RHS students earn heavy equipment certification

RUSSELLVILLE — Starting next year, Russellville High School students will have to have a career readiness indicator (CRI) to graduate. Some are already earning a CRI through a program in connection with Northwest Shoals Community College.  

The program allows students to be registered through NWSCC and be able to earn a heavy equipment operator license through classes on campus at RHS. With this earned credential, they will be ready to be hired for jobs requiring heavy equipment licensure, thus giving them an advantage in more quickly finding a job and getting to work.

“Starting next year, our seniors will have to have a college and career readiness indicator to graduate, so what that means is they will have to have some kind of certification, or some kind of credential, to go with their high school diploma,”  said Dr. AnnaKay Holland, director of Career and Technical Education.    

One way to achieve that is by taking classes where they learn about operating heavy equipment, including bulldozers and track hole excavators.  

“If we have students who are interested in going into construction fields, dirt work, anything where you have to be able to operate equipment, then they have this other avenue to gain that CRI,” Holland said. (For) a lot of construction jobs, that kind of goes hand in hand for you to be able to operate equipment as well.” 

Students 16 or older can sign up for the program, which is registered through Northwest Shoals Community College, and get certified for heavy equipment operation.   

Justin Steele, a welding instructor at NWSCC, praised the new program.  

“It’s outstanding,” Steele said. “I’m glad these kids are getting the experience to go do something like this. It’s a valuable opportunity to be more work ready,” he said, “and they get a certification, too. They get to go out and get hours and get experience. They’re excited.” 

Chase Holland, a heavy equipment instructor at NWSCC, has been involved with the program. 

“This past January marked a year since I started doing this,” he explained. “I believe we’re up to eight instructors. The program started a year earlier, when Gov. (Kay) Ivey promised 500,000 work-ready individuals. Grant money is making this possible.”  

“Something like this is a great opportunity to make a good living,” Holland added. “It opens up a whole new world to these kids.”  

PHOTO BY MARÍA CAMP – Russellville High School students wait for their turn to practice operating heavy equipment on the campus of the school, a step in the progress of earning a credential to make them more hirable in this line of work.

Russellville High senior Jesus Rivera is one of the students who has benefitted from the program. 

 “It was exciting,” he said of the experience operating the equipment. “I was scared at first. I’m going to learn something my dad did when he was younger. My long-term goal is to be an electrician or electrical engineer, and this will be helpful for that.”  

Rivera said participating in the program has made a difference in how he feels about his prospects for the future.  

“I’m actually really proud and happy to experience something my dad did when he was younger,” he said. “I was nervous at first, but once I got the hang of it, it was really fun.” 

Another RHS senior, Edwin Jiminez, said the experience “seems pretty fun,” noting he likes it so far. “I want to do something like this in the future,” Jiminez added. “I’m just glad to get to be out there.”  

“I feel great,” RHS senior Billy Sandova Sandoval said. “I’ve had some good experiences out here. This gives me the vision of what I want to do. The program is great. They do amazing things for us.”