Butler Machinery Company recently announced a new educational partnership with Mitchell Technical Institute (MTI) to be delivered at the Mitchell campus. The new ButlerEDGE program will begin in fall 2014. This two-year program will be offered for an Associate of Applied Science degree and will consist of a combination of classroom education and an internship at a Butler location, paying more than $17/hour.

Applicants to the program will be selected by Butler based upon a set of criteria including academic performance, test scores and other employment-related criteria. Those accepted to the program will enroll at MTI as full-time students. The program will be divided into a series of modules delivered both on campus and at an intern site dealership. Students will be compensated for the time they spend at the intern site. In addition, Butler will furnish all tools and uniforms. After graduation, the student will immediately begin full-time employment with the company.

The program is similar to Butler’s ThinkBIG program offered at other schools in North Dakota and South Dakota. Rather than studying heavy equipment, students in the ButlerEDGE program will focus on learning to service AGCO brand agricultural equipment. MTI’s Agriculture and Transportation Technology division has the space and technology to add the ButlerEDGE program to its roster of high-quality programs, including Farm Power Technology.

MTI president Greg Von Wald is excited about the new program. “MTI has a long history of offering top-notch agricultural education in our region. The addition of the ButlerEDGE program will provide students with unique, hands-on experiences and will help the Butler Machinery Company continue to offer high quality service to its customers,” said Von Wald.

Butler Machinery Company has been in business since 1955 with locations across North Dakota, South Dakota, and, most recently, Nebraska.

For information about applying to the ButlerEDGE program, contact Rebecca Rensvold at 701/298-1735 or [email protected].