Over 120 high school students will have a chance to get hands-on mechanical experience thanks to a donation from a local car dealer.
The Butler County Vo-Tech received two engines earlier this week from Butler County Ford that will be used in classrooms during this school year.
One of the engine’s donated is a 6.4 liter diesel engine that will be used in the heavy equipment department. Students will tear apart the engine and reassemble it. Teacher Bill Rearick said the experience is invaluable and praised Ford for taking an active role in developing talented technicians.
“This gives the students here an opportunity to gain real-world experience and help learn lessons that can get them closer to certification,” Rearick said.
Ford offers an ACE program, that serves as a training platform for Ford technicians. Rearick said students can achieve nearly 50 percent of their credits through programs at the Vo-Tech.
A second 3.7 liter engine will be used by the automotive repair department, which has 70 students enrolled in the program this year.
Butler County Vo-Tech Executive Director Kurt Speicher said getting community support from businesses like Butler County Ford goes a long way in students education.
“There may be a price attached to the engines donated, but a donation like this is truly invaluable,” Speicher said.
Butler County Ford said a donation like this also helps them long-term because the technician industry is severely understaffed.
“We donated these engines because we are definitely promoting the automotive industry and recruiting technicians,” Butler County Ford Service Manager Marshall Thompson said.
“The industry is in dire need of young, talented individuals to perform repairs,” Thompson said.
Thompson said four graduates from the Vo-Tech are current technicians at Butler County Ford. Ford officials say the Butler County Vo-Tech is one of the top performing ACE schools in the country.
The Butler County Vo-Tech serves 965 students throughout the county.
Members of Butler County Ford and the Butler Co. Vo-Tech display the recently donated 3.7 liter engine.
