology.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers conducted a salary survey in July 2005 and found that candidates with a degree in construction management got an average annual salary figure of $42,923.

There are bright career prospects for a professionally qualified construction project manager. Practical work experience is of vital importance before a position of independent functioning will be offered. A few years experience at a junior-grade position on construction projects is a prerequisite required by most employers. The position would fetch a handsome salary package and commands a respectable position in society.

Nowadays there are various career options open for the youth of today. A career in heavy equipment repair is one such avenue. It is an ideal career choice for people who are dexterous, have a mechanical bent of mind, and like the idea of dealing with some of the large heavy equipment machinery used in various heavy duty industries.

There is a huge demand for heavy equipment repair technicians in industries like trucking, transportation, construction, etc., and employers find it very difficult to find qualified people to troubleshoot and maintain the specialized equipment. So if you are keen in making this your career, you can join Lansing Community College, which is in partnership with AIS Construction Equipment, one of the premier heavy-equipment suppliers of the area, to provide students a new gateway to acquire knowledge and become accredited heavy equipment repair technicians.

These training programs will teach you to repair and maintain heavy equipment like backhoes, wheel loaders, forklifts, skid steers, bulldozers, excavators, and the like. The training courses can show you the right path and lead you to career prospects, in order to grow in this field. Such programs are practical, hands-on, and can result in a career starting from $10 – $25 an hour. With more experience, the pay scales rise even higher. For example, five years down the line, your experience and level of expertise may give you a hike of $70,000 per annum.

Such courses are available throughout the year. Some of them are offered in the evenings, while others are available during the daytime. Due to such flexible timings, it becomes easier for you to adjust your schedule.

Transportation Technologies

Heavy equipment repair technicians are in demand in the field of transportation technologies. Those who are mechanically skillful, who love hands-on work experiences, and who like challenges and variety in their job are the ones who flourish in this field. If you choose a particular course or training in this field, they provide you many learning opportunities that impart the skills you need in order to get jobs which can pay in the range of $10 to $25 an hour or more.

Various Career Prospects in Transportation Technology

. Automotive

. Aviation

. Heavy Equipment Operator

. Heavy Equipment Repair

. Truck Driver Training

. Collision Repair

The skills required & what can be achieved

If you have the skills and competence to repair heavy equipment, and are aware of what it takes to be a good mechanic, then being a professional technician in the heavy equipment careers mentioned above is an ideal choice for you. Once you know you have the ability, in order to grow in the field it is important to get the credentials to become a professional technician.

The growth prospects range from starting off being a service technician to becoming a service manager, and perhaps of even being the owner of your own repair shop some day. This rise begins with the academic career training programs provided by various institutes.

Once you complete the certification programs successfully, you are ready to take off on your chosen career path. Not only does it provide job satisfaction, but the pay scales are attractive as well. While initially the pay scales may be relatively modest, it can increase substantially with experience, more expertise, and your ambition to grow in this field.

Heavy equipment mechanics are a specialized category of people. Their job involves the repair, service and maintenance of heavy equipment. They work under varied working conditions at different workplaces, both indoors as well as outdoors. Hence, this kind of a work requires specific expertise and skills related to machinery and machine parts.

Apart from the mechanical knowledge, they need to have a keen sense of observation, and a knack for locating possible faults or damages. In order to do this, they need high levels of reasoning and problem solving abilities. With these faculties, a heavy equipment mechanic has the ability to identify specific problems, and to critically review the available information. Usually well attuned to the mechanics of the equipment he deals with, he is quick to notice when something goes wrong, or even when it is about to do so. Once the mechanical failure is identified, he also evaluates the costs and the advantages of following a course of action to rectify it. Thus, he works out solutions to various problems, and judges their effectiveness.

These skills and abilities can be broadly put into two categories: One, problem solving through reasoning, and second, willingness to work with various things. Since the repair of machines or systems forms the core of the job profile, a heavy equipment mechanic has to excel in determining the reasons for technical glitches, and to think of ways to solve them when they occur. Hence, a person who is willing to try out various methods to find solutions does well in these kinds of jobs. They must be ready to take apart, operate or re-assemble machines, till they find the real problem or get the correct solution. They need to examine various gauges, dials, as well as the actual output to check whether the machine is in proper condition.

