Shortages of trained and qualified diesel technicians have hampered the heavy equipment industry for decades. One solution: Branch Civil, a heavy/highway firm headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, is developing its own techs.
In coordination with Virginia’s Department of Labor and Industries, Branch Civil launched a four-year apprenticeship program in June 2021.
Natalie Kerschner, equipment operations data analyst for the company, oversees the program. It requires apprentices to complete 144 hours a year of classroom and self-guided online study, and 2,000 hours of hands-on, paid work per year for four years. The self-study is a mixture of online Cat and Deere training and Branch Civil’s own curriculum, Kerschner says. Apprentices also attend a 16-week welding program from Virginia Western Community College to earn a welder’s certificate.
Kerschner worked closely with Tim Morgan, Branch Civil’s equipment manager, to detail what they needed to create fully trained, journeyman equipment technicians. “It took us about six months to put together the program,” she says. “And we had to get buy-in from the people above us, but they were pretty enthusiastic about it. Our sister company, Hopkins Lacy, has had a thriving apprenticeship program for over 25 years now. So, they were a good model to look to.”
The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry has multiple classifications of apprenticeship programs. “We applied for the Heavy Equipment Technician program,” says Kerschner. “They have to look through our plan and make sure it's comprehensive and meets their standards. But we got to develop a lot of our own program.”
The Cat and Deere online curriculum consists of self-guided lessons and tests. Apprentices have to score at least 80 percent on these tests. But they can retake them too. Their progress is tracked in Branch Civil’s learning management systems run by the company’s human relations department. Branch Civil also provides the students with education on maintaining small equipment like concrete saws, chainsaws and handheld compactors.
