Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies at Western Technical College

Western Technical College's heavy equipment program shows modest earnings that lag behind both Wisconsin peers and national averages, though the debt load remains manageable. At $46,591 in first-year earnings, graduates earn about $3,000 less than the typical Wisconsin program graduate and roughly $4,000 below the national median. Within Wisconsin's 16 programs, this lands squarely in the middle of the pack—40th percentile—while nearby Northwood Technical College produces graduates earning nearly $10,000 more right out of the gate.

The program's strongest selling point is affordability: $9,166 in debt means graduates face just 20 cents of debt for every dollar earned in year one. That's a comfortable ratio that allows breathing room in the budget. Earnings growth is healthy at 24% over four years, pushing graduates toward $57,781 by year four. However, even with that growth trajectory, they're still playing catch-up to what other Wisconsin programs deliver on day one.

The small sample size—under 30 graduates—adds uncertainty to these figures. For parents weighing options, the question becomes whether saving a couple thousand dollars in debt justifies starting $9,000 behind peers at Northwood or Chippewa Valley. If your student has offers from multiple Wisconsin technical colleges, the earnings gap is real enough to warrant a serious conversation about which program offers the best training and employer connections, not just the lowest sticker price.