Ferris State offers an Associate in Applied Science degree in heavy equipment technology and a Bachelor of Science degree in heavy equipment service engineering technology. Students must first acquire the associate degree before applying for the bachelor's program. Upon graduation, most students enter a three- to five-year apprenticeship program.
Delta College offers two occupational training programs at its Saginaw campus. The eight-week heavy equipment operator program provides hands-on training on backhoe, bulldozer, excavator and wheel loader, forklift and skid-steer operation. The heavy equipment repair technician program -- a 10-week, 460-hour certificate-granting course -- covers basic equipment, power trains, diesel engines, electrical/electronics, hydraulics and service writing.
Heavy machine operators work in any type of weather, typically performing exhausting and stressful tasks in a noisy, hazardous and dirty environment. Workers must read engineering drawings, meet set standards, and judge distances and slopes to be successful. While such jobs pay $20 an hour, according to the Delta College website, the work may be seasonal.