Johnny Egnor received on-the-job training from Sims Crane and Equipment during his four-year International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 673 Apprenticeship Training Program. This program ensures Sims Crane employs the best crane operators with the top priority being safety first.
IUOE Local 673 offers a four-year state and federal registered apprenticeship program that teaches students to be highly skilled operating engineers. The course includes classroom and hands-on training, as well as on-the-job training and pay.
Egnor found out about the program by happenstance.
“I was working for a towing company as a heavy-haul driver and they sent me to Florida Mechanical,” Egnor said. “Their salesman, Mr. Chris Parker, was signaling the crane and I started helping him. He asked me if I worked on cranes before and I said, ‘Yeah, a little.’”
Parker informed him about the opportunity to become an operating engineer through IUOE’s program.
“He told me that they were getting ready to take in new apprentices, and that I should check in on it. That night I got home and got online and researched it, and it sounded interesting. I went and applied and they accepted me,” said Egnor.
After four years of training, he’s happy to keep working for an established company with an excellent safety record.
“They already have me working at Sims Crane and Equipment, and I’m going to continue as an operator,” Egnor said.
For training director and coordinator Ricky Musslewhite, Egnor is just another example of the success students can achieve in the apprenticeship program.
It’s a great opportunity for those who are interested in operating heavy equipment, including cranes, bulldozers, front end loaders, rollers and more.
“Apprentices have the ability to earn $55,000 to $60,000 annually upon completion of the program,” Musslewhite said.
“Apprentices have to meet qualifications, both hands-on and written, to graduate. There is mandated certification to be a crane operator, and we do all that for them. They get all that training, and there’s no tuition. The only cost they have is keeping up with their union membership dues, which is only $20 a month for an apprentice,” he said.
After being accepted into the program, apprentices must satisfy certain training requirements before they can be placed in a paid position, including safety training, OSHA classes and basic signaling classes. These take about six months, and once complete a student is placed with a contractor. From there, apprentices quickly reap the benefits of the program.
Currently, a first year apprentice total wage package is per hour, which averages out to in-pocket and includes a per-hour contribution to the worker’s health care, pension and apprentice fund. Students can earn up to $22.10 in-pocket per hour by year four.
“After 375 hours of employment their health care coverage starts and is paid by the contractor,” said Musslewhite. “It’s not an out-of-pocket expense. Also, it’s a family plan; not just individual coverage. Their pension gets paid on a dollar-per-hour figure. Currently, contractors pay $4.10 per an hour for every hour they work, which goes toward their pension.”
The program offers a flexible schedule to meet the needs of working students. Day classes are held at the training ground east of Jacksonville International Airport, and night classes are held west of downtown Jacksonville at 8366 Devoe St., in the IUOE Local 673 Jacksonville office. The program recently added an online component as well.
“We’re just tapping into online education. Our night classes are set up for the apprentices to come after they get off work,” Musslewhite said. “In our industry, these cranes run all over, so if they’re setting beams on a bridge at night, they’re working all night. From time to time we run into that, where an apprentice just can’t get there to class. So, it’s beneficial to them to be able to go online and get their work done.”
By year four, most apprentices are already established with a company. They can choose to continue in their current position or take jobs outside the Northeast Florida area.
“It opens up a lot of opportunities once they graduate with what they can do. But majority of them stay right here because they’ve already found a home.”
Learn more about the International Union of Operating Engineers apprenticeship atwww.iuoe673.org.
