The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
JVS partnership means high-tech learning opportunity
Thanks to the partnership and generosity of the Wellington Implement Company, Lorain County JVS students in the Industrial Equipment Mechanics Program have a unique opportunity to be trained on one of the most hi-tech pieces of farm equipment on the market.
Tom Stannard, general manager of Wellington Implement, delivered a Case IH Maxxum 135 tractor, to the JVS IEM students, who will have the opportunity to learn on this high-tech piece of machinery for the 2018-19 school year.
“Without the ability for students to have exposure to the newer technology, the latest and greatest equipment, when they enter the workforce, it would all be brand new,” said Stannard. “Our hope is that we get the machinery here, the students get the exposure to it, and that way when they go out on the job, they are ready to go.”
Aidan Marang, industrial equipment mechanics senior from Keystone knows the importance of this donation and how it will give his class an edge in the field.
“The equipment we have now in lab is out of date and it doesn’t carry over well into the job field. Being able to work on this hightech up-to-date equipment is really going to help us be ready when we enter the workforce,” Marang said.
According to Stannard, this tractor, valued at close to $200,000, is made in Basildon, UK, is equipped with all the same technology that the larger tractors have and the series of these tractors start at 90 PTO horsepower and go up to 130 PTO horsepower.
Stannard said it is really hard to find skilled technicians that can work on their high-tech equipment. “What works best for us, is to bring young people in that have a strong work ethic and have had exposure to this type of equipment. The technology changes so fast, that is why the JVS is so important, because having students that come from a career-technical background, means they are more prepared for our workforce.”