Employer partner supports unique training for ECTC diesel students

Published on Sep 25, 2024

Diesel Technology students at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College had a unique training opportunity this fall thanks to McCoy Construction & Forestry in Louisville.

McCoy Construction & Forestry delivered a John Deere 650K dozer to one of program’s diesel labs and students, under the instruction of Associate Professor Joe Valora, replaced the undercarriage, including chains, track pads, idler and rollers.

“It’s a new opportunity. I’ve never had a chance to do anything like this before,” said student James Childress.

Noting a new dozer of this kind is valued at about $300,000, Valora said collaborating with companies like McCoy Construction & Forestry is vital to giving students access to real-world scenarios they’ll face as technicians in the heavy equipment industry.

“We could not make this class nearly as valuable without employer partnerships,” Valora said. “McCoy Construction & Forestry is a longtime partner and also serves on our program’s advisory council, which helps faculty ensure our students learn the skills they need to succeed in today’s workforce.”

The dozer was used in the Diesel Technology Undercarriage Lab, a class taken by students in the program’s agriculture and construction equipment tracks. Students noted multiple advantages of the loaned dozer.

“The more you do anything, the better you are,” said student Nathan Patterson. “The parts are so heavy, you have to use another piece of equipment to move them, so this teaches you about planning and teamwork, too.”

The hands-on work aligns perfectly with interests and future career plans, added Marcus Boblitt.
“I’ve grown up on a farm, running machinery, and I love working on this type of equipment,” he said.

The partnership benefits McCoy Construction & Forestry and the overall industry as much as it benefits students, said David Ward, general manager at the company’s Louisville location.

“The technician side of the industry is suffering, for lack of a better term, for lack of skilled talent,” he said, adding that partnering with ECTC enhances students’ exposure to technician careers. Ward’s operation, one of 25 locations in eight states, has also sponsored a co-op with an ECTC student and hired that student as a full-time employee.

“Employers want to hire our graduates because they know the standards of the ECTC auto and diesel technology programs — not only in terms of knowledge and skills, but also in terms of work ethic and other soft skills,” Valora said. “We’re very proud that employers see their investment in our students as an investment in their future workforce."

McCoy Construction & Forestry is a part of parent company McCoy Group, which also includes Truck Country and Stoops Freightliner.

For more information about ECTC’s diesel technology program, visit ectc.us/diesel.