LAWRENCEVILLE, IL - A local group
plans to open a vocational training center this fall in Lawrence County, IL.
Two buildings
have been purchased and one million dollars pledged to the private, not-for–profit
facility. But does it make sense to purchase buildings and dedicate more than a million
dollars to such a project in tough economic times? “When times are
good, every person should have marketable skills to work with,” said Lloyd Peterson the general manager of the project. “When
times are bad, every person MUST have marketable skills.”
Peterson, a
retired vocational educator, believes that vocational training is the
best way to fight unemployment and underemployment—especially
during a recession like the one this nation is experiencing now. “We
will probably
attract non-traditional students,” Peterson said, such as veterans, workers in low paying jobs, and people looking to change
careers.”
We
plan to offer students the opportunity to train for careers in several areas, including Auto Technology,
Computer Services and Networking, Geographic Information Services,
Health Care, Culinary Arts, Pre Engineering and more.
Our approach to
training will be very different from many vocational schools. For example: The Auto Tech. trainees will be committed to 40
hours per week and their training will be
finished in 9-12 months. To accomplish this, the school will have a virtual computer lab dedicated to auto training. The
students will receive their Basic Automotive Training using 20 or more computerized modules in
the Auto Lab and 8-10 working component modules depicting the primary areas
of the auto such as steering and suspension,
air conditioning, automatic transmissions and more. The students will then move to the Live Work Area to practice
what they know on shop-owned cars and trucks. Using the Auto Lab, students would be
able to proceed at their own speed in the study areas that are available.
There will be 20
different virtual, instructional pods with 2000+ hours of training in 8
or 10 of the Automotive
Service Excellence (A.S.E.) certification areas. Students will have
training material for each of the A.S.E. task areas and the Auto Lab
instructor will have their progress
recorded on his master computer.
Recognizing that
students need practical, hands-on live-training, each student will spend 8 hours per
week in an operating automotive dealership or independent repair facility doing the service
work in a live-work situation.
Upon completion
of the Auto Training (9-12 months), the student should be qualified to take the A.S.E. Certification tests. Full certification
would require a year of working in a dealership or other service facility.
The other
programs offered by our
would be organized
in a similar fashion. The advantage of this design is that the students
would be able to finish their training quickly and
be gainfully employed in a satisfying career very soon.
In the Auto Technology
Area we will be able to hold evening seminars for our students and people already working in the field who want to get
advanced training. The seminars could include such things as, Performance Automatic
Transmissions, Mobile Air Conditioning, Chassis and Suspensions, Fuel Injection and
Engine Performance and Hybrid Automotive Service Procedures.
Projected start
date would be August or September 2009. The first class to start would be Auto Technology
and possibly Geographic Information Technology.
For more information: Contact, Lloyd
“Pete” Peterson at 812-899-5497 or by emailing him at: <frostypete5961@sbcglobal.net>