Construction
Heavy plant operation
Six months to take the controls of an excavator, a loader or a grader, and become the operator every site is looking for.
State diploma · CQIPre-registration open
Free pre-registration, with no commitment. Fees can be paid in instalments.
- Duration
- 6 months
- Two intakes a year
- Entry level
- BEPC or CAP
- Required on entry
- Qualification
- CQI
- Awarded by the State
- Next intake
- 12 October 2026
- Pre-registration open, classes begin in 2 days
The job, day to day
Without plant operators, no road opens and no site gets prepared. The heavy plant operator drives excavators, loaders, bulldozers and graders to dig, load, level and compact. The operator reads the site, works to the levels set by the foreman and stays safe among workers and vehicles.
The course begins with the machines themselves: how they work, their controls, the checks to carry out before every shift and routine maintenance. You then learn the basic manoeuvres, followed by earthworks, loading and levelling. Safety is central throughout: signalling, distances, machine stability and the habits that prevent accidents.
You leave able to operate construction plant with precision and care. Civil engineering contractors, quarries, road works and plant hire companies regularly recruit trained operators.
What you will be able to do
Check a machine before each shift
Fluids, tyres or tracks, brakes and signals: nothing is missed.
Drive and manoeuvre safely
Excavators, loaders and graders, on flat ground and on slopes.
Carry out earthworks
Dig, load, spread and level to the required heights.
Follow site instructions
Pegging, levels and the foreman's signals.
Carry out routine maintenance
Greasing, cleaning and reporting faults.
Prevent accidents
Distances, stability, blind spots and site traffic.
Where this course can lead
Civil engineering contractors
Earthworks, roads and site preparation, as part of the site crew.
Quarries and extraction sites
Extracting, loading and moving materials.
Plant hire with operator
Assignments on clients' sites, from one project to the next.
A State-recognised qualification
The CQI is a State qualification, awarded under the authority of the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training. It officially certifies your professional skills.
- Qualification
- CQI
- Authority
- MINEFOP
- Completed in
- 6 months
Two intakes a year
- Next intake
12 October 2026
Confirmed date
Pre-registration open, classes begin in 2 days
No closing date. You can still join up to fourteen days after classes begin.
- Following intake
January 2027
Exact day to be confirmed by the centre
Provisional date, pre-registration open
Pre-registering already reserves your place.
Free pre-registration Reserve your place for 12 October 2026
Pre-registration is free and carries no commitment. The registrar will call you back to confirm your place.
- Free
- No commitment
- Nothing to pay online
What happens next
- You start here, then complete your file in a few minutes.
- The registrar calls you back to confirm your place.
- You pay the fees at the registrar's office in Fouda, in instalments if you wish.
Construction
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