Having an analytical bent of mind is always helpful for heavy equipment mechanics. It helps in testing the equipment as well as to find the root cause of the problem. When a heavy equipment mechanic is asked to prepare a proposal to buy machine spares, or the costing of a particular piece of machinery, these skills come in handy. Thus, if one has mathematical skills, then it is an added advantage. Also, keeping a cool temper in moments of stress and high tension is an absolute necessity. On the whole, these are the traits that companies look for in a heavy equipment mechanic, or a prospective newcomer.

Apart from the job related work, if a heavy equipment mechanic nurtures hobbies, they are a useful way to balance the stresses of the job. One can handle stress more effectively when one has a satisfactory family life, as well as a good hobby.

Here are a few aspects that heavy equipment mechanics deal with in their working environment:

Relationships: As their job is usually solitary, and depends on individual skills, when they do work in a group, they like an environment that is non-competitive and pleasant. Being highly individualistic, they dislike being pressurized into doing things that are against their notions of what is right or wrong.

Working Conditions: Good pay and steady employment are factors that are important. However, they seek jobs that suit their individual style of work. Heavy equipment mechanics may either prefer to work alone, or take on various tasks, and they dislike being idled, preferring to be busy.

Focused on achievement:

Most of people involved in this field are focused on achieving results. They use their abilities to produce the results that they want to accomplish. With a job well done, they like the feeling of fulfillment that comes with it. They also enjoy any recognition that is given to their work.

There is nothing uncommon in the activities or qualities displayed by heavy equipment mechanics. Their jobs are quite similar to other professions. But the level of involvement tends to be more intense. Strong support from their managers, co-workers and customers are essential for the smooth functioning of a team of mechanics or the maintenance department of an organization. Thus fair play and good work ethics are important aspects that heavy equipment mechanics prefer in their work environment.

Heavy equipment training involves imparting of specialized training to heavy equipments operators with the use of heavy machinery equipments like bulldozers, forklifts, cranes in industries like construction, mining, and logging. Due to the nature of work and the high degree of risk involved, it becomes essential that all equipment operators receive some kind of specialized training from certified and accredited heavy equipment training schools. All equipment operators are required to first pass, written as well as practical series of tests, in order to qualify for the work and safely operate heavy machines.

A trainee has various options in heavy equipment training schools and institutes to choose from. Only after he is certified by a major organization like the NCCER (National Centre for Construction Education and Research), he can start working as a equipment operator. Although, different companies require certification from different organizations, the NCCER is one of the most well-known and reputed centers for heavy equipment certification.

Depending on the needs and requirements of the job, you have the alternative to select from three major training courses that are conducted for heavy equipment operators. Level I deal with the basics of equipment operations and is a foundation course. Under this, the trainee is taught essential safety measures to be taken while at work, the rules and regulations that need to be observed at the site and other similar vital information is also imparted. After one completes this course, the trainee can then operate simple heavy machinery like dump trucks, loaders and backhoes.

The second heavy equipment-training program also known as the equipment operation level II can be taken up, after you complete the primary course. Only the trainees of level I are eligible for the level II training program. This program is inclusive of the refresher of the level I courses, civil blue print reading and earth moving training. This course enables the trainees to safely operate heavy equipments and machines at construction sites like bulldozers, forklifts and rollers.

The third heavy equipment training program is a more advanced and comprehensive course. It can be applied only after the trainee has cleared the level I and II operations. It deals with imparting training in commercial concepts like advanced safety precautions, leadership training in the industrial world, project planning, and skills that will enable one to successfully complete and pursue his career in this field. Certified people of the level III courses are eligible to operate complex equipments and machinery like excavators. These courses not only instill operating skills, but also leadership and management skills in the trainees.

However, before you choose to enroll in any of the above programs, it is essential that you make sure that the prospective school is not only competent but also has a reputation in this field and confirm the fact that it is accredited by establishments like the NCCER which is an essential criterion, since all major companies recognize courses certified by the NCCER.

The NCCER is a non-commercial and non-profit organization that was formed by the collaboration of 11 of the largest construction companies in the worlds. It aims to provide the compulsory education and training all equipment operators, keeping their safety in mind. It also helps to address severe shortage of qualified personnel in the equipment industry. The NCCER has made it easier for people to receive training and certification by successfully managing to unify the training heavy equipment program.

In short, being certified and accredited by a heavy equipment training school not only ensures your safety but also enables you to take advantage of various job opportunities in this field.