Emera donates equipment to NMCC
PRESQUE ISLE — NMCC has received a gift that will benefit the diesel hydraulics program over the next three to four years.
Photo courtesy of NMCC
NMCC INSTRUCTOR Bob Rice displays the post hole-digger truck that was recently donated to the college’s diesel hydraulics program by Emera Maine.
Emera Maine has donated a digger truck, used to dig post holes, that will provide training to diesel hydraulics students. Instructor Bob Rice had expressed interest in purchasing the 1998 International 4700 just before Emera approved the donation.
“This equipment will give NM students hydraulic training in the lift, boom and digger. It will encompass all of our modules from engine diagnostics to preventive maintenance inspection,” said Rice. “Emera has shared with me the list of deficiencies in the truck and it will be interesting to see if the students can find them.”
While trainers are important to set up specific problems, Rice said worn equipment is invaluable.
“Sometimes working on used machinery is a better teaching tool than learning on a new piece of equipment or trainer — students tend to retain the information better,” Rice said. “I can either create a problem on a trainer for students to work on, or let them discover an actual problem on used machinery and fix it. Both methods are very important: one is more costly but controlled, the other is diagnosing problems on real-world equipment.”
Emera’s donation is very beneficial because the program only works on equipment that is less than 20 years old. That ensures students are trained on new technologies and current industry requirements are taught.
“We rely a lot on local businesses and farmers for equipment to work on. Donations, as well as service projects that are not time sensitive, are vital to our program,” said Rice. “For example, farmers from the St. John Valley to Farmington have turned over machinery after the harvest and we have until spring to repair it. It’s a win-win.”
