Techniques Nov-Dec 2012 - 33

Business and Industry Partnerships
PhoTo courTesy of Moraine Park Technical college PhoTo courTesy of Moraine Park Technical college

Local high schools students, who are given a glimpse into the ERD program by participating in an Endurance Challenge, build a fuel-efficient engine.

A Moraine Park ERD student shows off his final project.

1986 graduate of the ERD program. “As a company, we are always growing and seeing a demand for more skilled workers. Graduates from the program can get family-supporting jobs and have great opportunities working in engine research and development. This is a program Briggs needs to remain strong.” Mercury Marine echoes the need, with slightly more than 50 percent of the engineering technicians at Mercury Marine graduates of the ERD program. By supporting ERD, Mercury is afforded the opportunity to help guide program administrators as they identify and develop appropriate employee skills and knowledge. “We’re able to make recommendations regarding curriculum decisions that are frequently determined by changes in technology,” said Dave Kahlow, engineering manager at Mercury Marine. “The results benefit Moraine Park, Mercury Marine and especially the ERD students.”

Staying Current
To ensure that concepts being taught in ERD, a two-year associate of applied science degree program, are current with business and industry needs, an advisory committee meets twice a year. Committee members, comprised of key business and
www.acteonline.org

industry leaders in the field, recommend new and revised program curriculum and services. Claerbout has served on the ERD Advisory Committee for ten years. “Applicants are more valuable to us when we know they have been trained to meet our industry standards,” he said. “By serving on the advisory committee, I know that trends in engine design and development are being relayed right to students so they are learning precisely what they should be.” “The business and industry partnerships provide an opportunity for students to see how the skills they learn in school are applied in an industry experimental/ test laboratory and [they] ensure our students receive the most current industry training on the latest technology,” said James Eden, Moraine Park’s vice president of academic affairs. “Keeping these partnerships strong helps keep our programs strong,” he added. In Moraine Park’s efforts to continually look to their partners for guidance as the ERD program evolves, an ERD Steering Committee has been created, comprised of individuals who were key in the reinstitution of the program, including: Peter Holz, Briggs & Stratton; Marv

Klowak, Briggs & Stratton; Dave Kahlow, Mercury Marine; and Amy Adams, Kohler. “This committee is essential in our efforts to continually develop our short- and long-term program planning,” said Kelly Norton, Moraine Park Foundation director. The ERD Steering Committee was created to aid in the long-term, strategic growth and development of the program. The committee reviews program benchmarks, provides corporate support, and aligns the program with appropriate business requirements. Internships have also become a focus of the committee, with plans to incorporate them into future curricula.

A Local and a Global Future
For Moraine Park’s ERD students, the program gives them the opportunity for a secure future after graduation and beyond. Many of the students have familial ties to working with engines and have carried that passion with them since childhood. “I basically grew up in the race shop,” said Prunty. “I loved working on race cars with my dad and the rest of the family. Our family has been racing for almost 25 years, and this passion brought me to
November/December 2012

Techniques

Techniques Nov-Dec 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Techniques Nov-Dec 2012