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Heavy equipment operator training in Columbus, Ohio

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

3 schools offer these heavy equipment operator programs with classes in the Columbus area, and every one is approved 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 Columbus, 8 of the 11 programs take students without a high school diploma.

See the 11 programs

All 20 heavy equipment operator programs in Ohio, including online programs

How much does heavy equipment operator training cost in Columbus?

$5,158 to $11,860 is what most heavy equipment operator programs in Columbus cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 11 programs with a price. All of them: $2,719 to $16,283

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

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

Is there free heavy equipment operator training in Columbus?

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

All 11 heavy equipment operator programs in Columbus approved for WIOA funding

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11 programs

  • Heavy equipment operator courseIn personNo diploma needed

    Heavy Equipment Training I & II

    Performance Training Solutions, LLC

    Thornville

    No diploma needed

    Performance Training Solutions, LLC, Thornville · Heavy equipment operator course · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimated$21,900
    Price if you pay yourself$13,990
    Program website, Heavy Equipment Training I & II at Performance Training Solutions, LLC
    More details about Heavy Equipment Training I & II at Performance Training Solutions, LLC
    Finished
    93%
    Working at 6 months
    57%
    Earned in a quarter
    $5,470
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    239
    a year, estimated
    $21,900
    price
    $13,990

  • Heavy equipment operator courseIn personNo diploma needed

    Heavy Equipment Training I

    Performance Training Solutions, LLC

    Thornville

    No diploma needed

    Performance Training Solutions, LLC, Thornville · Heavy equipment operator course · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimated$16,300
    Price if you pay yourself$6,995
    Program website, Heavy Equipment Training I at Performance Training Solutions, LLC
    More details about Heavy Equipment Training I at Performance Training Solutions, LLC
    Finished
    97%
    Working at 6 months
    81%
    Earned in a quarter
    $4,066
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    83
    a year, estimated
    $16,300
    price
    $6,995

  • Heavy equipment operator courseIn personNo diploma needed

    Heavy Equipment Operator Training Program I

    Performance Training Solutions, LLC

    Reynoldsburg

    No diploma needed

    Performance Training Solutions, LLC, Reynoldsburg · Heavy equipment operator course · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimated$31,000
    Price if you pay yourself$5,995
    Program website, Heavy Equipment Operator Training Program I at Performance Training Solutions, LLC
    More details about Heavy Equipment Operator Training Program I at Performance Training Solutions, LLC
    Finished
    94%
    Working at 6 months
    81%
    Earned in a quarter
    $7,750
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    18
    a year, estimated
    $31,000
    price
    $5,995

  • Heavy equipment operator apprenticeshipIn personNo diploma needed

    Journeyman Equipment Operator Certificate

    Columbus State Comm. College

    Columbus

    No diploma needed

    Columbus State Comm. College, Columbus · Heavy equipment operator apprenticeship · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$2,719
    Program website, Journeyman Equipment Operator Certificate at Columbus State Comm. College
    More details about Journeyman Equipment Operator Certificate at Columbus State Comm. College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    $1,800
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $2,719

  • Heavy equipment operator courseIn personPrerequisite courses

    Construction Heavy Equipment Certificate

    Columbus State Comm. College

    Columbus

    Prerequisite courses

    Columbus State Comm. College, Columbus · Heavy equipment operator course · In person · Prerequisite courses

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$3,787
    Program website, Construction Heavy Equipment Certificate at Columbus State Comm. College
    More details about Construction Heavy Equipment Certificate at Columbus State Comm. College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    $900
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $3,787

  • Heavy equipment operator apprenticeshipIn personEducation and courses

    Operating Engineer Apprentice I Certificate

    Columbus State Comm. College

    Columbus

    Education and courses

    Columbus State Comm. College, Columbus · Heavy equipment operator apprenticeship · In person · Education and courses

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$4,320
    Program website, Operating Engineer Apprentice I Certificate at Columbus State Comm. College
    More details about Operating Engineer Apprentice I Certificate at Columbus State Comm. College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    $1,800
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $4,320

  • Heavy equipment operator courseIn personNo diploma needed

    Heavy Equipment Training II

    Performance Training Solutions, LLC

    Thornville

    No diploma needed

    Performance Training Solutions, LLC, Thornville · Heavy equipment operator course · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$6,995
    Program website, Heavy Equipment Training II at Performance Training Solutions, LLC
    More details about Heavy Equipment Training II at Performance Training Solutions, LLC
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $6,995

  • Heavy equipment operator courseIn personNo diploma needed

    Heavy Equipment Operator Training Program II

    Performance Training Solutions, LLC

    Reynoldsburg

    No diploma needed

    Performance Training Solutions, LLC, Reynoldsburg · Heavy equipment operator course · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$9,995
    Program website, Heavy Equipment Operator Training Program II at Performance Training Solutions, LLC
    More details about Heavy Equipment Operator Training Program II at Performance Training Solutions, LLC
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $9,995

  • Heavy equipment operator (associate degree)In personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Construction Trades Equipment Operator ATS

    Columbus State Comm. College

    Columbus

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Columbus State Comm. College, Columbus · Heavy equipment operator (associate degree) · In person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$10,726
    Program website, Construction Trades Equipment Operator ATS at Columbus State Comm. College
    More details about Construction Trades Equipment Operator ATS at Columbus State Comm. College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    $3,600
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $10,726

  • Heavy equipment operator courseIn personNo diploma needed

    Heavy Equipment Operator Training Program III

    Performance Training Solutions, LLC

    Reynoldsburg

    No diploma needed

    Performance Training Solutions, LLC, Reynoldsburg · Heavy equipment operator course · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$12,995
    Program website, Heavy Equipment Operator Training Program III at Performance Training Solutions, LLC
    More details about Heavy Equipment Operator Training Program III at Performance Training Solutions, LLC
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $12,995

  • Heavy equipment operator courseIn personNo diploma needed

    Heavy Equipment Operator Certificate

    Hocking College

    Nelsonville

    No diploma needed

    Hocking College, Nelsonville · Heavy equipment operator course · In person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$16,283
    Program website, Heavy Equipment Operator Certificate at Hocking College
    More details about Heavy Equipment Operator Certificate at Hocking College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $16,283

How to pay for heavy equipment operator training in Columbus

WIOA funding can pay for heavy equipment operator training in Columbus

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 Columbus heavy equipment operator program numbers come from

Which Columbus heavy equipment operator programs are on this list?

These are the heavy equipment operator programs with classes in the Columbus area that are 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. Online programs are left out here; they are on the Ohio page. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what the area offers.

How Columbus 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 Columbus

Sources for the facts about heavy equipment operator training in Columbus

Show the 9 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Construction Equipment Operators
  2. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  3. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  4. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  5. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  6. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  8. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  9. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List