RDO visits HCET program area in April to celebrate partnership
In early April 2023, representatives from the RDO Equipment Co. visited the labs and shops of the Heavy Construction Equipment Technology (HCET) program on the Dakota County Technical College campus in Rosemount, Minnesota. HCET faculty and students along with college staff met with the RDO representatives to celebrate the company’s partnership with the program.
“It was wonderful to have our partnership with the RDO Equipment Co. on display at DCTC,” said Jason Wetzel, MBA, dean of transportation, construction, and manufacturing. “The Heavy Construction Equipment Technology (HCET) program recently partnered with RDO to purchase a John Deere 750K XLT dozer and a John Deere 772GP motor grader. This equipment has current technology that will keep our students working on relevant projects and better prepare them for the workplace. Happy to have our friends at RDO!”
Analise Hiltner and Nick Vinkemeier, two HCET students who work at RDO, attended the event as did their HCET instructors, Kevin Miller and Cody Skluzacek.
More about RDO…¹
Our Roots
One of the reasons RDO Equipment Co. understands the equipment business is because the company was founded by a man who spent hours in the field, worked the land, and managed a fleet of equipment.
Potato farmer, Ronald D. Offutt, was working alongside his father in Moorhead, Minnesota when he purchased his first equipment dealership. That first store in Casselton, North Dakota set the stage for what would become RDO Equipment Co. Read more about Ron’s story and the roots of RDO.
How We Grew
Throughout the past 50 years, RDO Equipment Co. has grown and expanded to more than 75 stores across the United States, as well as internationally in Africa, Australia, Mexico, Russia, and Ukraine as RDO International.
LEARN MORE…
More about Heavy Construction Equipment Technology…
HCET coursework prepares you to succeed as a well-trained, mechanically minded, hardworking technician with heavy equipment dealers and contractors.
Your training will involve classroom theory, live shop demonstrations, and hands-on repair of heavy equipment currently used in industry. Making repairs on actual equipment is vital to your skill development.
Heavy equipment dealers and earth-moving contractors will be your top employers. Jobs are also available with mining and logging companies. Most technicians work in indoor shops, but experienced field service technicians travel to job sites to perform repairs.
LEARN MORE…
Learn more about Heavy Construction Equipment Technology at DCTC by contacting:
Admissions
admissions@dctc.edu
651-423-8266
Room 2-110
¹ SOURCE: RDO Equipment Co.
Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics
Repair and maintain very large vehicles, such as cranes, bulldozers, graders, or conveyors.
WAGE
This career pays above the statewide median of $24.45/hour
Minnesota
Median: $31.52/hour
High: $38.63/hourSeven-county Twin Cities metro
Median: $32.15/hour
High: $39.10/hourOUTLOOK
In Minnesota, there are 1,670 workers employed in this small, which is seeing very high growth compared to other careers. Growth rate is 12.6 percent in the state, which is well above the statewide average.
There will be a need for about 3,789 new Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics to meet market demand between 2020–2030 This includes the demand due to replacement (workers leaving the occupation or retiring) as well as growth.
— Minnesota State CAREERwise Education (June 7, 2023)
That’s great news! Partnering with RDO Equipment Co. in heavy construction equipment technology is a smart move. Their expertise and industry-leading solutions will undoubtedly enhance efficiency and productivity on the job site. Exciting times ahead!