Heavy Equipment Operator — Tractor Loader Backhoe
A Heavy Equipment Operator — Tractor Loader Backhoe operates a tractor loader backhoe, its attachments and ground engaging equipment in various types of projects across multiple industries, such as road construction and maintenance, mining, quarrying, land clearing, forestry, logging, as well as gas and oil. Specifically, a Heavy Equipment Operator — Tractor Loader Backhoe:
- inspects, maintains, transports and operates this equipment and attachments
- performs pre-operational inspections, safety and operational checks and preventative maintenance
- monitors equipment performance, loads and unloads, transports and cleans, oils and refills equipment
- reads and interprets government legislation, site plans and manufacturers’ manuals (i.e. survey indicators)
- installs, operates and removes attachments (i.e. quick attach, buckets, bucket thumbs, quick couplers, splitters, grapples, teeth and adapters)
- performs operations such as excavating, grading, ramp building, stockpiling, backfilling and towing ensuring maximum productivity
- clears ice and snow, checks grades, performs cut and fil operations, backfills trenches and excavations, stockpiles and places materials, excavates trenches and ditches, loads trucks, lifts materials, performs clean-up operations, performs logging and surface mining operations, and perform demolitions.
- communicates through various techniques including hand signals
Red Seal trade
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM
An apprenticeship training program consists of on-the-job and inschool training. Generally, the time-frame to become competent in the trade of Heavy Equipment Operator — Tractor Loader Backhoe is 2560 hours (approximately one and a half years) consisting of 2260 hours of on-the-job work experience and 300 hours of inschool training.
ON-THE-JOB TRAINING
An apprenticeship involves practical training provided on-the-job by a skilled worker, or trainer. The skills or competencies to be developed are set out by the trade’s Apprenticeship Training Standard and are recognized by the industry as being essential to the practice of the trade.
As these essential skills are developed, the apprentice’s sponsor or trainer signs the relevant sections of the training standard to indicate that the apprentice has met the individual training objectives by demonstrating the skills required of a skilled worker, or journeyperson, in the trade.
IN-SCHOOL TRAINING
A Heavy Equipment Operator — Tractor Loader Backhoe apprenticeship includes one level of theoretical training, which includes but is not limited to instruction in:
- Trade documents
- Safety and trade practices
- Communication
- Introduction to the equipment
- Troubleshooting and repairs
- Maintenance and pre-operations
- Operations
- Post-operations
- Attachments and implements
- Environmental protection
- Soil fundamentals
- Surveys and grades
- Hoisting and rigging
- Industry sectors – specialized work
- Transportation
Depending on the training delivery agency, in-school training may be available in one of the following ways:
- block release (full-time, for a set number of weeks)
- day release (one day per week from September to June)
- part-time (night-school programs)
- alternative delivery (online, correspondence, etc.)
Heavy Equipment Operator — Tractor Loader Backhoe is a trade named under the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021.
This trade has an apprenticeship program that is administered by Skilled Trades Ontario. Upon completion of an apprenticeship program, Skilled Trades Ontario issues a Certificate of Apprenticeship.
This trade has a certifying exam. When the certifying exam is passed, Skilled Trades Ontario will issue a Certificate of Qualification in this trade. Because this trade is non-compulsory, this certificate does not have to be renewed, and the information of individuals practicing this trade will not appear on the Skilled Trades Ontario Public Register.
In Ontario, the trade is part of the Interprovincial Red Seal Program—the national standard for the trade across Canada- under the title Heavy Equipment Operator (Tractor-Loader-Backhoe): www.red-seal.ca.