Graduation Day Caps the Successful Completion of a Historic Training Partnership

It was a time to celebrate when The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49 and Summit Academy OIC graduated the first class of students to participate in their groundbreaking joint heavy equipment operator training program on July 9. This milestone event, held at the Local 49 Training Center in Hinckley, comes after two years of negotiating, planning and countless hours of hard work by administrators and students.

The program is designed to provide more targeted opportunities for women and minorities to become operating engineers through Local 49’s apprenticeship program.   This inaugural class of students started in the spring and completed 20 weeks of rigorous curriculum designed to get them ready to safely and skillfully operate heavy equipment for union contractors. 

To join this heavy equipment operator program, interested students had to meet requirements that the State of Minnesota has put in place to become a Local 49 registered apprentice, including a high school diploma or GED, and a passing score on the Ramsay Skills Test, which evaluates basic math proficiency. 

“Our doors have always been open wide to women and minority community members, but we wanted to go the extra mile to ensure more people knew how to enter Local 49’s apprenticeship program,” said Glen Johnson, Local 49 business manager. “While many people talk about inclusion and a diverse workplace, we have gone beyond talking, and are taking real action to address this issue in a responsible manner that will benefit the union, the contractors, and members of the community.” 

Students spent the first 15 weeks of this program at Summit Academy OIC where they learned about the highway construction industry, union values, and the basics of heavy equipment via instruction and time on computer simulators. 

The last five weeks of the program have been spent at the Local 49’s state of the art Training Center in Hinckley.  Students have spent 80 hours of this time operating the equipment that apprentices typically operate when they first enter the industry. 

Graduates received recognition from Local 49 and Summit Academy OIC leaders as well as invited dignitaries and friends and family.

“Local 49 members have given up part of their wage to pay for this 400 acre training center because they recognize that to be safe on the job, and to be competitive in the industry, you need to be highly skilled,” said Local 49 Business Manager Glen Johnson.