Commentary: Fast-Tracking Technicians
Denise Rondini
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Denise Rondini
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The tremendous need in the market for entry-level technicians is the reason Pro-Mech Learning Systems started the TechSpedite program.
The four-week, hands-on class teaches students how to do basic shop tasks such as performing preventive maintenance inspections and diagnosing and repairing common service problems.
“The course is laser-focused on a very specific set of skills,” explained Mike Compisi, vice president of operations at Pro-Mech, which provides advanced diesel technician training and comprehensive shop support services.
Compisi was quick to point out that Pro-Mech “absolutely believes in vo-tech schools. They do a wonderful job of teaching a comprehensive set of skills.” The TechSpedite program is different, however, in that it gives students a limited but practical set of skills that they can use immediately in a shop.
The inaugural session of the class kicked off in May with limited enrollment “because we wanted to make sure we worked out all the kinks,” Compisi explained. The second class graduated in July. All students from the first class have been placed in shops, and at the time I spoke with Compisi, potential employers had just completed interviewing students from the second class. “I have every reason to believe the guys in the current class will also be hired,” he said.
The course combines classroom instruction and hands-on practice, and class size is limited to 15 to facilitate the hands-on learning. The course first goes over content in an instructional manner; then the students go practice on a piece of equipment. “That way they start to learn muscle memory from doing things in a repetitive manner, so when they get to their places of employment, they will be able to replicate what they learned and continue with best practices and proper safety procedures.”
Students are tested throughout the program in every content area for competency and proficiency. …Read the rest of this story
