OLDS, Alta. – If an agriculture mechanic does not upgrade on the newest technology every three months, that technician is probably out of date.
To keep the workers up to speed, Olds College has partnered with companies like John Deere and Case-New Holland to work on the latest in farm implement electronics, engines and transmissions.
Gone are the days when a farmer could do equipment maintenance, said Dan Daley, one of the college’s instructors in agriculture and heavy equipment.
Farmers can change bearings or belts on the modern tractor or self-propelled combine but most of the equipment today is computerized and requires a knowledge of computer diagnostics.
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“It is similar if you take your car to a GM dealer or a Ford dealer, they hook something up to it to see what is wrong with your car. Here, we can hook up a computer to your tractor,” said Phillip Korczak of John Deere.
Korczak was on campus to help with technical training. Instructors also receive regular company-sponsored training.
John Deere has been a partner with Olds College for a number of years. Case-New Holland joined this year and negotiations are ongoing with other companies to train technicians.
“The more we can connect with industry, the more we can stay on top of what is needed to make a successful graduate for industry,” said Daley.
Case-New Holland recruits students from British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan high schools.
The students are sponsored to study the agriculture and heavy equipment program at Olds with a commitment to work for the company upon graduation.
The program offers a general heavy duty mechanics course and adds two weeks extra to work on specific dealers’ implements.
With improving wages and high demand for their labour, there is a strong incentive for young people to consider this as a career.
Six students have signed up for the Case program.
When they graduate they must return to the company for a negotiated length of time. If they leave the company, they must pay the dealership for their education.
“There is such a demand for technicians right now. They are so short on manpower that they have come to this point where they said, ‘we’ll do something for you if you do something for us’, ” said Daley.
“Our full-time program has always been a source for John Deere dealers to recruit out of for their service technicians,” Daley said.
The companies provide about $3 million worth of equipment straight from the factory for students to
diagnose problems installed by the instructors. At the end of the term, the equipment is sent on to dealerships.
In this high tech world, instructors want people to understand the mechanic is no longer a grease monkey.
Students coming into the program must graduate from high school and require a strong background in basic mathematics, computer skills and written and spoken English so they can communicate with customers, understand manuals and document their work.
