Heavy Construction Academy — Local services in Brentwood

I recently attended this school and I left having very mixed views of the place. Let me get the good out the way because there is definitely alot there. Bill who is an level 1 instructor is the best as it gets. He's not only knowledgeable about his trade and craft, but he's a real people person. I came up to the school literally not knowing anything about the construction business and he took his time to make sure I understood everything that was being taught. I can't say enough about Bill and all that he does for the school. In my opinion he's the reason why things run smoothly at the school. Jim and Craig who are level 2 instructors are phenomenal as well, they really see to it that you maximize your efforts and potential during the back half of the training. The instructors are tremendous at what they do. Kevin who also works there is as nice as it comes, really pleasant person to talk to and understand things from a different perspective at being an operator. Brian and Ken were two people who I spoke to often and were beyond nice, and definitely deserve a recognition for their efforts in getting students prepared after the school ends. I'm sure I'm missing some people who were also very nice and easy to communicate with, for that I am sorry but you know who you are and I appre your support while I was there. OK, I got that out the way, the negatives, where do I begin? I'll start with the owner of the school, he comes across as very arrogant, mean, someone who's the smartest person in the room, confrontational, inappropriate, aggressive and steals Valor. When confronted with why his school was allegedly being dropped by the VA, he was very confrontational, demonstrative and belligerent. Digging in your pants while addressing the people who not attend your school but paid for it with their VA benefits comes across as disrespectful. He wants you to think that he's doing all these wonderful things for you such as your lunch while your there and the very disgusting motel you stay at while attending the school, news flash, you haven't done anything and it's extremely disrespectful to take valor for something that veterans work their asses off for. You feed us? You house us? Stop the lies, the last time I checked the yellow pages I didn't find you under p for philanthropist. The VA paid you exactly what you told them it would cost to send a veteran here to learn from your school. He could of said he didn't like the Mets because he was a Yankees fan, he could of said he didn't like NYC because he repped bean town, but to say you feed us?? You house us?? Is a complete slap in the face to anyone who's ever served this great nation. I asked to speak with him in private to discuss some of these matters and he blatantly shrugged me off. It became apparent that the students who attend his school are nothing more than cash cows to him, he could care less about your opinions or concerns. So I said all of that to say, if you want strong direction from your instructors it'd be hard to find people better than Bill, Jim and Craig, and in the same breath if you want to be disrespected, and deal with semantics that you don't need in your life also go to this school because you'll get more than you bargained for. Their is alot more that I can say, but Ill...

I am a graduate of the 7aug-15sep class, and I’ll start my review with this. I have zero complaints regarding the course curriculum or any of its career services. Both were beyond what I could’ve asked for. My problem is with the academy management, which brings me to you @Brian Martin. I am completely repulsed by your condescending attitude and the way you treat the staff at this academy. You, as the director of the academy, should understand that it is in fact management that makes a company, and as management you are single-handedly giving this school a terrible reputation. I watched on numerous occasions, instructors Rick and Errol get completely disrespected by student(s) and when the interactions were brought to your attention you actually blew my mind when you took the side of the student(s) instead of the instructor(s) when the student(s) was clearly in the wrong, the disruptive behavior during class was tolerable, the complete disregard for the rules was also tolerable, but when said student(s) blatantly and with complete disregard for rules, regulations and armed with a completely disrespectful attitude, approached the instructor (Rick) and threatened to fight him and your response was “there will always be a few trouble makers in the group” and left it at that, zero repercussions. And to take it one step further, you were shown a video of a student boasting about “putting seminal fluid on cinnamon rolls and underage boy scouts”. Your response was “it’s nothing more than a distasteful joke”. While I agree it’s disgustingly distasteful, the rules of this academy are set for a reason. Rules that, if broken, are grounds for immediate removal from the school, which are outlined VERY clearly, which the instructors attempted to enforce, ultimately they were laughed at by the very management who wrote the rules. Which in turn did nothing but show other students they could do whatever they wanted (which they did) with ZERO repercussions. Compliments to you @Brian Martin. Rick, Errol, Nate and Bill are some of the most knowledgeable individuals who enjoy teaching, which they are extremely good at. Give those 4 gentlemen 6 weeks with a piece of equipment and an individual who wants to learn and you will have a very successful heavy equipment operator. Maggie, in career services, was extremely helpful. Give her a city and state and she will give you a list of available jobs in your area before you graduate from the academy. It is, however, your responsibility to follow up the leads/interviews. Alma, in the front office, was extremely helpful in answering just about any question you might have and if she didn’t know the answer she would direct you to someone who might. She also does a great job of preparing your resume, cover and reference letter, to send directly to potential employers. Yvette also went above and beyond, she was always welcoming, and made it her priority to take care of any and all concerns regarding the housing (hotel), as well as any financial questions which may arise. A special thanks to @Bryan Alsup (not to be confused with Brian Martin) for recruiting me in to this fantastic academy from Fort...

This was by far one of the best decisions in my career! The instructors ( level one: Bill & Jim, level two: Mack & Craig) were excellent in regard to teaching, and providing assistance when you were struggling. Incredibly informative while creating a comfortable environment to ask questions if need be! The time broke down to approximately 1/3 class practical, to 2/3 actual in the field seat time! The focus is on teaching you the essentials in class so you can implement them in the field. As mentioned before, each student has their own piece of equipment to utilize! No sharing, or waiting to get stick time! You are running Equipment the whole time in the field! The environment closely simulates a working site in that you are operating around other equipment, and must learn safe operation around other equipment. The facility if very large, the equipment is expertly maintained on site, and the student to teacher ratio is ideal.

After spending over 20 years in the construction business I had reached a point where I knew it was time for the next step! I had worked my way up from being a laborer, but, came to a point that my experience was strong, but I lacked credentials that justified the higher pay. I had operated equipment prior to coming to the school, but was getting paid far less than should be expected because I didn't have formal operator training. In January 2017 I knew it was time for a change! It was a very difficult decision because I knew it would entail committing substantial time and money to make it happen. Needless to say, I did my research. I looked at a total of 5 different schools. Of all of the schools, HCA had the most to offer! They take care of lodging, provide lunch on site ( Good lunch!! Subs! Pasta with meatballs or chicken, and pizza!! And, very generous portions!), and provide transportation if needed! You are provided everything you need! You just bring a willingness to learn, and a drive to succeed!

I am very happy about my decision to attend, and have told numerous people about...