Heavy equipment students gain ground and build careers at NIC

RATHDRUM — A lot of dirt has moved over the past few weeks at North Idaho College’s Parker Technical Education Center and so have the futures of students there learning to turn heavy equipment skills into construction careers.

Students in NIC Workforce Training Center’s five-week, intensive Heavy Equipment Operator Training Program have climbed into loaders, excavators, road rollers and other equipment, learning to safely operate the machines that help build roads, job sites and communities.

They have done it at the Parker Center under the watchful eyes of trained experts, with classmates spotting for one another and safety guiding every move. In the classroom, they’re learning a host of other construction industry skills and best practices.

For Patrick Simmons, 34, of Kellogg, the training is about opening a door.

Simmons sat recently in one of the Parker Center’s common areas, studying a lesson on resume writing. He grew up in North Idaho and has worked around construction, but never as an equipment operator.

“I wanted to jump into the machines and expand my skills,” Simmons said.

He has also worked in the restaurant industry but said he is ready for a different path.

With an associate degree in business management and hopes to own his own business someday, Simmons said the safety training has been especially valuable.

“There are things I didn’t know about how to protect yourself,” he said.

NIC received a $299,951 grant from the Federal Highway Administration’s Highway Construction Training Program to develop and deliver heavy equipment training and help place participants in jobs. The grant covers the students’ cost to attend and is designed to help increase the capacity and capability of Idaho’s highway construction workforce by preparing more trained heavy equipment operators to enter the field.

As Idaho’s population growth continues at one of the fastest rates in the nation, the state continues to update its highway, aviation and building infrastructure. The demand for skilled construction workers is strong and is expected to remain that way. The grant project aims to reduce barriers for students, increase the number of Idahoans entering transportation and highway construction careers and strengthen partnerships between education and industry employers.

Over a two-year grant period, NIC is offering two five-week courses. This year’s course is wrapping up this week with 19 students. It will run again in the spring of 2027. Each program includes 154 hours of classroom and hands-on instruction. This year’s students attend Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Participants train in construction basics, heavy equipment operation, safety, first-aid/CPR, traffic control flagging and forklift operation. Students who complete the program earn a National Center for Construction Education and Research certification, along with OSHA 10, first-aid/CPR, forklift and flagging credentials.

Colleen Hoffman, NIC Customized Training and project manager, said the program gives students a strong start in a high-demand field.

“This training helps students build confidence, develop safe work habits and gain the foundational skills employers are looking for,” Hoffman said. “Students who successfully complete the five-week program are positioned to move directly into the second year of NIC’s three-year heavy equipment operator apprenticeship training.”

That second year includes training on rough terrain forklifts, on-road dump trucks, skid steers, loaders and scrapers, with classroom instruction in excavation math and sitework. Students who complete all three years and the required on-the-job training hours with an employer can test for a journeyman license.

The grant-supported program represents significant savings for students. NIC Workforce Training Center’s traditional Year 1 Heavy Equipment Apprenticeship Training course, which runs weekly from October through April, costs about $5,600.

Colby Mattila, NIC executive director of Workforce and Economic Development, said the program was built with students and the economy in mind.

“North Idaho and Idaho need skilled workers who are ready to help build and maintain the infrastructure that keeps our communities moving,” Mattila said. “This program helps students step into good careers while strengthening the construction and transportation workforce employers need.”

Interested prospective students for the 2027 course or employers interested in partnering with NIC Workforce Training on this project are encouraged to sign up for updates at workforcetraining.center/HEO-Summer-2027-Interest-List.