Job Placement on the Rise for Oklahoma College of Construction

Oklahoma City, OK—August 18, 2007—Employers of heavy equipment operators are turning their eyes to the Oklahoma College of Construction (OCC). Over the past month, two employers have contacted the OCC regarding hiring heavy equipment graduates, and several counselors at the Kansas Workforce Conference expressed interest in the OCC training programs.

On August 15, Joule Industrial Contractors, based in Illinois, contacted the OCC wanting to hire a crane operator immediately. Joule Industrial previously hired three crane operators from the OCC and were very pleased with their performance. As soon as they needed another operators, they went directly to the OCC.

On the 9th of August, Joe Smith from Herzog construction company in St. Joseph, MO, visited the campus and discussed their needs of more employees. He talked with several staff members, instructors, and potential employees, or OCC students, about the matter. He handed out applications to those potential employees, and has hopes to hire them when they graduate in the near future.

Last month in mid-July, the OCC went to the Kansas Workforce Conference. While there, counselors from five states expressed interest the in training programs and operations at the OCC. They wanted information and facts about the OCC to report back to their clients.

Campus President, Jerry McGinnis, feels that employers are contacting the OCC to hire graduates because at the OCC, the students and staff are focused 100% on heavy equipment training, education, and operation. He expressed confidence in the college's ability to create an environment and program where students enter the heavy equipment operator industry at the highest level possible.

The Oklahoma College of Construction was founded in 2005 by Matt Klabacka. Klabacka is the president of the National Association of Heavy Equipment Training Schools (www.nahets.com), of which the OCC is a member college of. Along with the other four member schools and colleges, the OCC and NAHETS train and educate students all over the country to be heavy equipment operators.