HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — Students in Kansas can take free classes on how to fix tractors at two community colleges through a technology program partnership with John Deere.
Students can enroll in the free agricultural tech program at Garden City and Fort Scott community colleges as long as they find a John Deere dealership to sponsor them.
The programs usually run at capacity, which means it is important for students to find a sponsor as early as possible and to inform the college. Although official registration for the associate degree program begins in the spring, notifying the colleges about a sponsorship reserves a slot in the program.
Students in the program are free to attend any participating college they wish, including schools in Arkansas, Illinois or Georgia.
“It is really a great program,” said Ryan Unruh, corporate service manager at BTI. “Our success rate is pretty high.”
Kent Aikin, a John Deere instructor at FSCC, said Kansas is in high demand for the field.
“If a person enjoys working on things and diagnosing problems, this is the right program for them,” he said.
Both FSCC and GCCC focus on corn equipment training, but FSCC also trains students on bean equipment and GCCC offers training on wheat machinery. Overall, all students learn the basics of fixing any John Deere machine, from electronics to transmissions and engines.
