Mitchell Technical Institute
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Farm Power Technology
The Farm Power Technology program offered at Mitchell Technical Institute provides students with the specialized knowledge, hands-on training, and applied skill to diagnose, troubleshoot, service, and repair the complex diesel engine systems utilized by today’s farm equipment and heavy machinery.
Students receive extensive lectures on diesel theory, as it pertains to the agricultural industry, while developing critical thinking and reasoning skills as they participate in lively class discussions and complete mathematical problems and technical writing assignments. Principles of GPS, guidance, steering, and variable rate systems will all be discussed, as well as service center fundamentals, successful service management, and successful sales and marketing procedures.
In the fully stocked training shop, each student will get their hands dirty, learning how to safely and properly troubleshoot, repair, and maintain, diesel engines and control systems, diesel electronic systems, electrical systems, hydraulic systems, power trains, drive systems, steering systems, suspension systems, and air conditioning systems.
Students are given the opportunity to disassemble, inspect, diagnose, repair, and reassemble various diesel engines and their integrated auxiliary systems, using laptops programmed with diagnostic software, hand tools, precision measuring instruments, electronic meters, wiring diagrams, and service manuals. Students also learn, hands-on, how to properly perform diesel engine overhauls, machinery maintenance, and engine tune-ups, on seeding equipment, harvesting equipment, hay equipment, tillage equipment, chemical equipment, and farm tractors. Students also obtain hands-on experience in welding for diesel mechanics.
Each student will learn the importance of teamwork and effective time management, as they work both independently, and in teams, to complete every task assigned to them by their instructors. Students are also taught how to properly handle hazardous materials and how to practice shop safety. Ethics, integrity, professionalism, and a positive work place attitude are also stressed throughout the 18-month long program.
The Farm Power Technology Curriculum
The Farm Power Technology program consists of the following core classes:
- Service Center Fundamentals
- Basic Engine Theory & Operation
- Basic Engine Lab
- Electrical/Electronic Systems
- Diesel Engine & Control Systems
- Advanced Service Center Fundamentals
- Service Fundamentals Lab
- Successful Service Management
- Machinery Management
- Introduction to Hydraulics
- Advanced Diesel Engine & Control Systems
- Air Conditioning Service Fundamentals
- Internship
- Powertrain & Drive Systems
- Principles of GPS/GIS
- Chemical Equipment
- Harvesting Equipment Basics
- Tractor Performance & Setup
- Sales & Marketing: Parts & Aftermarket
- Guidance, Steering & Variable Rate Operations
- Advanced Fluid Power Dynamics & Diagnostics
- Ag Equipment Diagnostics
- Advanced Electrical/Electronics Diagnostics
- Welding
- Seeding Equipment Fundamentals
- Tillage Equipment Basics
- Hay Equipment Fundamentals
Students must also take Student Success, Complete Computer Concepts, one English Elective, one Math Elective, one Behavioral Science Elective, and one Social Science Elective, in order to fulfill the graduation requirements of the Associate of Applied Science Degree program. Students are required to finish every class and maintain at least a 2.0 GPA, the equivalent of a “C” grade, in order to graduate.
Diesel Mechanic Jobs
Graduates of the Farm Power Technology program at Mitchell Technical Institute can be confident that they possess the education and training necessary to secure an entry-level position as a qualified diesel mechanic in the farm equipment and heavy machinery service and repair industry. Career opportunities include working as a qualified service technician, parts specialist, parts manager, service/warranty writer, or in sales, as a customer service representative, working at an agriculture power equipment dealership.
As the diesel industry continues to grow rapidly, job opportunities for qualified diesel mechanics is expected to increase 11% by the year 2020, as fast as average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The mean annual wage for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists working in the United States in 2014 was $45,160, while the mean salary for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists employed in the state of South Dakota was $40,740 yearly and $19.59 hourly, just 10% lower than the national average.
The Associate in Applied Science Degree
Mitchell Technical Institute offers an 18-month Associate in Applied Science Degree in Farm Power Technology. This program is Pell Grant eligible.