(submitted photo/Saskatchewan Polytechnic)

By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Technician Training

Donation supports agriculture equipment technician program

Feb 28, 2020 | 4:24 PM

The agriculture equipment technician program at Saskatchewan Polytechnic in Saskatoon received a financial boost.

Young’s Equipment presented an in-kind donation of $450,000 for new, state of the art equipment that will be used to train students and apprentices.

General Manager Tim Young said well-trained service technicians are an integral part of the agriculture sector.

“I’ve never seen a dealership without a service department on the back end,” Young said. “Even the world’s best equipment breaks down now and then. If you don’t have the proper training, you will not be able to fix that equipment and get the farmer up and running. Without that supply of trained service technicians, our business is over.”

Young’s equipment donated a Case IH front loader, CVT transmission, combine PTO gear box and core, a Case IH MAXXUM tractor, a Case Farmall tractor and two Kubota engines.

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“Probably the most important are the components where you get a chance to actually take apart a CVT transmission, watch it as it turns and really get to understand the concepts behind it,” he said. “It’s much different than watching a video or something that’s animated. There’s some engines, there’s components off of combines. These are real life tools that they can use, take apart, put back together, see how they work and fine tune. That experience is invaluable as a teaching tool.”

The equipment will aid students in their training according to Morgan Kuntz who is in his second year in the program.

“I just walked in and I looked at that CVT again and I still am in shock at how much metal is inside of that thing. In all seriousness, having new equipment in the shop allows us to be able to work on the newest technology and helps us get a visual understanding of how things work and operate,” Kuntz said. “It’s great to work on older equipment, but the reality is when we get into the workforce we will be working on newer equipment. By giving us these new machines we can have a better understanding and ability to diagnose problems before we get into the workshops and do this for a living.”

Sask Polytech president and CEO Dr. Larry Rosia expressed gratitude for Young’s Equipment and the company’s continued support of the program.

“Your gifts are integral in helping our school of transportation train the agricultural equipment technicians needed today and into the future,” Rosia said. “This donation helps… technicians advance their careers, helps employers hire highly qualified technicians and advances Saskatchewan’s agriculture industry and economy.”

Young said there has been tremendous progress in the development of equipment, so it’s important those entering the workforce have an opportunity to work with the newest products.

“One of the most important diagnostic tools in our industry is the laptop,” Young said. “You actually connect to the piece of equipment and there’s a diagnosis. But then you have to be able to understand what it means and how you’re going to adjust it.”

Young estimates about 80 per cent of the 110 service technicians at the company’s nine dealers received their training at Saskatchewan Polytechnic in Saskatoon. He considers this a part of investing in the future.

“We provide five scholarships for people who are the top technicians who are journeymen, and the top in third year, second year and first year. We also have another scholarship that’s in honour of my father who got me involved in the farm machinery business who passed away in 2010. We want to encourage these people to stay involved in this industry.”

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF