Local 302’s and Local 612’s Heavy Equipment Operator Training School near Ellensburg, Washington boasts 13,000 square feet of space for classrooms and offices and a 9,600 square foot shop. There are seven permanent classrooms with high-speed Internet access networked throughout. The large meeting/conference room can be divided into two additional large classrooms or used for large gatherings of any kind.

The three-bay 80 by 120 foot shop is concrete tilt-up with a metal roof.  There is convenient access to compressed air outlets throughout the shop and a separate facility for welding when needed. This bay is re-enforced for the heavy, tracked equipment and can also be separated off to be used as a paint booth.

We have a number of nice dozers ranging in size from the small finish dozer to the D8R.  We have used our crushed rock to establish an area to teach finish dozer skills and have added Finish Dozer to our training calendar.

We work hard to ensure our training involves as much seat time as possible.  We have a couple of hours of safety and machine control/function training then it’s out to the field to practice the skills discussed that morning.

We have a good supply of material readily available to make into crushed product suitable for everything from road base to finish grade for the slabs of our buildings.  A mock utilities area is being set up for the backhoe and excavator classes to practice digging around existing utilities and to practice deep digging skills.

The crane training and testing area has nearly doubled in size during the past year. We have added crane classes and have increased our NCCCO testing to meet the ever-increasing demand.

Recently, the International-sponsored  Pipeline Training class had a large area of uncleared land on which to practice clearing with focus on the recognition of right-of-way staking and its importance in the pipeline industry.

Apprenticeship is a wonderful way to learn a valuable skill while still being able to make a living.  If you are searching for your pot-of-gold and are willing to do the work to find it, you could very well find it at the end of this rainbow.  Knowledge is power, that's what training's all about.  Please visit us in Central Washington if you are in our neighborhood or visit us on the web here.