Diesel externship boosts CTE educators’ skills

Among the learning opportunities for educators this summer at Pennsylvania College of Technology was the inaugural Diesel Career & Technical Education Teachers Externship, attracting 13 instructors from Connecticut, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

The two-day, immersive professional development opportunity was designed for CTE instructors to collaborate with their contemporaries, explore advancements in the field and remain on the cutting edge of instruction in the diesel discipline. The externship consisted of classroom instruction and lab experiences facilitated by company representatives from the commercial truck, heavy equipment and power generation industries.

The K-12 educators will return to their classrooms this fall to integrate what they learned into their curricula and skill sets to benefit their students. Attendees indicated the externship enabled them to become more familiar with career opportunities in emerging technologies and to learn new ways of incorporating workforce readiness skills at their schools.
    
Supporting the externship with high-level technical training and materials were Hunter Truck, an authorized Peterbilt dealer, and Sherwood Trucks, an authorized Freightliner dealership.

“The industry support from Hunter Truck and Sherwood Trucks helped enhance the experience for our participants,” said Justin W. Beishline, assistant dean of diesel technology and natural resources. “Their industry trainers dedicated two days to provide advanced training to the diesel CTE teachers. They understand the skills gap and the need for highly trained technicians and know how valuable it is to build these connections.”

By completing the externship, the teachers earned 16 hours of continuing education credits and two industry-recognized certifications: Endurant Driveline Training and Detroit Diesel Software.

James P. Mack, heavy equipment technology instructor at Berks Career & Technology Center, said: “It was great to see Penn College recognize the need for updated technical training for CTC instructors, and the two-day event was awesome. We were able to get training from industry trainers in the classroom environment, as well as perform hands-on teardown in the Penn College labs. They brought in some of the newest technologies to showcase, that we otherwise would not be exposed to at a high school level.”

Mack, who graduated from Penn College in 1999 with degrees in diesel technology and heavy construction equipment technology, added, “The networking opportunities with other CTC instructors and Penn College instructors was a huge benefit, and it was also helpful to see how Penn College continues to improve their training and see some of the new simulators they recently purchased for use with students.”

Brenda Kimple, a school counselor at Franklin County CTC, enjoyed the opportunity to gain insight into diesel education and opportunities.

“It was an incredible few days of learning. I was able to explore the inner workings of a transmission and experiment with computerized diagnostic tools brought by the Hunter Truck group. We took apart a transmission and put it back together as a team,” Kimple shared. “I have been a counselor at my career tech center for over 20 years, but I now have a lot more understanding to help guide our diesel students at our school.”

In addition to Kimple and Mack, other Pennsylvania educators in attendance were: David Bolich, Lancaster County CTC; Kevin Heimbach, Berks CTC; Douglas Krepps, Cumberland Perry Area CTC; Timothy McCrane, Bucks County Technical High School; Melissa McIlwain, Berks CTC; Jack Neidig, SUN Area Technical Institute; William Rearick, Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School; and Steven Staples, Monroe Career & Technical Institute.

Connecticut teachers were: Peter Litchfield and Mark Ouellette, of Vinal Technical High School. A Maryland educator was also in attendance: William Seccurro, with Cecil County School of Technology.

Industry trainers sharing their expertise were: Hunter Truck’s Dylan Christopher, technical trainer; Andrew Kunselman, technical recruiter; and James Miller, director of technical training and development; and Sherwood Trucks’ Andrew Hundley, technical trainer.

“Beyond the training, the externship gave K-12, Penn College and industry representatives a chance to network, while at the same time building awareness of our programs and showcasing our labs,” Beishline added. “We hope this opportunity will lead to long-lasting partnerships that enhance pathways from these career and technical education diesel programs to Penn College.”

The Diesel CTE Teachers Externship is among initiatives funded by the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education grant titled “Diesel Technology Pathway to Postsecondary Certification or Associate Degree.”

For information on diesel truck, heavy equipment and power generation degrees and other majors offered by Penn College’s School of Engineering Technologies, call 570-327-4520.

For more about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free at 800-367-9222.