Metallica-Funded Program prepares Vets for diesel careers
Michael Dooley has seen and done a lot in his 58 years, including Coast Guard service and work as a shipyard diver, procurement administrator, and, more recently, home construction around Monterey.
He considers his participation in a diesel mechanics program for veteran students at Hartnell College to be a chance to bring his life and career full circle. The program is funded through a $100,000 grant from the Metallica Scholars Initiative.
Dooley hopes to begin working on trucks and tractors in the Salinas Valley agricultural industry and later transition to diesel marine engines. “That whole marine environment at Moss Landing makes me drool,” he said during a break from his studies in the Advanced Diesel Technology program at Hartnell’s Alisal Campus in east Salinas. “I could go back to the sea.”
Dooley is one of five students who on Aug. 30 began attending two days a week of in-person classes in preventive maintenance and steering and suspension systems at Hartnell’s Alisal Campus.
He said his training at Hartnell so far has been “amazing”: “I couldn’t ask for better instructors. I am so grateful for this program. I drop a knee every time I walk out.”
Hartnell was selected from a competitive field of community colleges across the country to join the Metallica-funded partnership, with the goal of preparing Monterey County veterans for careers in Salinas Valley agriculture and place them in jobs. The formerly homeless veterans are already receiving support services through the VTC, which is located in Marina on the former Fort Ord. The agency provides local veterans and their families with housing, counseling, and employment training, among other services. As Metallica Scholars, the experience and success of these student veterans will be showcased to promote varying skilled trade pathways as a means to economic development. “We are honored to join with the Metallica Scholars Initiative and our other partners to bring these individuals who have served in our country’s armed forces into a high-demand career with virtually unlimited opportunity,” said Dr. Raúl Rodríguez, interim superintendent/ president of Hartnell. “This model of combining robust support services with hands-on job training holds a lot of promise.” Funded by Metallica’s
All Within My Hands (AWMH) and led by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the Metallica Scholars Initiative was designed to directly support students while also elevating the importance of career and technical education.
Hartnell College and its lead partners, the Grower-Shipper Association (GSA) of Central California and the Veterans Transition Center (VTC) of Monterey County, are working to expand participation to up to 20 veterans.
Over the next year, the participants will complete Hartnell courses while also receiving paid on-the-job training with GSA member companies that operate in the Salinas Valley. In addition, each student will also receive a toolbox and basic tools worth $2,300.
As soon as they’re ready, the students will meet and interview with agricultural employers to find the best fit for three days a week of on-the-job training. Companies that will be participating include Taylor Farms, Tanimura & Antle, Automated Harvesting LLC, Dole Fresh Vegetables, and Braga Fresh, and others may come on board in the future.
Hartnell diesel instructor Mark DeHart said the veterans have blended well with other non-veteran students while sharing knowledge gained through their previous work and life experience. “I always tell my class, ‘My way is not always the right way, but it is ‘a’ way to accomplish a task, so if you know another way to accomplish this task, by all means, share it and educate us all,” DeHart said.