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Heavy equipment operator training in Illinois

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

2 schools offer these heavy equipment operator programs, and Illinois has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows how past students did; Illinois files no usable prices.

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 Illinois, 2 of the 5 programs take students without a high school diploma and 3 ask for a diploma or equivalent.

All 5 are the same kind of program: heavy equipment operator course.

See the 5 programs

How much does heavy equipment operator training cost in Illinois?

Not reported

Illinois files no usable prices, so none can be shown.

In the typical program

Finished the program
Not reported
None of the 5 programs report it
Working 6 months later
Not reported
None of the 5 programs report it
Earned a year, estimated
Not reported
None of the 5 programs report it
Length
6 to 36 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 Illinois may also offer heavy equipment operator training. How these figures are made

Is there free heavy equipment operator training in Illinois?

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

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

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5 programs

  • Heavy equipment operator courseIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    CORE/Heavy Equipment Operator Level 1

    Associated Builders and Contractors

    Elk Grove Village

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Associated Builders and Contractors, Elk Grove VillageHeavy equipment operator courseIn person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, CORE/Heavy Equipment Operator Level 1 at Associated Builders and Contractors
    More details about CORE/Heavy Equipment Operator Level 1 at Associated Builders and Contractors
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    36 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, CORE/Heavy Equipment Operator Level 1 at Associated Builders and Contractors

  • Heavy equipment operator courseIn personNo diploma needed

    Heavy Equipment Operations Program I

    Associated Training Services Corp.

    Sun Prairie, WI

    No diploma needed

    Associated Training Services Corp., Sun Prairie, WIHeavy equipment operator courseIn person · No diploma needed

    Classes are outside Illinois; Illinois approved the program for its funding.

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, Heavy Equipment Operations Program I at Associated Training Services Corp.
    More details about Heavy Equipment Operations Program I at Associated Training Services Corp.
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    3 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, Heavy Equipment Operations Program I at Associated Training Services Corp.

  • Heavy equipment operator courseIn personNo diploma needed

    Heavy Equipment Operations Program II

    Associated Training Services Corp.

    Sun Prairie, WI

    No diploma needed

    Associated Training Services Corp., Sun Prairie, WIHeavy equipment operator courseIn person · No diploma needed

    Classes are outside Illinois; Illinois approved the program for its funding.

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, Heavy Equipment Operations Program II at Associated Training Services Corp.
    More details about Heavy Equipment Operations Program II at Associated Training Services Corp.
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    6 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, Heavy Equipment Operations Program II at Associated Training Services Corp.

  • Heavy equipment operator courseIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Heavy Equipment Operator Level 2

    Associated Builders and Contractors

    Elk Grove Village

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Associated Builders and Contractors, Elk Grove VillageHeavy equipment operator courseIn person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, Heavy Equipment Operator Level 2 at Associated Builders and Contractors
    More details about Heavy Equipment Operator Level 2 at Associated Builders and Contractors
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    36 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, Heavy Equipment Operator Level 2 at Associated Builders and Contractors

  • Heavy equipment operator courseIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Heavy Equipment Operator Level 3

    Associated Builders and Contractors

    Elk Grove Village

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Associated Builders and Contractors, Elk Grove VillageHeavy equipment operator courseIn person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, Heavy Equipment Operator Level 3 at Associated Builders and Contractors
    More details about Heavy Equipment Operator Level 3 at Associated Builders and Contractors
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    36 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, Heavy Equipment Operator Level 3 at Associated Builders and Contractors

How to pay for heavy equipment operator training in Illinois

WIOA funding can pay for heavy equipment operator training in Illinois

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

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.

Heavy equipment operator training in Chicago, Madison and other Illinois cities

Choosing an area filters the program list above.

Other training in Illinois

How heavy equipment operator training compares with the rest of skilled trades: Trade school programs in Illinois

Where the Illinois heavy equipment operator program numbers come from

Which Illinois heavy equipment operator programs are on this list?

These are the heavy equipment operator programs Illinois 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 Illinois offers.

How the prices and results of Illinois heavy equipment operator programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

How reliable are the Illinois figures?

The US Department of Labor's own results site lists Illinois among the states with "known data quality concerns".10 We leave out the share who finished for Illinois: only a few programs report it, and those at a typical 11%. We leave out prices for Illinois: the state files a code in place of each price, so no price can be shown.

Sources for the facts about heavy equipment operator training in Illinois

Show the 10 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
  10. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: search page, note on states with known data quality concerns