Volvo Trucks North America and Mack Trucks recently launched free online learning resources for high school and secondary technical education students interested in pursuing diesel technician training.
The two truck manufacturers said the tools will be available for free for 90 days due to the challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic limiting participation in hands-on courses.
“Training skilled, professional diesel technicians is a crucial component of uptime, especially with the demands currently being placed on the trucking industry as a result of COVID-19,” said Leanne Fitzpatrick, strategic programs manager for Volvo Trucks Academy. “It is important for Volvo Trucks to continue to provide educational opportunities for students during this difficult time.”
With stay-at-home and social distancing mandates in place, students do not currently have access to learning in a typical classroom setting. The Volvo Trucks Academy is providing interested students with free 90-day access to a portion of the Technical Education Support (TES) online training and resources currently available to Volvo Trucks diesel technicians. Training will cover an array of topics, including engines, transmissions and other components.
The TES90 online courses will be offered through local dealerships, which have relationships with eligible schools interested in enrolling. Program availability and training content will be provided by the dealer and accessed through the Trucks Customer Portal. For more information, interested parties should contact a local Volvo Trucks dealer.
“This program will help equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed as future diesel technicians and we are proud of the efforts put forth from our team here at Volvo Trucks Academy and our dealer network to be nimble and switch gears to offer online education during these extraordinary time.” Fitzpatrick said.
“And, through this online training along with our other Academy educational opportunities, we are establishing and cultivating relationships with future truck technicians, supporting them in starting their career and filling the need for trained service professionals familiar with our truck models, which directly contributes to our customers’ uptime.”
Mack said its e-learning courses, provided to students through a local Mack dealer, also provide options for training typically done in a classroom.
“Recognizing that it’s impossible for students to train in person at this time, the Mack Trucks Academy decided to work with Mack dealers to offer online training that is comprehensive,” said Scott Behe, Mack Trucks Academy senior manager for training support. “The online courses will help fill the gap until we can go back to a more normal situation.”
The Mack Trucks Academy also is offering free 90-day access to a portion of the TES online training and other resources. TES90 Access will be limited to training sessions such as engines, and transmissions and vendor components, among others.
The dealer will provide access to the training content and communicate availability of online training to the schools with which they already have relationships, Mack said. Schools will enroll through their local dealer.
“Diesel technicians are critical to the uptime of heavy-duty trucks, so we are pleased to offer a program that will make training available for those interested in a career as a technician trained on Mack truck models,” Behe said.
Visit volvotrucks.us or macktrucks.com for more information.