Washington County Community College Powersport Equipment and Small Engine Students Tour Shops for a Day in the Life Experience

The Powersport Equipment and Small Engine Technician certificate program has been offered at WCCC for around a decade.  Greg Johnson is the program instructor.  WCCC trains students as professional entry level outdoor power propulsion and small engine technicians through a combination of theory and hands on experience.

The certificate program is 29 credit hours and provides students with the knowledge and confidence to maintain and repair a variety of outdoor equipment such as power lawn mowers, snowblowers, generators, garden tractors, rototillers, snowmobiles, ATVs, motorcycles, outboard motors, and personal watercrafts.

Johnson believes it is important for his students to see for themselves how many opportunities are in this field of work.

With that goal in mind, Johnson took the current students in the program on a trip to Bangor for tours of several powersport equipment shops. The students were able to visit a total of four powersport equipment shops including Central Maine Harley Davidson, Greenway Equipment, Bangor Motorsports, and Bangor Tractor and Equipment.

“This was our first annual shop tour day. I plan on it being every year, possibly more than one trip yearly. My whole class goes, and it’s treated like a regular class day,” mentioned Johnson.  He also stated that “one of my 2022 graduates is a technician at Greenway, so the current students got to see him in action and how his day goes” and that the students “were welcomed with open arms and lots of enthusiasm. All of the businesses were excited to show the students what they can offer for employment opportunities as the industry needs new, vibrant employees.”

According to Johnson, “there are almost unlimited job opportunities through the entire industry as technicians retire”. Overall, “the students really enjoyed the trip and interacting with all the shop personnel. It was great for them to get a behind the scenes look at how things work”, as stated by Johnson.

WCCC is currently accepting applications and enrollment is open for the Fall 2023 semester which begins on September 6, 2023.  You can learn more or apply online at www.wccc.me.edu/apply