John Deere officials and dealers host dinner for John Deere TECH Agricultural Technology graduates at South Georgia Technical

John Deere officials and dealers host dinner for John Deere TECH Agricultural Technology graduates at South Georgia Technical College Americus, GA –John Deere corporate officials and dealers from across the Southeastern United States hosted a special dinner for the second graduating class of John Deere TECH students who received an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Agricultural Technology at South Georgia Technical College in Americus, GA on Thursday, December 15th, 2016. The 10 students and their families who were honored at the dinner prior to the graduation ceremonies included individuals from Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina. Jenni Badding, Manager College Partnerships for John Deere Agriculture & Turf, Region 4, presided over the dinner along with SGTC John Deere TECH Agricultural Technology Instructors Matthew Burkes and Wayne Peck. The second class of the John Deere TECH graduates from South Georgia Technical College included: Kevin Tyler Bennett of Summerville, SC; Austin Crook of Smithville; James M. Haynes of Hahira; Matthew Hicks of Toccoa; Benjamin Deven Keller of Ashburn; Cleb Roberson of Butler; Alan Michael Slaughter of Cataula; Brian Strickland of Cairo; David Vazquez-Cruz of Barney, and Calvin Willard of Cordele. The dinner was held in the Betty Deriso Pope Teleconference room in the John M. Pope Industrial Technology Center on the South Georgia Technical College campus. SGTC President Dr. John Watford, Academic Dean David Finley, and Vice President for Institutional Advancement Su Ann Bird, were on hand at the ceremony to welcome the John Deere TECH students and their families and the John Deere officials. South Georgia Technical College and John Deere Company partnered together in August 2014 to provide potential John Deere Technicians with a comprehensive two year associate degree in Agricultural Technology and the career of a lifetime. South Georgia Tech has been recognized with John Deere’s “The College of Tomorrow” Gold Level Award for the past two years, which is the second highest ranking in the country. The award serves as a ranking system for the 21 colleges in North America that offer a John Deere TECH program. There are 16 John Deere Tech programs in the United States and five in Canada. The program evaluates several areas of the program including Facilities and Image, Processes, and Training. The John Deere TECH partnership allows students interested in pursuing an associate degree program in Agricultural Technology at South Georgia Technical College to partner with John Deere agriculture and turf equipment dealers across the Southeastern portion of the United States for a career as a John Deere technician. Students must be sponsored by a dealer to enroll in this program. The Agricultural Technology curriculum addresses the full range of technological advances in agricultural mechanization, focusing on both John Deere’s Agricultural and Turf Equipment product lines. Students learn about diesel engine systems, powertrains, hydraulics, machine setup and adjustment, as well as high-tech AMS electronics, schematics and diagnostics computers. Students also gain practical experience and expertise working with the computer-assisted resource materials used throughout the John Deere service network, such as Service ADVISOR. The program also emphasizes communication skills and other non-core disciplines essential to a successful career in Ag service. Students attend classes at South Georgia for eight weeks each semester and then serve an eight week internship at their sponsoring dealer each semester for approximately two years. Students are enrolled in general education courses and as well as their specialty classes. Students utilize John Deere equipment, training components, and computer diagnostic tools to understand what makes equipment run. This program provides students with the instructional knowledge needed as well as the hands-on knowledge and skills to be successful in this career. Studies indicate that there is a critical shortage of technicians in this field and the John Deere TECH partnership helps satisfy this need. John Deere dealers prefer to hire John Deere TECH students as they already have a detailed understanding of John Deere equipment and bring with them John Deere certifications in electrical, hydraulic and Service ADVISOR™. The South Georgia Tech – John Deere partnership is just another great example of how industry and educational institutions can work together to provide a strong educational background and the trained technicians needed across the country. For additional information on the new John Deere TECH partnership and Agricultural Technology program at South Georgia Technical College, please contact the college at 229-931-2068 or on the web at www.southgatech.edu.