Page 327 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

on work. You’re not trying to balance both aspects at the same time like at a normal college. And each semester you come back [to Peterson], you get a little more advanced and roll into heavier jobs.”
Nate King is also a big proponent of the ThinkBIG program. He was Jake Hughes’ boss, a few rungs up, as product support manager in Santa Rosa from 2015 to 2019. “I can’t think of a better way to hire or recruit talent. I like ThinkBIG because you get to hire people and try them out over a pe- riod of time.” King hired six ThinkBIG graduates in the four years he was at the Santa Rosa store. Half his shop staff came out of the program. “I’m actually interviewing ThinkBIG candidates today,” said King back in July 2017. “I only have one slot open and I don’t exactly have enough work here, but I’ve also got five field techs retiring over the next few years, and I can’t wait around for them to leave before I start hiring.”That’s exactly the kind of proactive, visionary mindset that finds and fills Peterson’s shops with top-notch talent.
King’s philosophy does not include the job-shad- owing approach many others use at Peterson, yet he gets consistent results. “I treat ThinkBIG techs the same way I would anyone who’s been here fif- teen years. I just give them simpler tasks. I don’t give them engine rebuilds or overly complicated troubleshooting to do by themselves. I give them cutting edge jobs or changing out parts that are obviously broken. Or undercarriage repairs and cylinder jobs. As they start to get more comfort- able and confident—and more educated—we start branching them out into more complex repairs. To me, if the goal is to get a technician to be able to complete a job by himself, as is expected of any journeyman, then that’s what we’re going to do. Not half a job, assisted by another journeyman. If it takes him a bit longer to complete a job, I just write it off to training because that’s exactly what it is. The point is to let them trip a little bit but not fall on their face. Let them figure it out. That’s the best way to learn.”
REPLACING THE BABY BOOMERS
Cat dealers are still in a battle against natural at- trition, a shrinking talent pool, and a stereotypical bias against the skilled trades. “Our biggest chal- lenge to the skills gap is demand versus available talent,” says Fleming. “Student numbers are still going down. Demand for skilled labor is going up. And attrition of the older labor force is on a steady rise with the baby-boomer generation.
Yet there is hope. Randy Shelton, Peterson’s cur- rent talent acquisition manager, visits high schools and colleges regularly and is starting to see a shift in attitude. “There are teachers and administrators who wholeheartedly understand the value of cre- ating or adding to their school’s career and tech- nical education programs. Schools without trade programs are starting to implement them, and those that already have them are looking to ex- pand. Today, there are four high schools in Salem, Oregon that are adding diesel to their automotive programs due to industry demand and student in- terest. Teachers and counselors are even starting to talk up programs like ThinkBIG to their students instead of automatically pushing all kids onto the four-year college path. Attitudes are definitely be- ginning to change.” That’s a big win for students who just don’t fit the college mold. And a big relief for Peterson and the rest of the industry.
Teaching kids about Trimble technology at a career day
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