VETERAN-FOUNDED HANDS-ON TRAINING.

Building Skills. Creating Opportunities.
Serving Our Community.

American Heavy Equipment Academy trains veterans, transitioning service members, and career changers for the heavy equipment and construction industries through hands-on instruction on real machines.

Speak With Admissions

  • 6

    Pieces of heavy equipment trained on

  • Hands-On

    Classroom instruction plus real machine time

  • Veteran-Founded

    Built on discipline, safety, and accountability

The founders standing in front of a large black pickup truck with a sunset and trees in the background.

Built by Veterans, for the Next Generation

We are a veteran-founded organization built on discipline, teamwork, and accountability. These are the values we’re bringing directly into training the next generation of heavy equipment operators.

VETERAN-FOUNDED

Meet our Founders →

PROGRAMS

Two Paths to Get You Job-Site Ready

Hands-on instruction, real equipment, and a curriculum built around safety and professionalism.

8-Week Heavy Equipment Operator Program

DURATION

8 Weeks (320 Clock Hours)

EQUIPMENT

Hands-on training on 6 pieces of heavy equipment

CREDENTIALS

  • AHEA Certificate of Completion, plus a wallet-size license card listing certified equipment

  • OSHA 10

  • OSHA 30 (Construction Industry)

  • Opportunity to earn NCCER Heavy Equipment Operator certification

TUITION
With Lodging: $18,500

Without Lodging: $16,500

Learn more

Custom Course

DURATION

6 Weeks (240 Clock Hours: 80 Classroom + 160 Hands-On)

EQUIPMENT

Choose two pieces of equipment: Excavator, Wheel Loader, Backhoe, Skid Steer, or Telehandler

*The bulldozer is a standalone 6 week course*

CREDENTIALS

  • AHEA Certificate of Completion

  • OSHA 10

  • OSHA 30 (Construction Industry)

  • Opportunity to earn NCCER Heavy Equipment Operator certification

TUITION
Tuition: $10,500

Lodging & Meals: extra $2,500

Learn more

EQUIPMENT

Train on the Machines Employers Need Operated

Six pieces of heavy equipment, hands-on from day one through graduation.

Construction site with a yellow CAT excavator digging dirt, surrounded by workers, construction vehicles, and equipment, with trees and hills in the background.

Excavator

Digging, trenching, and precision grade control for site development.

Construction site with yellow front loader and gravel pile, industrial silos in the background, clear blue sky.

Wheel Loader

Material handling and site movement at scale.

A yellow bulldozer moving dirt at a construction site with dust in the air and people in the background.

Bulldozer

Pushing, grading, and site preparation using blade control.

A yellow CAT 246D skid steer loader moving dirt at a construction site under a blue sky with some clouds.

Skid Steer

Maneuverability and attachment work in tight job-site spaces.

See all equipment →

Orange and black backhoe loader with enclosed cabin, parked on a paved surface with a barbed wire fence, trees, and a truck in the background.

Backhoe

Versatile digging and loading for utility and excavation work.

A yellow JCB telehandler with black tires is parked on a gravel surface in an open field, with a blue sky and green trees in the background.

Telehandler

Lifting and placing materials at height and across the site.

HOW WE TRAIN

Hands-On, Real-World Training, Not Just Time in a Classroom

Every student trains on real machines and learns the standards that job sites expect: safety, discipline, and professionalism.

  • Heavy equipment operation

  • Construction and excavation fundamentals

  • Job-site safety

  • Construction and excavation fundamentals

  • Equipment inspection and maintenance

  • Operator professionalism and workplace expectations

WHO IT’S FOR

Built for People Ready to Build Something New

Veterans

Bring your discipline and work ethic into a hands-on civilian career path.

Transitioning Service Members

Build a skill set that translates directly to construction and heavy civil work.

Young Adults

Start a skilled trade career without a traditional four-year path.

Career Changers

Move into an in-demand trade with real, hands-on machine time.

WHY TRUST AHEA

Veteran Values, Applied to Training

Safety

Every session reinforces the standards job sites require.

Discipline

Structure and accountability carried over from military service.

Career Changers

Operator conduct and workplace expectations, taught from day one.

Common Questions

  • Our flagship program runs 8 weeks with hands-on training on 6 pieces of heavy equipment. The Custom Course runs 6 weeks.

  • Graduates receive an AHEA training certificate, OSHA 10, and OSHA 30 (Construction Industry), plus the opportunity to test for NCCER certification on qualifying equipment.

  • Yes. The 8-week program is $18,500 with lodging and two meals a day, Monday through Friday, or $16,500 without lodging. Contact admissions for current availability.

  • Yes. The 8-week program is $18,500 with lodging and two meals a day, Monday through Friday, or $16,500 without lodging. Contact admissions for current availability.

View all questions →

Ready to Start Your Mission?

Take the first step toward a hands-on career in heavy equipment.

Apply Now