Oh, Canada! SCC Expanding John Deere Training North of Border
Southeast Community College has entered into an agreement with John Deere Canada LTD, expanding a training partnership with John Deere that dates back to 1991.
SCC's Canadian trainer is located at a John Deere facility in St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, and plans are to add a second trainer this fall to cover the western territory.
Glen Williams, dean of the Transportation & Manufacturing Division at SCC, said the College has had a positive partnership with John Deere and jumped at the chance to provide training in Canada.
"It's a great partnership," Williams said. "What we get in ways of support for the school is a lot of things that we don't have to pay for."
SCC's Occupational Studies program, located on the Milford Campus, is designed for individuals in industry who want to combine industry training with selected SCC coursework to obtain an associate's degree. The John Deere focus offers a service technician certificate (19.5 hours), a service technician diploma (48 hours), or a service technician associate's degree (90 hours). There also is a service manager certificate (21 hours), service manager diploma (48 hours) or a service manager associate's degree (90 hours) to choose from.
SCC's John Deere Tech program, also located in Milford, was the first of its kind in the United States, pairing a college with John Deere dealers.
In August 1991, SCC's John Deere training program was called John Deere Pro-Tech. Fred Petsch, director of John Deere Training at the College, was the first instructor in the partnership with the company. At that time, John Deere was using its own employees to train technicians.
"Over the years it progressed to 12 colleges across the country that partnered with John Deere," Williams said. "Then John Deere began using contract instructors on a year-to-year basis."
Between 1991 and 1998, SCC expanded the program to include five trainers, two in Davenport, Iowa, at the John Deere Training Center, two on the Milford Campus, and one at the John Deere Training Center in Wichita, Kan. An expansion to nine trainers took place from 1999-2006.
In 2006, John Deere reduced the number of North American training sites from 30 to 12. That's when SCC proposed to John Deere that it provide trainers at any location in North America.
"Only four schools submitted proposals," Williams said. "We were the only one willing to take on seven training facilities in the U.S. and two in Canada."
John Deere agreed, and training facilities were located in Columbus, Ohio; Dallas, Texas; Morrisville, N.C.; Phoenix, Ariz.; and Wichita. The program was expanded to 14 trainers between 2006-2008. SCC has 18 employees under contract to John Deere through John Deere Ag, John Deere Power Systems, and John Deere Canada LTD. Within the next 12 months, Williams expects to add four more.
Besides its expansion into Canada this year, SCC also entered into an agreement with John Deere Power Systems in Waterloo, Iowa, to provide trainers for that group. According to the Associated Equipment Distributors Foundation in Chicago, Ill., there will be a need for 25,000 new technicians over the next five years.
"Recruiting and retaining good service technicians is a challenge right now," said Mick Sims, manager of customer support and marketing development for John Deere. "Most equipment distributors get their people by hiring from related industries or competitors. There's an across-the-board shortage and good, skilled techs are being enticed to stay with their current employer. The well is running dry."
Williams said John Deere training has increased 40 percent in the last two years as the company works to provide its technicians with the skills needed throughout all of its divisions.
"I want SCC to be the big dog on the block when it comes to contract training for John Deere," Williams said.
For more information, contact:
Stu Osterthun
Administrative Director of Public Information and Marketing
(402) 323-3401
sosterthun@southeast.edu
SCC's Canadian trainer is located at a John Deere facility in St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, and plans are to add a second trainer this fall to cover the western territory.
Glen Williams, dean of the Transportation & Manufacturing Division at SCC, said the College has had a positive partnership with John Deere and jumped at the chance to provide training in Canada.
"It's a great partnership," Williams said. "What we get in ways of support for the school is a lot of things that we don't have to pay for."
SCC's Occupational Studies program, located on the Milford Campus, is designed for individuals in industry who want to combine industry training with selected SCC coursework to obtain an associate's degree. The John Deere focus offers a service technician certificate (19.5 hours), a service technician diploma (48 hours), or a service technician associate's degree (90 hours). There also is a service manager certificate (21 hours), service manager diploma (48 hours) or a service manager associate's degree (90 hours) to choose from.
SCC's John Deere Tech program, also located in Milford, was the first of its kind in the United States, pairing a college with John Deere dealers.
In August 1991, SCC's John Deere training program was called John Deere Pro-Tech. Fred Petsch, director of John Deere Training at the College, was the first instructor in the partnership with the company. At that time, John Deere was using its own employees to train technicians.
"Over the years it progressed to 12 colleges across the country that partnered with John Deere," Williams said. "Then John Deere began using contract instructors on a year-to-year basis."
Between 1991 and 1998, SCC expanded the program to include five trainers, two in Davenport, Iowa, at the John Deere Training Center, two on the Milford Campus, and one at the John Deere Training Center in Wichita, Kan. An expansion to nine trainers took place from 1999-2006.
In 2006, John Deere reduced the number of North American training sites from 30 to 12. That's when SCC proposed to John Deere that it provide trainers at any location in North America.
"Only four schools submitted proposals," Williams said. "We were the only one willing to take on seven training facilities in the U.S. and two in Canada."
John Deere agreed, and training facilities were located in Columbus, Ohio; Dallas, Texas; Morrisville, N.C.; Phoenix, Ariz.; and Wichita. The program was expanded to 14 trainers between 2006-2008. SCC has 18 employees under contract to John Deere through John Deere Ag, John Deere Power Systems, and John Deere Canada LTD. Within the next 12 months, Williams expects to add four more.
Besides its expansion into Canada this year, SCC also entered into an agreement with John Deere Power Systems in Waterloo, Iowa, to provide trainers for that group. According to the Associated Equipment Distributors Foundation in Chicago, Ill., there will be a need for 25,000 new technicians over the next five years.
"Recruiting and retaining good service technicians is a challenge right now," said Mick Sims, manager of customer support and marketing development for John Deere. "Most equipment distributors get their people by hiring from related industries or competitors. There's an across-the-board shortage and good, skilled techs are being enticed to stay with their current employer. The well is running dry."
Williams said John Deere training has increased 40 percent in the last two years as the company works to provide its technicians with the skills needed throughout all of its divisions.
"I want SCC to be the big dog on the block when it comes to contract training for John Deere," Williams said.
For more information, contact:
Stu Osterthun
Administrative Director of Public Information and Marketing
(402) 323-3401
sosterthun@southeast.edu
