Heavy equipment operator training in Colorado

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

2 schools offer these heavy equipment operator programs, and Colorado 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 Colorado, all 3 programs take students without a high school diploma.

See the 3 programs

How much does heavy equipment operator training cost in Colorado?

$4,827 to $20,508

from the lowest-priced program to the highest, if you pay yourself

In the typical program

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

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

Is there free heavy equipment operator training in Colorado?

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. These programs cost $4,827 to $20,508.

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

Heavy equipment operator training in Oklahoma City, Alamosa and other Colorado cities

Choosing an area filters the list below.

All 3 heavy equipment operator programs in Colorado approved for WIOA funding

3 programs

Heavy equipment operator courseIn personNo diploma needed
Heavy Equipment Operations
Trinidad State Junior College
Alamosa
No diploma needed
Trinidad State Junior College, Alamosa · Heavy equipment operator course · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$4,827
Program website, Heavy Equipment Operations at Trinidad State Junior College
More details about Heavy Equipment Operations at Trinidad State Junior College
Finished
92%
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
Not reported
Cost of supplies
$200
Students counted
22
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$4,827
Heavy equipment operator courseIn personNo diploma needed
Heavy Equipment Operations Level 1
Heavy Equipment College of Oklahoma
Oklahoma City
No diploma needed
Heavy Equipment College of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City · Heavy equipment operator course · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$10,254
Program website, Heavy Equipment Operations Level 1 at Heavy Equipment College of Oklahoma
More details about Heavy Equipment Operations Level 1 at Heavy Equipment College of Oklahoma
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
24 weeks, 50 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$75
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$10,254
Heavy equipment operator courseIn personNo diploma needed
Heavy Equipment Operator Level 2
Heavy Equipment College of Oklahoma
Oklahoma City
No diploma needed
Heavy Equipment College of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City · Heavy equipment operator course · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$20,508
Program website, Heavy Equipment Operator Level 2 at Heavy Equipment College of Oklahoma
More details about Heavy Equipment Operator Level 2 at Heavy Equipment College of Oklahoma
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
48 weeks, 50 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$150
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$20,508

How to pay for heavy equipment operator training in Colorado

WIOA funding can pay for heavy equipment operator training in Colorado

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

Where the Colorado heavy equipment operator program numbers come from

Which Colorado heavy equipment operator programs are on this list?

These are the heavy equipment operator programs Colorado 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 Colorado offers.

How the prices and results of Colorado heavy equipment operator programs are measured

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. Results describe students who left the program in recent years, and the yearly earnings figure is the reported quarter times four, an estimate. They describe past students, so they are no guarantee. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported". Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

How reliable are the Colorado figures?

The US Department of Labor's own results site lists Colorado among the states with "known data quality concerns".¹⁰ The figures here are shown as the state reported them; check them with the school before you enroll.

Other training in Colorado

Sources for the facts about heavy equipment operator training in Colorado

Show the 10 sourcesHide the sources