SGTC Set to Hold Open House Event for John Deere Program
South Georgia Technical College is set to hold its annual John Deere TECH Open House event on Tuesday, March 20 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Individuals who are interested in learning more about SGTC’s partnership with John Deere are invited to attend the event.
The event will feature five break-out sessions which will cover: program information, admissions information, financial aid information, housing information and a campus tour.
The event is sponsored by South Georgia Technical College and John Deere. John Deere officials and dealers are inviting prospective students and their parents as well as high school guidance counselors, and agriculture teachers from their service areas to attend the open house. Officials from John Deere’s corporate team and South Georgia Technical College will meet with the prospective students to outline the program, discuss admissions and financial aid procedures and demonstrate what students would be exposed to during the five semester program which results in an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Agricultural Technology.
South Georgia Tech’s students, who are currently enrolled in the Agricultural Technology program, will provide demonstrations in the John Deere labs and classes to show individuals the types of activities that they are involved in learning on a day to day basis.
To enroll in this program, students must be sponsored by a John Deere Dealer. The students spend eight weeks on campus in classrooms and labs learning specific objectives, then work with a dealer for eight weeks to put their knowledge to work in a dealer setting. The students return to the college for another eight weeks and repeat the pattern during the five semester program.
Students can earn a two-year associate of applied science degree in Agricultural Technology while partnering with John Deere agriculture and turf equipment dealers across the Southeastern portion of the United States for a career as a John Deere technician.
Studies indicate that there is a critical shortage of technicians in this field and the John Deere TECH partnership helps satisfy this need. Students will graduate out of the John Deere TECH program having a detailed understanding of John Deere equipment and bring John Deere certifications in electrical, hydraulic and Service ADVISOR™ with them to the dealership.
Students in the South Georgia Technical College Agricultural Technology program are enrolled in general education courses, but students also train and become John Deere certified in Electrical and Hydraulic systems as well as John Deere’s computer based diagnostic tool, Service ADVISOR™. Students utilize John Deere equipment, training components, and computer diagnostic tools to understand what makes equipment run. Students will also spend time understanding engines, drive trains, and product applications for a variety of agriculture and turf machinery.
The instructors for the program at SGTC are Matthew Burks and Wayne Peck. For more information about the Agricultural Technology program, visit www.southgatech.edu, or call 229.931.2394 or 229.931.2401.