With an assist from a National Grid Workforce Development Grant, Capital Region BOCES took delivery of four new heavy equipment operator simulators in 2022. Those simulators are currently building experience for Heavy Equipment Repair and Operation BOCES students to operate backhoes, bulldozers, graders, excavators, and dump trucks.
Teacher Matt Millard said the simulators are routinely used in the Heavy Equipment Repair and Operation program, in which students prepare for careers in the heavy equipment and construction industry. There are currently 50 students enrolled in the program, which is expanding for the 2025-26 school year to the currently under-construction CTE Extension Center that is being built near the Albany Career and Technical Education Center.
The expansion will allow dozens more students to prepare for careers in the industry. For one BKW student, that experience is paving the way for a job in heavy machinery. “The simulators allow you to become comfortable and knowledgeable on many different types of heavy equipment,” shared BKW senior Garrett Hempstead. “Having that access allows students to further experience job opportunities and to understand how to operate the real thing.”
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