Student heavy-equipment operators from Westbrook Regional Vocational Center last week were geared up as they constructed a parking lot at the sports dome in Gorham.

“This is the real thing,” Ellis Oliver, a Westbrook senior, said just before he climbed up into the cab of a gigantic, half-million-dollar dump truck.

Oliver was one of several students in the crew, most who arrived in a Westbrook school bus at the non-profit YourSpace in Gorham to man heavy equipment donated by local companies for use on the project. The students excavated, relocated, leveled and rolled materials, shaping a parking lot.

Eager to work, students had quickly exited the school bus. “When we get here, we get right to work,” Oliver said.

“I’m cutting back edges,” Brendon Wormell, a Westbrook senior, said as he readied to handle a backhoe.

Outside the classroom, the students were learning by doing on the project, lending a hand to YourSpace. The Southern Maine Community Recreation Center is the nonprofit volunteer organization that owns YourSpace, a sports and recreation complex with an artificial turf playing field suitable for a variety of sports under the dome on Narragansett Street.

The parking lot project is an opportunity for the regional vocational students to sharpen their skills operating a variety of heavy equipment pieces while allowing YourSpace to add 30 more parking spaces and expand its play area to an outside athletic field.

The student crew of 16 from the vocational center functioned just like a real-life construction outfit. They were driving equipment with a total value of about $2 million. “This is unbelievably awesome for the kids,” said their instructor, Steve Doucette.

“I love doing this,” Oliver said.

Local construction companies donated materials and trucked the construction equipment to the job site.

“We’re paying for fuel,” said Sandy Warren, general manager of YourSpace.

Warren said the parking lot likely would be completed this week and she is hoping to have it paved. She estimated the value of the manpower and expertise provided by students at about $20,000.

“These high school students are getting some great hands-on training with state-of-the-art equipment,” Warren said.

Mike Sullivan, general manager at Chadwick-BaRoss, Inc., one of four companies that donated use of equipment for the project, was at the job site Thursday and watched the students in action.

Teenagers handling the heavy equipment didn’t faze Sullivan. “Not with Steve in charge,” he said.

Each of the students took turns driving the equipment as the parking lot took shape. “I’ve been running the truck,” said Tyler Sibley, a senior from Windham.

Andrew Emery, a junior from Raymond, was establishing the grade for the parking lot with a laser level. “They’re all my favorites,” Emery said about the heavy equipment.

“I like driving the dump truck,” Dustin Allen, a senior from Westbrook, said, while Steve Glidden, a junior from Gorham, said the excavator on tracks is his favorite.

Besides driving the big rigs, the parking lot project has been an opportunity for students to learn the value of teamwork. Allen said he has learned “that everybody has to work together to get things done.”

“This is a very good learning experience,” said Kyle Trafford, a Westbrook senior.

Sullivan praised the training the students were receiving. He said the students were gaining experience that will be valuable when applying for jobs with area construction companies. “It’s good for our customers,” Sullivan said. “A lot of the kids are already hired for the summer.”

“This program is really helpful,” said Dylan Champagne of Windham, one of the students who has a summer construction job.

Glidden said training includes learning proper procedures and grading. “It’s a very good program. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to do construction,” Glidden said about Westbrook Regional Vocational Center.

The once privately owned sports dome was built in 2004 on a 17-acre site. After closing for financial reasons, it was sold at auction in 2008 and purchased by a Gorham parent. Then, it was acquired by Southern Maine Community Recreation Center with a $1.1 million loan and renamed YourSpace.

YourSpace had 118 parking spaces and Warren said parking has been a problem during tournaments. The outside grass, multi-purpose field would be ready for play in the fall of 2011, Warren said.

Companies contributing donations to the parking lot expansion at YourSpace include Beauregard Equipment, Inc.; Nortrax Equipment Company; Shaw Brothers Construction, Inc.; R. J. Grondin & Sons; Gorham Sand & Gravel; Risbara Bros. Construction, Inc.; and Leavitt Earthworks Compnay, Inc.; Milton CAT; and Chadwick-BaRoss.