Post Secondary Education Grant Award

Tallahassee Community College

Tallahassee Community College (TCC) was awarded $147,715 to fund the start up costs of a Heavy Equipment Operator (HEO) training program. Florida’s Great Northwest offered the grant after analysis of industry trends revealed that Northwest Florida would demand well over 100 new heavy equipment operators per year while the region had just one training program with an enrollment of four students. TCC, already an experienced provider of training in other construction disciplines, stepped up to the challenge. The college currently provides a variety of apprenticeship programs including plumbing/pipe fitting, masonry, HVAC and electrical. TCC is an Accredited Training and Education Facility (ATEF) for the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), a credential that demonstrates its commitment to delivering industry-recognized certification programs to construction students.

The new Heavy Equipment Operator training program includes construction safety, construction math, hand and power tools, blueprints, rigging, communication and employability skills, identification of heavy equipment, operational techniques, grading and dump truck operations. The training is provided via classroom instruction, online assignments, simulations and hands-on demonstration. Students will receive NCCER certification upon completion of the competency-based curriculum.

“In the past, construction companies would have people show up who didn’t have the experience or who learned on the job from somebody else, but they may not have learned all the correct things” says Rick Frazier, TCC’s Director of Economic Development and Corporate Services. “Knowing a job applicant possesses this industry-recognized credential can provide an employer more confidence that the prospect can begin a job with the skills necessary for successful job performance.”

In addition to the specific Heavy Equipment Operator courses, Tallahassee Community College will offer a 10-hour OSHA construction safety track that equips students with critical safety information and an OSHA safety card. Students also have the option to go through the Florida Ready-to-Work credentialing program, WorkKeys®, at the end of the employability skills track. WorkKeys® measures aptitude in reading for information, applied mathematics and locating information.

The Heavy Equipment Operator program is offered during the day and evening in order to accommodate a broader audience. “This program aims to attract people who are unemployed as well as those who are underemployed or just looking to upgrade their skills,” Frazier explains.

To guarantee the program’s relevance, the college reached out to businesses in the industry and formed an active advisory committee. Participating businesses include Ring Power, Sanco, Inc., Jimmie Crowder Excavating, Sperry & Associates, Pro-Steel Buildings, Florida Home Builders Association, Allstate Construction, Tallahassee Builders Association, Culpepper Construction Company, Childers Construction and Albritton Williams.

TCC also works closely with WORKFORCE plus, the regional workforce board that services the same area as the college: Leon, Gadsden and Wakulla Counties. The workforce board refers individuals seeking training to the program at TCC and is even developing a Heavy Equipment Operator program exclusively for its business clients.

More than 130 students have enrolled in the program to date, and classes are ongoing.

Tallahassee Community College serves more than 26,000 students per year and has been Florida’s fastest growing community college over the past 20 years. The college has announced plans to build a manufacturing and industrial complex on its main campus. The complex will be home to the Advanced Manufacturing Center and the Skilled Craft Training Center where the Heavy Equipment Operator courses will be taught.