The 2025-26 school year brought big changes to the Northeast Tech Pryor Campus, including the opening of its brand-new Heavy Equipment Operator program.
“Programs like this are needed more and more due to the demands in the industry,” said Craig Cooper, program instructor. “There's a lot of construction going on, not only from contractors, but with municipalities, highway departments and residential areas. The list keeps growing, and we need qualified operators to tackle these projects.”
Originally launched more than five years ago as an evening course for adults, the program is now one of only a handful of opportunities in the entire state where high school students can operate heavy equipment.
To start, students are first introduced to the equipment through simulation technology.
“The simulators have helped tremendously. We start out on simulators before ever moving to the real equipment, which includes a backhoe, excavator, skid loader and wheel loader,” Cooper said. “We use CAT equipment, so CAT has its own simulator program called SimScholars. It helps students get familiar with the controls before they get into the real thing.”
Once students are ready, they move into real equipment, practicing moving dirt in skid loaders, digging ditches with backhoes, moving items with a forklift and stacking tires with excavators.
Students also learn about material handling, different soil types and road grading throughout. Cooper compared the program to fond childhood memories.
“Think about being a kid playing in the dirt with Tonka toys. If you really enjoyed that, now you get to bring that to the next level,” he said. “Starting out, it will be as simple as moving dirt in a skid loader. Once they get that visual and technique, there’s a lot of pride. That’s rewarding. This never feels like a job when I see it.”