TCAT unveils new earthmoving equipment program
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TCAT unveils new earthmoving equipment program
ONEIDA — Tennessee College of Applied Technology Oneida/Huntsville is set to launch its 21st program of study: Earthmoving Equipment Operator.
The program is funded by a Give 3.0 grant as part of Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s investment in vocational education and is designed to prepare students to safely operate and maintain a variety of earthmoving heavy equipment, like dozers, excavators and skid steer loaders. The program will combine classroom work with hands-on experience and will require six months to complete, with the first classes convening in September 2025 on the Oneida campus, located at 180 Eli Lane.
Instructors for the program, announced last week by TCAT Oneida/Huntsville President Dwight Murphy, will be Ronnie Muncy from Bell County, Ky. and Michael “Smoke” West from Oneida, Tenn.
Like the Power Line Construction and Maintenance program on the Oneida campus, the Earthmoving Equipment Operator program will be the first of its kind among Tennessee post-secondary schools in that it will provide students with hands-on experience on equipment that is compatible with what is currently used in the industry. Students will also have the opportunity to receive their CDL truck-driving license during the program.
“I’m excited that we’re able to offer the first hands-on heavy equipment operator class among Tennessee Board of Regents institutions,” said Murphy. “We think it’s going to do really well, and I know these two instructors will do an excellent job preparing students to work in the industry.”
About Ronnie Muncy
Ronnie Muncy will be joining TCAT Oneida/Huntsville from Bell County, Ky., where he has spent 21 years operating heavy equipment in the mining industry.
Muncy grew up in Williamsburg, Ky. and is currently a superintendent of a coal mining operation, which is where he has spent most of his career, including stints as an equipment operator and a foreman.
A third-generation coal miner, stepping into a dozer or an excavator comes naturally for Muncy.
“My dad was a coal miner; he was always a foreman and equipment operator,” Muncy said. “He gave me the chance to go to college. But I decided to go to work, and so I went to work for him.”
Muncy has a strong background in education and training. He currently teaches his company’s annual refresher course for all mine employees and also provides hands-on training for new hires.
“There’s a demand for heavy equipment operators,” Muncy said, adding that he would like to see TCAT’s Earthmoving Equipment Operator program eventually grow to graduate up to 40 students per year.
About Smoke West
Michael “Smoke” West grew up in Oneida and has spent his entire life in Scott County, almost all of it operating heavy equipment. He followed his grandfather into the construction business.
“I’ve been around it my whole life,” he said. “My grandpa did Brewster Builders’ grade work in the 1970s and I was around the equipment even as a kid.”
West took his first job working for Jerry Marcum in 1977, before he got out of high school. He worked there until 1995, then struck out on his own.
As he makes the move to TCAT, West has spent the last several years exactly where his grandfather was: doing grade work for the Brewster company as an independent contractor.
West saw an advertisement for the Earthmoving Equipment Operator instructor in the newspaper and was instantly intrigued.
“I thought, boy, I like that,” he said. “The construction industry needs this in the worst way. A company isn’t going to hire you and pay you to run a $100,000 piece of equipment if you don’t know what you’re doing. This class won’t teach you everything by any means. It’s taken me years and years to get here. But it’ll give you a start and give you a background that will make people want to hire you.”
Apply today!
Prospective students who are interested in the new Earthmoving Equipment Operator program should apply online at tcatoneida.edu, or call (423) 663-4900 for more information. Qualified students will be eligible to receive financial aid.
While classes will not begin until the beginning of the fall trimester in September, the program is off and running as of April 1. That will give interested students the opportunity to tour the campus and meet the instructors.
Through the Give 3.0 grant, TCAT has purchased several pieces of equipment that will be used by students enrolled in the program, including a Caterpillar D3 dozer, a Cat 315 excavator, skid steer, and truck and trailer.
For more information about TCAT Oneida/Huntsville and the programs offered by the school, call (423) 663-4900 or visit tcatoneida.edu.