Heavy equipment operator training in Arkansas

6 heavy equipment operator programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

4 schools offer these heavy equipment operator programs, and Arkansas has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Heavy equipment operators drive and control the machines that build roads, bridges and buildings. Most have a high school diploma and learn on the job or in a three- or four-year apprenticeship, and many need a commercial driver's license to haul their equipment between jobsites.¹ In Arkansas, 4 of the 6 programs take students without a high school diploma, and 4 are taught partly or fully online.

See the 6 programs

How much does heavy equipment operator training cost in Arkansas?

$3,972 to $6,690 is what most heavy equipment operator programs in Arkansas cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 6 programs with a price. All of them: $2,695 to $15,500

In the typical program

Finished the program: Not enough data
Working 6 months later: Not enough data
Earned a year, estimated: Not enough data
Length: Not reported for most programs

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Arkansas may also offer heavy equipment operator training. How these figures are made

Is there free heavy equipment operator training in Arkansas?

Yes, if you qualify. WIOA (public workforce funding) can pay for any program on this page, in full or in part, depending on local limits.²³⁴
Ask an American Job Center whether you qualify, or call 1-877-872-5627.⁵ Before funding training, the center goes through an assessment and a career plan with you.⁴
Or pay yourself. Most heavy equipment operator programs in Arkansas cost $3,972 to $6,690. Prices on this page run from $2,695 to $15,500.

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

Heavy equipment operator training in Harrison, Pine Bluff, Little Rock and other Arkansas cities

Choosing an area filters the list below. 1 in smaller cities and towns.

All 6 heavy equipment operator programs in Arkansas approved for WIOA funding

6 programs

Heavy equipment operator courseIn personNo diploma needed
Heavy Equipment Operator Course
Heavy Equipment Operating Academy
Bee Branch
No diploma needed
Heavy Equipment Operating Academy, Bee Branch · Heavy equipment operator course · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimated$43,900
Price if you pay yourself$15,500
Program website, Heavy Equipment Operator Course at Heavy Equipment Operating Academy
More details about Heavy Equipment Operator Course at Heavy Equipment Operating Academy
Finished
100%
Working at 6 months
82%
Earned in a quarter
$10,969
Length
Not reported
Cost of supplies
$1,200
Students counted
80
a year, estimated
$43,900
price
$15,500
Heavy equipment operator courseHybridHigh school diploma or equivalent
Construction Equipment Operation (Certificate of Prof)
North Arkansas College - Nac (North Campus And South Campus)
Harrison
High school diploma or equivalent
North Arkansas College - Nac (North Campus And South Campus), Harrison · Heavy equipment operator course · Hybrid · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$46,300
Price if you pay yourself$3,266
Program website, Construction Equipment Operation (Certificate of Prof) at North Arkansas College - Nac (North Campus And South Campus)
More details about Construction Equipment Operation (Certificate of Prof) at North Arkansas College - Nac (North Campus And South Campus)
Finished
66%
Working at 6 months
54%
Earned in a quarter
$11,581
Length
Not reported
Cost of supplies
$329
Students counted
46
a year, estimated
$46,300
price
$3,266
Heavy equipment operator courseHybridHigh school diploma or equivalent
Construction Equipment Operation (Technical Certificate)
North Arkansas College - Nac (North Campus And South Campus)
Harrison
High school diploma or equivalent
North Arkansas College - Nac (North Campus And South Campus), Harrison · Heavy equipment operator course · Hybrid · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$32,500
Price if you pay yourself$6,092
Program website, Construction Equipment Operation (Technical Certificate) at North Arkansas College - Nac (North Campus And South Campus)
More details about Construction Equipment Operation (Technical Certificate) at North Arkansas College - Nac (North Campus And South Campus)
Finished
43%
Working at 6 months
42%
Earned in a quarter
$8,128
Length
Not reported
Cost of supplies
$329
Students counted
36
a year, estimated
$32,500
price
$6,092
Heavy equipment operator courseIn personNo diploma needed
Certified Heavy Equipment Operator
Arkansas Construction Education Foundation (Acef)
Little Rock
No diploma needed
Arkansas Construction Education Foundation (Acef), Little Rock · Heavy equipment operator course · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$2,695
Program website, Certified Heavy Equipment Operator at Arkansas Construction Education Foundation (Acef)
More details about Certified Heavy Equipment Operator at Arkansas Construction Education Foundation (Acef)
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
5 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$2,695
Heavy equipment operator courseHybridNo diploma needed
CDAP Heavy Equipment Operator Level I
Carpenter Daughter Apprenticeship Programs
Pine Bluff
No diploma needed
Carpenter Daughter Apprenticeship Programs, Pine Bluff · Heavy equipment operator course · Hybrid · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$6,690
Program website, CDAP Heavy Equipment Operator Level I at Carpenter Daughter Apprenticeship Programs
More details about CDAP Heavy Equipment Operator Level I at Carpenter Daughter Apprenticeship Programs
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
Not reported
Cost of supplies
$450
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$6,690
Heavy equipment operator courseHybridNo diploma needed
CDAP Heavy Equipment Operator Level II
Carpenter Daughter Apprenticeship Programs
Pine Bluff
No diploma needed
Carpenter Daughter Apprenticeship Programs, Pine Bluff · Heavy equipment operator course · Hybrid · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$6,690
Program website, CDAP Heavy Equipment Operator Level II at Carpenter Daughter Apprenticeship Programs
More details about CDAP Heavy Equipment Operator Level II at Carpenter Daughter Apprenticeship Programs
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
Not reported
Cost of supplies
$450
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$6,690

