When Did You Last Review Your Heavy Equipment Skills Set?

Are you well versed in a range of heavy equipment? If you are a professional heavy equipment operator then you do need to have more than one piece of equipment in your skills set. We are frequently getting job vacancies from employers, which have as a major requirement the ability to operate a range of heavy equipment. We are also getting vacancies that ask for heavy equipment operators who have a current commercial drivers license.

From a business owner’s perspective, it makes sense to employ individuals who can be utilized where the need is greatest. If a project is running behind schedule, they can move employees to that project to help move things along. If they don’t have multi-skilled operators, then their options are limited, short of engaging short term contractors at a higher cost.

As an operator, you are gaining two benefits from multi-skilling. You are opening up more employment opportunities as your skills set will appeal to that wider group of employers. From a workplace perspective, you are also giving yourself variety – your not stuck operating the one piece of equipment day-after-day. Employers also respect that philosophy – variety does help to keep employees on-the-ball.

For new operators, our suggestion is very simple – when undertaking your initial training, find a heavy equipment training organization that will train you on a variety of machinery. Once you enter the work place, look for an employer who will give you ongoing experience on that machinery. For existing operators, we suggest you review your current skills set, and if necessary, consider adding to new skills, especially a commercial drivers license. You’ll reap the benefits long term, and so will your future employers.