Partnership prepares tomorrow's mechanics

Kenworth Truck Co and its Calgary dealership, GreatWest Kenworth Ltd, have partnered with the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). The institute's motor mechanic program has been in existence since 1916, and Brian Moukperian, dean of SAIT's Transportation Department, says his goal has been to make a good thing even better.

SAIT students enter a one-year technician program. “Upon graduation, our students have two years left (three years without a SAIT degree) in the private sector working as an apprentice before becoming journeyman mechanics,” said Moukperian. “It's a bit different than in the United States, where there is no formal apprenticeship program for mechanics. By completing our program, our students effectively condense two years of learning into one year.”

According to Carl Garrod, KW service training manager, the truck OEM has provided a dash assembly for electrical mockups, diagnostic tools for antilock braking and plans to provide a heating, ventilation, and air-conditoning system soon.