Heavy equipment operator training in South Dakota

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

1 school offers these heavy equipment operator programs, and South Dakota 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 South Dakota, every program asks for a diploma or other schooling first.

See the 2 programs

How much does heavy equipment operator training cost in South Dakota?

$10,508 to $19,107

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

These two programs

Finished the program: 66% to 84%
Working 6 months later: Not reported
Earned a year, estimated: about $56,800
Length: 42 to 76 weeks

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

Is there free heavy equipment operator training in South Dakota?

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 $10,508 to $19,107.

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

All 2 heavy equipment operator programs in South Dakota approved for WIOA funding

2 programs

Heavy equipment operator courseIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Heavy Equipment Operator | Diploma | Campus
Lake Area Technical College
Watertown
High school diploma or equivalent
Lake Area Technical College, Watertown · Heavy equipment operator course · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$56,800
Price if you pay yourself$10,508
Program website, Heavy Equipment Operator | Diploma | Campus at Lake Area Technical College
More details about Heavy Equipment Operator | Diploma | Campus at Lake Area Technical College
Finished
66%
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
$14,190
Length
42 weeks, 25 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$525
Students counted
82
a year, estimated
$56,800
price
$10,508
Heavy equipment operator (associate degree)In personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Heavy Equipment Operator | AAS | Campus
Lake Area Technical College
Watertown
High school diploma or equivalent
Lake Area Technical College, Watertown · Heavy equipment operator (associate degree) · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$19,107
Program website, Heavy Equipment Operator | AAS | Campus at Lake Area Technical College
More details about Heavy Equipment Operator | AAS | Campus at Lake Area Technical College
Finished
84%
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
76 weeks, 25 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$1,050
Students counted
36
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$19,107

How to pay for heavy equipment operator training in South Dakota

WIOA funding can pay for heavy equipment operator training in South Dakota

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 South Dakota heavy equipment operator program numbers come from

Which South Dakota heavy equipment operator programs are on this list?

These are the heavy equipment operator programs South Dakota 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 South Dakota offers.

How the prices and results of South Dakota 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 South Dakota figures?

We leave out the share working 6 months later for South Dakota: its rates sit far below every other state's.

Other training in South Dakota

Sources for the facts about heavy equipment operator training in South Dakota

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