How to pay for heavy equipment operator training in Arkansas

WIOA funding can pay for heavy equipment operator training in Arkansas

Every program on this page is approved for WIOA funding: public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. It can pay for training for eligible adults, people who lost their job and young people.²People on public assistance, with a low income or lacking basic skills come first, and veterans have priority.³Your state or local area may limit how much WIOA pays and for how long. If a program costs more, a Pell Grant, a scholarship or severance pay can cover the rest.⁴

Ask at an American Job Center

Eligibility rules apply, and services vary from state to state. Your local American Job Center can tell you whether you qualify. The Department of Labor's page links to the center finder, or call 1-877-US-2JOBS (1-877-872-5627).⁵

Financial aid and grants for heavy equipment operator training

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.⁶⁷

GI Bill for heavy equipment operator training

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.⁸

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Does WIOA pay for job training? Who qualifies and how to apply

Quick facts: Heavy equipment operator training in Arkansas

lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare: 8th of 13
heavy equipment operator programs here, against the typical state's 4: 6 vs 4

State comparisons use the same figures as the heavy equipment operator training by state table: the middle program of each state, and only states with three or more schools for prices. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).

Where the Arkansas heavy equipment operator program numbers come from

Which Arkansas heavy equipment operator programs are on this list?

These are the heavy equipment operator programs Arkansas approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).⁹ The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Arkansas offers.

How Arkansas heavy equipment operator program prices are reported

The price is tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported it. "Trained with WIOA funding" on a program counts the people whose training there WIOA paid toward through a training account in program year 2024; the file never gives counts under 3, so a program without the line may still take WIOA students. It does not say how much of the price WIOA covered. Prices under $100 are treated as not reported, because the file holds many blanks entered as $0. Check the current price with the school.

What the graduate results of these programs measure

The figures at the top of this page are the middle program among those that report results: half did better, half did worse. Results describe students who left each program in recent years: the share who finished, the share working in the second quarter after leaving, and the middle earnings of those working in that quarter. States report earnings for that one quarter because they take them from the wage reports employers file every three months. The yearly figure here is that quarter times four, rounded to the nearest $100: an estimate, and an early one, since it is measured about half a year after training. The quarter as reported is under "More details" on each program. Results are withheld for small programs, and they describe past students, so they are no guarantee.

Why do some heavy equipment operator programs say "Not reported"?

Where a school or the state left a field empty, or the Department of Labor withheld it, the page says "Not reported". Nothing here is estimated to fill a gap.

Why the kind of school is left off each program

The file also records whether a school is public, private or nonprofit, but those entries are wrong too often to print next to a school's name, so this page leaves them out.

Other training in Arkansas

Sources for the facts about heavy equipment operator training in Arkansas

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