Parsippany, NJ, Nov. 14, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ: LINC), a national leader in specialized technical training for more than 75 years, has introduced Heavy Equipment Operation career training programs at its campuses in Nashville, TN and South Plainfield, NJ. The programs are being launched to help maintain a robust workforce for heavy equipment operators, and in response to student and employer demand. The first class opened at the Nashville campus in October, and in South Plainfield the program is expected to begin November 22.
Heavy equipment such as bulldozers, backhoes, dump trucks, and other construction vehicles require specially skilled, trained operators to manage the controls. These pieces of equipment often cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and operators need to possess dexterity, quick reflexes, and an attention to precise details when equipment is in motion.
“We’re very excited to offer this new program as part of our Heavy Equipment career training,” says Hamed Shibli, President of Lincoln Tech’s South Plainfield campus. “We know that students have expressed a great deal of interest in learning how to operate construction equipment. We also have heard from many of our partners that hiring qualified operators is a major challenge right now. This new program will bring benefits both to our graduates, and to the employers looking to hire them.”
The program, which consists of two 120-hour training modules, can be completed as a standalone option or in combination with Lincoln Tech’s standard Heavy Equipment Maintenance Technology program, which is offered at both campuses. Training lasts from 8 to 12 weeks, depending on the campus and schedule selected.
- Introduction to Operating Heavy Equipment, in which students will be introduced to the trade, learn about the fundamentals of job safety, and complete core curriculum from the National Council for Construction Education and Research. This curriculum includes study and lecture on topics such as materials handling, construction mathematics, using hand and power tools, and more.
- Heavy Equipment Operation, consisting of hands-on practice in operation techniques, understanding landscape grades, earthmoving, using basic controls, loading, unloading, excavating and trenching.
A key component of students’ hands-on experience is the use of CAT Simulators, a Virtual Reality tool that puts students “behind the wheel” through simulated environments. These trainers allow students to build up comfort and familiarity with heavy equipment controls before moving into the cabs of real vehicles.
Statewide projections over the next 10 years include 5,000 openings in New Jersey and 8,700 in Tennessee; nationwide, the projection is for more than 450,000 Heavy Equipment Operator positions to become available*.
* Career growth projections can be found at onetonline.org for the years 2020-2030 (state and regional) and 2021-2031 (national), and are current as of November 2, 2022.
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About Lincoln Educational Services Corporation
Lincoln Educational Services Corporation is a leading provider of diversified career-oriented post-secondary education. Lincoln offers recent high school graduates and working adults career-oriented programs in five principal areas of study: automotive technology, health sciences, skilled trades, business and information technology, and hospitality services. Lincoln has provided the workforce with skilled technicians since its inception in 1946.
Lincoln currently operates 22 campuses in 14 states under four brands: Lincoln Technical Institute, Lincoln College of Technology and Euphoria Institute of Beauty Arts and Sciences. Lincoln also operates Lincoln Culinary Institutes in both Maryland and Connecticut.
For more information, go to lincolntech.edu.
