The Collegian

Issue date: 10/22/04 Section: News

Media Credit: Karyn Gilbert Griffin Reome and Steven Ramirez work together on a piece of machinery.

Media Credit: Karyn Gilbert Mike Stroud (left) and Francisco Martinez (right) help each other in the "Think Big" course. [Click to enlarge]

Need a job? "Think Big," because Caterpillar needs techs!
One of 10 in the U.S., and 14 in the world, San Joaquin Delta College has the largest Caterpillar "Think Big" program in the U.S., with four instructors and a maximum enrollment of 32 students.
The 16-week-long course, geared toward diesel technology has been running at Delta for three years.
Program popularity and dealer requests have boosted the enrollment numbers by eight. Originally, the maximum student enrollment was 24; higher enrollment numbers meant an expansion of seats, lab space, and facilities.
For operational success, "the dealership must want the program to work," said Ken Pekarek, a course instructor. There are five dealers sponsoring the program: Peterson, Holt, Quinn, Johnson, and Hawthorne. Two million dollars worth of donations in both finance and hardware guaranty program longevity.
The program was created to satiate the high demand by dealers for trained technicians; the Caterpillar brand alone need 800 to 1,200. With the Caterpillar tech demand being so high, one can only imagine the increasing number of techs in request by other dealers.
"All they have to do is come to class, do the work, and pass," said Pekarek.
"Positive reinforcement," said Rick Detloff, a program instructor, is necessary.
General education is reinforced by physical education through internship. Half of the time, students are educated at Delta College, and receive an A.S. degree upon completion of the entire 72-unit general education course.
The remainder of the program is spent in paid internships at sponsored dealers.
An internship is 16 units total, at 4 units per internship; students are certified after two years of internship.
In other Caterpillar programs, students are first educated, interviewed, and then considered for hiring.
In California's "Think Big" program the process is reversed with students interviewed first, considered for hiring second, and educated last. This reversal makes this course unique in that the student is guaranteed a job before being certified.
The overall ranking of "Think Big" students at Delta College two. Delta College has the advantage of having 4 instructors specialized in separate areas of expertise, whereas most other "Think Big" programs have only 2 instructors.
Any student enrolled in "Think Big" who receives an 'F' in any class is dropped from the program. The student may return at a dealer's request with the next "cycle of students" said Dan Carter, a program instructor.
Another incentive to maintain good grades is the promise of a tool kit. Students who maintain a 3.0 GPA receive a tool kit while in training.
Students not enrolled in the course also benefit, as donations and equipment used in the "Think Big" program are shared with other programs.
Open houses are held occasionally at Delta College, allowing students to become more familiar with the "Think Big" program combined with other comparable heavy equipment programs.
For more information about the Caterpillar "Think Big" program, students can visit http://thinkbig.deltacollege.edu/, or contact a local dealer.

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