Education · 1 of 4

The path

Shorter than most trades. Two routes: a registered apprenticeship, or a short course plus seat time.

1. 1

   High school diploma and a driver's licence

   Grade 12

   Grade 12. A clean driving record matters. A DZ (truck and air brake) licence helps because operators often float their own machine to site.

2. 2

   Get on a crew

   Months

   Start as a labourer with a road builder, excavation company or municipality, or apply to the union hall. Seat time is earned by showing up and being trusted.

3. 3

   Train

   1 to 2 years

   Either register an apprenticeship with your provincial trades authority (Ontario's dozer, excavator and tractor-loader-backhoe apprenticeships are each about 2,560 hours, roughly a year and a half), or take a private course of 4 to 12 weeks and learn the rest on the job.

4. 4

   Certify

   After your hours

   Heavy Equipment Operator (Dozer), (Excavator) and (Tractor-Loader-Backhoe) are each Red Seal trades. Certification is optional but it opens union and government jobs.