Identification

• Apprenticeships are offered by construction, mining and marine companies in conjunction with local governments and trade colleges. The guidelines in the OHS regulations stipulate a national requirement for the mobile crane trade certification, but apprenticeship specifications such as prerequisites, training content and time frame are regulated by local governments and vary from territory to territory.
  
  

Features

• Apprenticeship training includes practical on-the-job instructions and theoretical tutoring at technical colleges. Mobile crane apprentices will be instructed in the technical understanding of the crane, the use of controls and the rigging of materials and cranes before hoisting. Trainees will be asked to learn about load chart information and safely perform simple operating tasks. Certification will be issued after trainees pass a theoretical test and a practical assessment.
  
  

Considerations

• Mobile crane operator apprenticeships last between two and three years, depending upon territory and skills. Trainees will be paid an hourly rate between half and 70 percent of a qualified mobile crane operator's. In 2010 a certified crane operator earned between $25 and $38 an hour. Tuition fees in 2010 were approximately $400 a year, in addition to certification costs of $450.