Around the country, you can find community colleges with diesel or agriculture mechanics programs that partner with farm equipment dealers to prepare students for a career as a service technician beyond classroom and on-campus training. In Illinois, there’s the John Deere tech program at Lake Land College and the Case New Holland program at Parkland College, just to name a few.
The drive for these program partnerships is based on industry demand.
“All dealers in our industry are facing the same challenge of finding talented technicians,” says Chris Rupiper, CEO of Prairie State Tractor, a chain of John Deere dealerships in northern Illinois. Rupiper says equipment and technology continue to change and advance, but the need for people to service and maintain the equipment is constant.
Like many other dealerships, Prairie State Tractor has launched a tech student program with local community colleges as another chance to attract students and help prepare them for a career as a technician, Rupiper says.
Students in the program will receive the following:
associate degree in applied science
paid internship with a dealer during school breaks
up to $12,000 in tuition reimbursement
over $7,000 in John Deere tools and a toolbox
classroom training
hands-on experience with a mentor
free work uniforms
full-time employment opportunity with the dealership after graduation
College partnership
While this tech student program doesn’t tie students to a specific college, there are preferences and guidelines to school selection.
Prairie State Tractor prefers students attend John Deere tech schools like Lake Land College or Northeast Iowa Community College. These colleges allow students to engage in John Deere exclusive classroom training courses. Lake Land and Northeast Iowa are the nearest John Deere tech schools to Prairie State Tractor dealerships, but any John Deere tech schools are eligible for the program.
When students attend John Deere tech schools like Lake Land or Northeast Iowa, they are eligible to receive up to $12,000 in tuition reimbursement. Students can receive up to $10,000 in tuition reimbursement if they choose to attend colleges with a diesel mechanic or ag mechanics program such as Illinois Central College, Black Hawk College or Parkland College.
Prairie State Tractor scholarship
Prairie State Tractor offers scholarships for future service technicians, awarding $13,000 to high school seniors or current college students.
Who’s eligible for this scholarship? Here are the details:
The applicant must be a graduating high school senior or current college student.
The applicant must plan to enroll or already be enrolled in diesel technology, agriculture mechanics or a related program with the intent to become a service technician.
Students already in the Prairie State Tractor tech student program are eligible to apply.
Online applications are due May 15 and must contain the following materials:
two letters of reference
most current official transcript
500- to 700-word essay or three- to four-minute video that explains why you are an ideal candidate for this scholarship — upload your video and send the link to [email protected]
For more information and to apply before May 15, visit the Prairie State Tractor website.
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