Manufacturers Champion SkillsUSA’s Heavy Equipment Operation Competition as a Valuable Industry Resource

By Danny Gavin, AEM Communications Coordinator -

Partnerships between equipment manufacturers and industry organizations are more important than ever, as they support the education and training of America's future skilled workforce. Several AEM member companies are putting forth both time and resources to partner with SkillsUSA, who recently held the fifth annual Heavy Equipment Operation Competition as part of its National Leadership & Skills Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

The competition brings together the best and brightest students from technical education programs across the U.S. to showcase the skills they've learned. OEMs and industry associations are working together to raise awareness of the competition and encourage the establishment of more heavy equipment operation and maintenance programs in career tech schools across the United States.

"The committee that plans and conducts the SkillsUSA Heavy Equipment Competition is comprised of expert operator trainers and product managers from the world's top equipment brands," said Amy Crouse, Volvo Construction Equipment, who also chairs the SkillsUSA Heavy Equipment Operation Technical Committee. "This team comes together not as competitors, but as partners, working together to advance the next generation of operators who are the future of our industry. Our goal is to also raise awareness of the SkillsUSA organization and encourage more career-technology schools to establish heavy equipment programs and urge local contractors and equipment dealers to get involved."

Want to learn more? Participate in AEM's open Workforce Development Committee Meetings to gain workforce insights and access to expert-led presentations.

Working to Uplift the Next Generation of Equipment Operators

Twenty-four competitors from high school and post-secondary career and tech schools from 20 different states competed in the national competition - all of which were top finalists in their state-level competitions. The event is in its fifth year, and it continues to grow as more schools, associations, and equipment manufacturers get involved.

"We're thankful to have OEMs getting involved in this amazing state-level competition - Volvo has been great to work with," said Justin Findley, an instructor at Lancaster County Career & Technology Center in Lancaster, PA, which is also the home school to the 2025 state and national gold medal operator.

The heavy equipment operation portion of the competition involves judging various skills that students will go on to use in the field, including:

• Compact Excavator Skills Challenges
• Rigging/Hand Signals
• Excavator Trenching
• Backfilling
• Wheel Loader Loading
• Articulated Hauler Operation
• Blueprint Reading
• Underground Utilities Identification
• Pre-Start Inspection
• Calculating - Quantity and Capacities, Densities
• Skid Steer/Compact Track Loader Challenges
• Mini Excavator - Stacking/Sorting
• Surveying
• Compaction

Hands-on operation takes place at both the Georgis World Congress Center, and at the Komatsu Customer Center in nearby Cartersville, Georgia.

Volvo, alongside 10 other OEMs, equipment dealers, and associations, supports the competition through a variety of ways:

• Corporate sponsorships
• Volunteering trainers and product managers who:
  • Spend weeks planning competition details
  • Set up courses
  • Judge students
• Providing venues for portions of the competition
• Serving on the competition technical committee

The companies involved, including Caterpillar, John Deere, Komatsu, JCB, Volvo and Bobcat, are working to establish more heavy equipment operation and maintenance programs in career tech schools across the U.S., in addition to growing SkillsUSA's Heavy Equipment Operator competition. And involvement from every level is key to the continuation of these programs and events.

"There are so many moving pieces to manage when preparing for these competitions - for example, at the state level the students had access to over $8 million worth of equipment that they could operate," said Findley. "Dealerships will provide equipment, but we have to find a way to transport it to the competition site. We're equally thankful to the companies who donate their time trucking the machinery back and forth to set it all up."

From Competition to Career

Collin Goshert, national heavy equipment operator gold medalist, explained that there is value in the national competition that extends far beyond placing well. "I think that one of the biggest benefits of this competition and this career field is that you learn so much more than you would following a traditional educational pathway. I was able to gain so much experience in the field, and I'm thankful I was able to participate."

Goshert's employer, BK Kreider, said that getting involved in SkillsUSA has been beneficial in filling labor gaps, and bringing in the next generation of skilled employees. "On the employer end, we really value programs like SkillsUSA that not only help students dive into skills, but show off their hard work," said Vice President of Risk and Quality Jason Groff.

BK Kreider was founded in 1936 and has been a longstanding supporter of its local community. The company is still owned and operated by the family, which is now in its fourth generation of leadership. The company proudly displays news of Goshert's win on the homepage of its website and explains that the next generation of employees is a focal point of their family business, which is currently fostering its fifth generation of future leaders, who are currently working alongside Goshert.

Goshert went on to explain that he never considered a career in a trade until his junior year of high school, when he was attending class across the hall from the heavy equipment operator program. "I wanted to play with big toys and have fun during my senior year, and it actually turned out to be a great employment opportunity," he said. "I turned 18 this summer, and I'm just getting started in my career in an operator assistant position. I'm gaining experience through helping seasoned heavy equipment operators, and operating smaller equipment around the wetland that we're currently working on restoring,"

The future of equipment manufacturing rests on industry partnerships, and collaboration between OEMs to grow the workforce of tomorrow. By getting involved in organizations like SkillsUSA to bring awareness to heavy equipment operator programs and manufacturing careers, equipment manufacturers can not only help themselves, but also their end-users and students across the nation.