Southern California students wanting to stick close to home. Northern students hoping for a warmer winter. Arizona students looking for training right down the road. The John Deere TECH Program at Central Arizona College in Coolidge, AZ, is the solution.
The TECH Program at CAC celebrated its first anniversary in 2007. Gene Williams, instructor and program coordinator, says he’s serious about his TECH students learning the gamut of John Deere—from the oldest transmissions to the latest in AMS electronics.
“We start with the older technology and then move on to the more recent stuff,” says Williams. “Our students aren’t just learning electronics and hydraulics. They are learning how the technology has changed, too.”
John Deere dealers are looking for qualified service technicians who know cutting-edge technology.
“The ag technician of today is much more than a mechanic,” says Williams. “Computerized systems and GPS controls are the industry standard, and today's ag technician must know these systems inside and out.”
"Our goals are to graduate 100 percent of our classes and fulfill dealer expectations,” Williams says. “It’s the relationship between us, our students, and our dealerships that make the TECH Program unique. We’re working hard to create and
maintain a TECH Program that graduates diagnosticians ready to face the challenges a dealership throws at them.”
"This is the greatest opportunity I have seen in our industry to start out with a degree and a great career," Williams adds.