To enhance experiential learning opportunities, New England Kenworth, the largest family-owned truck dealership group in New England, donated a 2017 PACCAR MX-13 diesel engine from its Concord dealership to the Diesel Heavy Equipment Technology program at White Mountains Community College (WMCC). The PACCAR engine will be used for hands-on training, providing students with experience on new engine technology and preparing them with more skills for an in-demand career.
“We are so grateful to New England Kenworth for donating this PACCAR diesel engine,” said Marc Pouliot, professor and program coordinator for the WMCC Diesel Heavy Equipment Technology program. “This donation adds to the diversity of existing engines that we currently have and will enable us to show the students the differences in technology and the engine design changes between manufacturers and models for well-rounded skills in today’s heavy equipment industry. This type of hands-on learning helps set our students up for a successful career.”
The MX-13 produced by PACCAR, one of the largest manufacturers of medium- and heavy-duty trucks in the world, is a high performance 13-litre engine that features selective catalytic reduction for emissions control that is common in today’s more efficient diesel heavy equipment. It will be used in WMCC’s Diesel Power Systems class as a tear down and rebuild unit for students. New England Kenworth along with Kenworth Truck Company, a subsidiary of PACCAR also donated all of the necessary PACCAR tools needed to disassemble, inspect and reassemble the engine. Students will use these specialty tools to tear the engine down to a bare block, make measurements and assemble it following proper torque procedures and manufacturing specifications.
“Getting more involved with technical schools is important to the long-term success of the vocational truck industry that delivers product throughout the country,” said MaryBeth Alosa, president of New England Kenworth, a network of eight Kenworth truck dealerships and WMCC advisory board member. “Technicians are the life blood of any dealership and teaching the skills needed to thrive today is extremely important. We are excited to have been able to donate this engine to WMCC to help train much needed technicians of tomorrow.”
As the only New England college accredited by Associated Equipment Distributors (AED), WMCC’s Diesel Heavy Equipment Technology program is offered as a two-year associate degree and a 29-credit professional certificate. This program prepares students to diagnose and service diesel powered trucks and equipment through learning to use a system’s approach to analyze and repair diesel engines, transmissions, brakes, hydraulics, related technologies and controlling systems. Extensive lab courses and a co-op experience are supported by rigorous coursework in physics, math, communications, and social science. Shop safety, work habits, shop management and customer relations are also stressed.
Graduates of this program find employment at heavy truck and equipment dealerships, as well as forestry, agricultural and automotive dealerships whose lines include diesel-powered units with career paths such as a parts technician, field repair and specialties hydraulic specialist or electronic diagnostic specialist.
WMCC is constantly seeking to improve and grow its program with newer technology, such as the PACCAR MX-13 engine, and is developing curriculum focused on alternative fuels such as electric and hybrid technology in heavy equipment and over the road trucks as the demand becomes more prevalent.
White Mountains Community College (WMCC) is located in Berlin, New Hampshire with satellite campuses in Littleton and North Conway, and is one of seven colleges in the Community College System of New Hampshire. WMCC offers Associate Degree and Certificate programs, plus training options, preparing students for 21st century job opportunities as well as transfer pathways to four-year colleges and universities. WMCC is fully accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). Our courses are the most affordable in New Hampshire and our Littleton Academic Center makes us accessible to all students in the North Country Region. Courses are available day, evening and online. WMCC courses transfer to four-year colleges and universities in New Hampshire and across the country. The seven community colleges in the system are committed to working with businesses throughout the state to train and retain employees to develop a robust workforce across all sectors and embraces the “65 by 25 Initiative,” which calls for 65% of NH citizens to have some form of postsecondary education by 2025 to meet future workforce demands.
Photo caption: MaryBeth Alosa of New England Kenworth donates a 2017 PACCAR MX-13 diesel engine to Marc Pouliot for the WMCC Diesel Heavy Equipment Technology program.
