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California training programs, and what happened to the people who took them

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Certificate of Heavy Equipment Operations Level I

Heavy Equipment Colleges of America · San Bernardino, CA

Cost
$11,492
Length
3 weeks
Working 6 months later
59%

Program names, program descriptions and occupation titles appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Everything else on this page is translated.

What happened to people who took this

People enrolled
444
Finished the program
100%Based on 438 peopleTypical California program: 85% of 1,951 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
Working 6 months later
59%Typical California program: 69% of 1,690 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
Earnings in one quarter after
Not reported

The job this trains for

This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.

Where California publishes a separate figure for Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.

Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators

Job ads may call this: Machine Operator · Back Hoe Operator · Forklift Operator · Operating Engineer

Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.

  • Learn and follow safety regulations.
  • Take actions to avoid potential hazards or obstructions, such as utility lines, other equipment, other workers, or falling objects.
  • Check fuel supplies at sites to ensure adequate availability.
  • Start engines, move throttles, switches, or levers, or depress pedals to operate machines, such as bulldozers, trench excavators, road graders, or backhoes.
Show 3 more things this job involves
  • Coordinate machine actions with other activities, positioning or moving loads in response to hand or audio signals from crew members.
  • Locate underground services, such as pipes or wires, prior to beginning work.
  • Align machines, cutterheads, or depth gauge makers with reference stakes and guidelines or ground or position equipment, following hand signals of other workers.

What this pays in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties)

Each bar runs from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest-paid tenth. The darker middle is where half the people are, and the line is the median.

AreaThe lowest-paid tenth earn underHalf earn underThe highest-paid tenth earn over
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties)$49,958$80,853$131,303
Across California$54,189$89,521$135,792

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) beside the same figures for the whole state. A region can sit well below or above the statewide spread, and the statewide number is the one most often quoted — so where they differ, the local row is the one that describes the work near this program.

Typical pay in California
$89,521per yearRiverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: $81,477
Projected openings
33,360Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 4,480
Projected change
+7%
Usually needs
High school diploma or equivalent

Getting in

Experience needed first
None
Training after you are hired
1 to 12 months

These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.

What people in this job actually studied

Most common: High school diploma — 53% of the people doing this work.

California says this job usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent. 19% of the people doing it went less far than that.

No high school diploma
19%
High school diploma
53%
Started college, no degree
19%
Two-year degree
6%
Four-year degree
3%
Master's degree
0.4%
Doctorate or professional degree
0.2%

This counts people already doing this job, across the whole United States. Every other figure on this page is California's, and the federal government publishes no state version of this one. It is what people happen to have, not a rule about who gets hired. A small row does not mean you would be turned away, and a large one is not a promise of a job.

Program details

This program provides in-person instruction only.

A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to operate and maintain a variety of heavy equipment such as a wheel loader, backhoe, skid steer, hydropic water truck, rigging devices, hoists. Includes instruction in digging, ditching, sloping, stripping grading and back filing, clearing and excavating.

Someone else may be able to pay for this

This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-08-04). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.

The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California

  • East Valley America`s Job Center of California-Affiliate site

    Phone: 909-382-0440

    500 Inland Center DriveSan Bernadino County Workforce Development Suite 508San Bernardino, CA 92408about 2.7 miles away

    Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00a.m. - 5:00p.m.

    Has a veterans' representative

  • Riverside Workforce Development Center AJCCComprehensive center

    Phone: 951-955-3100

    1325 Spruce StreetSuite 110Riverside, CA 92507about 9 miles away

    Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm Closed Holidays

    Has a veterans' representative

  • Rubidoux Youth Opportunity CenterAffiliate site

    Phone: 951-683-9622

    5656 Mission BlvdRiverside, CA 92509about 9.9 miles away

    Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm

Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.

Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List

How this gets paid for, and what to ask

Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.

The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.

How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you