This May, four of Peterson’s ThinkBIG students graduated and moved into full-time status around the company. Michael Gothard (Redding), Jacoby Gully (Santa Rosa), Tim Harami (San Martin) and Cody Lipscomb (Fortuna) each earned an Associate of Science Degree in CAT Technology and will gain journeyman status as they work towards garnering 6800 hours of on-the-job (OJT) training. Each has been a Peterson employee since he hired into the program in the Fall of 2006.
On May 24th, the students were honored at a special ceremony and barbeque in the Shima Building of San Joaquin-Delta College … the place they’ve spent half their life over the last two years. Family, friends and sponsoring dealership personnel were there to celebrate their big achievement. This year’s TOP GUN award for all-around, standout achievement went to Jacob Bos from Holt of California, while the MOST IMPROVED award went to Cody Lipscomb from Peterson. Cody also came away with Highest Cumulative GPA (3.98), a perfect 4.0 GPA for his CAT classes, and the Gold level award for his mechanical aptitude test (aka TRAIN test). Michael Gothard, Jacoby Gully, and Tim Harami all earned the Silver level award for their TRAIN test achievements.
“We’re very proud of these guys,” says Patty Pistello, Employee Relations Manager and ThinkBIG Coordinator for Peterson. “This is a great bunch of kids. Every one of them scored high enough to receive an award, this year. They’re the most polite, respectful, appreciative kids we’ve ever had.”
Currently, there are 7 ThinkBIG freshmen apprenticing throughout Peterson, with one more year to go until they graduate. Patty Pistello, Mace Gjerman (Peterson’s Training Mgr.) and their team of service managers are now in the selection process for the newest class, which begins Fall 2008.
“We put a lot of effort into selecting and nurturing these kids through the program,” states Patty. “It’s really more of a partnership than a traditional employer-employee relationship. Their successes are our successes. Their issues become our issues. These kids have made the connection between the company, their education, and their career. That loyalty is why these individuals want to stay and work for us. That relationship is key to the retention success we’ve had with ThinkBIG.”
Peterson is in its seventh year as co-sponsor of the Caterpillar-specific, two-year college technician apprenticeship program. For details, visit our website at: http://www.petersonholding.com/jobs/tech_apprentice_prog.php
or call 510.618.2977.
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Teachers can "make or break" a class. Peterson's ThinkBIG instructors are fired up about
what they're doing and it shows. Read about ThinkBIG's ExtremeCATinstructor
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