The school of hard hats

AN APPRENTICE PROGRAM TRAINS HEAVY-EQUIPMENT OPERATORS ON MACHINERY THAT HELPS CREATE S. FLORIDA'S LANDSCAPE

BY ANGELA TABLAC

atablac@MiamiHerald.com

Rafael Lopez sat in the cab of the orange tower crane, maneuvering the controls of the Goliath piece of equipment that rose 120 feet high and stretched 115 feet wide.

It was only practice, but he expects the class at the South Florida Operating Engineers Apprentice and Training Trust Fund program in Pembroke Pines will lead him to a real-life job in the construction industry.

''You just gotta get the hang,'' said Lopez, 19, a second-year student who lives in Miami. ``It's like driving a car.''

He and other students get to practice on a 1982 tower crane, which is predominantly used in building the high-rises that seem to sprout almost overnight in South Florida. For three decades, the union-sponsored program has molded students into workers who meet the area's strong demand for skilled labor.

''There's been a construction boom,'' said Mark Schaunaman, the program's apprenticeship director. ``We can't get operators fast enough.''

There are currently 67 students enrolled in the apprentice program, which combines class time with real-life experience. In 2004, the program moved from a rented lot in Miramar to a permanent place in Pembroke Pines.

Students get to work with a variety of heavy equipment, including the tower crane, forklifts, front-end loaders, backhoes, excavators, bulldozers, small and large hydraulic cranes, lattice boom cranes and rollers. Students also go through a 10-hour Occupational Safety and Health Administration safety course in their first year.

Getting used to a a crane's controls and movement can take some time, Schaunaman said. The beam of the tower crane can move several inches as it moves a load, making the operators feel as if they are swaying. Beginning students also struggle with depth perception.

''You may think you're right next to the ground when you're 30 feet off the ground,'' Schaunaman added.

To finesse their operating techniques before using the real machines, some students use what's called the ''virtual crane simulator,'' one of 25 in the country.

When apprentices enter the program, they earn $10.64 an hour during their first six months. The hourly wage increases every six months, and students make $16.44 in their last six months of the three-year program.

Once students graduate, they receive a Completion of Apprenticeship certificate from the Florida Department of Education. This certificate entitles them to journeymen's wages, which start at $24.50 an hour and vary depending on the equipment they operate.

New students are continually being accepted. The program is free, and there are no grades. Students start paying dues to the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 487 and receive health benefits.

For second-year student Sean Fitzgerald, 35, the program pays off -- he gets class time and training with Miami-based HJ Foundation.

''You're getting paid to learn,'' said Fitzgerald, who lives in Hollywood. ``That's a tough deal to beat.''