Alabama’s growing effort to give high school students more ways to prepare for skilled careers before graduation is expanding into the road and bridge construction industry.
The Alabama Road Builders Association has launched its Next Gen Heavy Equipment Operator Program, a new statewide workforce development initiative that will put heavy equipment simulators in four Alabama schools and connect students directly with the companies that build and maintain the state’s roads and bridges.
ARBA also unveiled Next Gen HEO — short for Next Generation Heavy Equipment Operator — as its new workforce brand, along with a logo featuring an excavator, one of the simulator models used in the training.
The program, funded through legislative appropriations and aligned with the Alabama Career Pathways initiative, is a partnership among ARBA, the Alabama State Department of Education, participating school systems and ARBA member companies.
The four schools selected for the first year are Baldwin Prep Academy in Baldwin County, LeCroy Career Tech Center in Chilton County, Limestone County Career Tech Center and Opelika High School.
Students will train on heavy equipment simulators, use industry-aligned curriculum and have opportunities to meet employers and learn what careers in transportation construction look like.
The new program comes as Alabama lawmakers have put increased emphasis and resources behind career and technical education, giving students more options to prepare for work, technical training or continued education after high school.
Earlier this year, lawmakers unveiled a package of career and technical education initiatives that included a proposed $150 million investment in workforce training programs. That followed $100 million approved by the Legislature in 2025 for regional career-tech center grants.
The Legislature also provided funding specifically for the new heavy equipment program. The 2026 supplemental education appropriations bill included $1.5 million of $10 million designated for career-tech equipment to purchase simulators for a pilot heavy equipment operator training program developed in partnership with ARBA.
House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) said the program addresses both workforce and infrastructure needs.
“The success of Alabama’s economy is heavily dependent upon having a well-trained workforce and modern road and bridge infrastructure—the Next Gen Heavy Equipment Operator Program will help our state achieve both,” Ledbetter said. “The Alabama Road Builders Association has created a workforce development blueprint that every skilled-trades industry should work to replicate. Their partnership is a great asset to our state, and I look forward to seeing this program’s coverage expand in the years to come.”
Similar efforts are already connecting Alabama high school students with skilled careers.
The Academy of Craft Training began this school year with enrollment approaching 1,000 students across campuses in Birmingham, Decatur, Mobile and Montgomery. ACT students completed 727 internships during the previous year, with 216 seniors moving directly into jobs with hiring contractors.
One of the schools selected for ARBA’s new program is also an example of the state’s growing focus on career preparation. Baldwin Prep Academy combines traditional academics with career and technical training and offers 12 career pathways, including welding, construction, HVAC, aviation, mechatronics, cybersecurity and automotive technology.
For students in the heavy equipment program, the path could extend beyond learning to operate equipment on a simulator.
ARBA contractors and industry partners will visit classrooms, participate in career fairs and training events and talk with students about workplace expectations. Employers will also be able to identify potential candidates for internships and permanent employment after graduation.
ARBA plans to recognize students who successfully move from training into jobs with signing day celebrations similar to those held for high school athletes.
State Superintendent of Education Eric Mackey said the program will give students an opportunity to explore those possibilities before they leave high school.
“Students deserve the chance to see where their skills can take them,” Mackey said. “This program gives them a chance to learn on heavy equipment simulators, meet the people who build and maintain Alabama’s roads and bridges, and see what a career in this industry could look like. We’re grateful to the Alabama Road Builders Association and our participating schools for opening yet another path from the classroom to a rewarding career.”
The program could also provide a bridge to additional technical training. ARBA plans to coordinate with the Alabama Community College System Innovation Center and its Skills for Success offerings to give students additional opportunities to develop industry-recognized skills and credentials.
ARBA President Rodney Payton, president of Chilton Contractors and a member of the Chilton County Board of Education, made workforce development a priority during his presidency. The association created a Workforce Development Committee, chaired by Tractor & Equipment Company CEO Chad Stracener, to help guide the initiative.
ARBA also recently named Houston Blackwood its workforce development director. Blackwood previously served as workforce director for the Alabama Community College System Innovation Center, where he helped lead the statewide implementation and expansion of Skills for Success.
Blackwood will coordinate ARBA’s industry partnerships, school engagement, instructor support and career development activities.
The four-school rollout could eventually grow.
ARBA will evaluate student enrollment and completion, school and instructor participation, employer involvement and opportunities for internships and permanent employment. Those results will help guide future development and possible expansion of the program to additional Alabama schools.
Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
