Ensuring its dealerships in the region will continue to have a well-trained staff of technicians, John Deere, in partnership with Minnesota State Community and Technical College, unveiled a new two-year associate degree.

Beginning this fall, qualified students can take advantage of an on-campus program that will train them to be certified Construction and Forestry service technicians, and pay them while doing it.

Training on the latest John Deere equipment by company and dealer-trained instructors will enable students to enter the job market immediately at an entry-level position upon graduation.

On hand, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty expressed what the new Construction & Forestry Technician Program means to him.

“Bringing jobs and education opportunities to Greater Minnesota is an important part of building strong communities across our entire state,” he said. “Combining the strength of these public and private partners will help enhance our higher education system, our economy and the quality of life in the Moorhead area.”

John Deere retailers, RDO Equipment Co., with 62 stores in 10 states; and Nortrax Inc., with 45 stores across the country, have been instrumental in creating the curriculum and developing the support staff to run the program. The companies will play important roles by supplying the equipment and other resources required to maintain it on a day-to-day basis.

Ron Offut, chairman and CEO of RDO Equipment Co., explained why the training is important to his organization.

“The partnership is an extension of our vision to be the employer of choice in our industry,” he stated. “Well-trained technicians are critical if we are going to maintain our reputation as a world-class service organization. This is our way of making sure our customers continue to get the quality and workmanship they have grown to expect from our dealerships and John Deere.”

John Deere dealers also are partnering with seven other prominent colleges across the country to offer similar educational opportunities.

Graduates will find rewarding employment and career opportunities in one of the strongest dealership organizations in the country, and be supported by the John Deere family, one of the world’s leading producers of equipment for agriculture and forestry and a leading manufacturer of construction and lawn and turf care machinery.

The company markets and manufactures select machines under the Hitachi brand in the Americas as well as a complete line of Timberjack-branded forestry products.

Prospective students can contact any John Deere Construction & Forestry dealer in the Minnesota-Michigan-Wisconsin region for more information.

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