Heavy equipment operator training in Wisconsin

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

3 schools offer these heavy equipment operator programs, and Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin, 4 of the 5 programs take students without a high school diploma, and 1 is taught partly or fully online.

See the 5 programs

How much does heavy equipment operator training cost in Wisconsin?

$5,990 to $8,090 is what most heavy equipment operator programs in Wisconsin cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 5 programs with a price. All of them: $2,000 to $15,090

In the typical program

Finished the program: 93%
Working 6 months later: 28%
Earned a year, estimated: about $40,700
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 Wisconsin may also offer heavy equipment operator training. How these figures are made

Is there free heavy equipment operator training in Wisconsin?

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.²³⁴In program year 2024 it paid toward the training of at least 31 people at 3 of the 5 programs here.
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 Wisconsin cost $5,990 to $8,090. Prices on this page run from $2,000 to $15,090.

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

Heavy equipment operator training in Madison, Escanaba and other Wisconsin cities

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

All 5 heavy equipment operator programs in Wisconsin approved for WIOA funding

5 programs

Heavy equipment operator courseIn personNo diploma needed
Heavy Equipment Training Program II
Associated Training Services Corp
Sun Prairie
No diploma needed
Associated Training Services Corp, Sun Prairie · Heavy equipment operator course · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimated$43,300
Price if you pay yourself$15,090
Program website, Heavy Equipment Training Program II at Associated Training Services Corp
More details about Heavy Equipment Training Program II at Associated Training Services Corp
Finished
94%
Working at 6 months
23%
Earned in a quarter
$10,833
Length
6 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
413
a year, estimated
$43,300
price
$15,090
Heavy equipment operator courseIn personNo diploma needed
Certified Heavy Equipment Operator Training
North Country Heavy Equipment School LLC
Escanaba, MI
No diploma needed
North Country Heavy Equipment School LLC, Escanaba, MI · Heavy equipment operator course · In person · No diploma needed
Classes are outside Wisconsin; Wisconsin approved the program for its funding.
Earned a year, estimated$40,700
Price if you pay yourself$5,990
21 students trained with WIOA funding
Program website, Certified Heavy Equipment Operator Training at North Country Heavy Equipment School LLC
More details about Certified Heavy Equipment Operator Training at North Country Heavy Equipment School LLC
Finished
93%
Working at 6 months
17%
Earned in a quarter
$10,179
Length
Not reported
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
283
a year, estimated
$40,700
price
$5,990
trained with WIOA funding
21
Heavy equipment operator courseIn personNo diploma needed
Heavy Equipment Training Program I
Associated Training Services Corp
Sun Prairie
No diploma needed
Associated Training Services Corp, Sun Prairie · Heavy equipment operator course · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimated$32,800
Price if you pay yourself$8,090
3 students trained with WIOA funding
Program website, Heavy Equipment Training Program I at Associated Training Services Corp
More details about Heavy Equipment Training Program I at Associated Training Services Corp
Finished
88%
Working at 6 months
28%
Earned in a quarter
$8,190
Length
3 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
231
a year, estimated
$32,800
price
$8,090
trained with WIOA funding
3
Crane operator and riggingIn personNo diploma needed
Nccco Rigging And Signalperson
Associated Training Services Corp
Sun Prairie
No diploma needed
Associated Training Services Corp, Sun Prairie · Crane operator and rigging · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimated$71,500
Price if you pay yourself$2,000
Program website, Nccco Rigging And Signalperson at Associated Training Services Corp
More details about Nccco Rigging And Signalperson at Associated Training Services Corp
Finished
97%
Working at 6 months
28%
Earned in a quarter
$17,873
Length
1 week, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
70
a year, estimated
$71,500
price
$2,000
Heavy equipment operator courseHybridHigh school diploma or equivalent
Heavy Equipment Operator Training
Train Skills Management, LLC
Siren
High school diploma or equivalent
Train Skills Management, LLC, Siren · Heavy equipment operator course · Hybrid · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$35,600
Price if you pay yourself$6,500
7 students trained with WIOA funding
Program website, Heavy Equipment Operator Training at Train Skills Management, LLC
More details about Heavy Equipment Operator Training at Train Skills Management, LLC
Finished
82%
Working at 6 months
50%
Earned in a quarter
$8,900
Length
Not reported
Cost of supplies
$350
Students counted
42
a year, estimated
$35,600
price
$6,500
trained with WIOA funding
7

How to pay for heavy equipment operator training in Wisconsin

WIOA funding can pay for heavy equipment operator training in Wisconsin

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 Wisconsin

lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare: 9th of 13
heavy equipment operator programs here, against the typical state's 4: 5 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 Wisconsin heavy equipment operator program numbers come from

Which Wisconsin heavy equipment operator programs are on this list?

These are the heavy equipment operator programs Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin offers.

How Wisconsin 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.

Sources for the facts about heavy equipment operator training in Wisconsin

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Heavy equipment operator training in Wisconsin

How much does heavy equipment operator training cost in Wisconsin?

Is there free heavy equipment operator training in Wisconsin?

Heavy equipment operator training in Madison, Escanaba and other Wisconsin cities

All 5 heavy equipment operator programs in Wisconsin approved for WIOA funding

Heavy Equipment Training Program II

Certified Heavy Equipment Operator Training

Heavy Equipment Training Program I

Nccco Rigging And Signalperson