Complete shop and mechanical drawing classes in high school. Also, take a driver's education course and an auto mechanics class so that you are prepared to drive cranes to various construction sites, industrial yards and similar locations and maintain them, according to CollegeBoard.com and SchoolsInTheUSA.com.
Decide whether you want to gain crane operator training through a formal training program or informally on the job. If you complete on-the-job training, you can pursue certification after several years of field experience, reports SchoolsInTheUSA.com. Otherwise, research formal crane operator training programs that prepare you for trade certification, according to California-based All Crane Training U.S.A. In addition, your desired training program should teach how to operate the type of crane in which you are interested, such as mobile, tower, overhead or articulating cranes. Training programs typically last a few weeks.
Apply to the formal training program you choose. Many programs require you to have a high school diploma or GED. Even if your training program does not require this, employers generally want crane operators who have completed high school, reports SchoolsInTheUSA.com.
Learn how to use a crane to place materials and equipment, unload ship cargo or supply vessels, dredge waterways or even drive pilings into the ground to support structures such as buildings, according to SchoolsInTheUSA.com. While in your formal training program, also practice raising hooks connected to load lines and extending the outermost arm of a crane, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Also, learn how to perform maintenance on this equipment.
Complete a physical examination and apply to take a written and practical exam administered by the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators at a local site. Exams are available in the multiple-crane operator specialty areas of articulating, mobile, tower and overhead crane operator.
You must take and pass a written and physical exam in any one of the specialty areas within 12 months of each other. You need to pass a written recertification examination and have at least 1,000 crane-related hours of experience to be re-certified every five years. Although trade certification is not required in the crane operator field, it can improve your employment opportunities.