From One Generation To The Next: Training In Diesel Mechanics
Students at LaRue County High School have opportunities to explore different career possibilities while in the 9-12th grade. One of those opportunities happens just a few hundred feet behind LCHS inside the LaRue County Transportation and Maintenance Garage.
Ethan Miller, a senior at LaRue County High School, is the 4th student from LCHS to be trained in diesel mechanics in recent years at the garage, he describes his experience as being part of a family, “What I get to enjoy the most is the family atmosphere, they treat me like their own. When it comes to learning, they show me the way and then let me learn other things on my own. It’s a great learning opportunity.”
Ron Whitlock, LaRue County Schools Director of Transportation, gives full credit to James Jones the garage mechanic for training up students like Miller, “He (Jones) really values teaching and really loves these kids. He’s also been in diesel mechanics from a very young age. The opportunity that he provides for our students to learn is wonderful.”
Miller goes to the bus garage every day during the school day to work alongside Jones and Nathan Wheeler, learning directly from the mechanics the ins and outs of maintaining the district's fleet of buses. In reflecting on his time there, he notes how grateful he is for his experience, “I feel that when I graduate here in a few months, I’ll be able to go to college and go through the program as ready as possible because of what I’ve learned here. There’s no way I could ever repay them for their investment in my future.”
Whitlock understands the vital role diesel mechanics play in the world and how the future will need individuals who understand how to service this industry, “At the bus garage, we have kids in elementary and middle school who have been here and seen what James and Nathan do, and they are really smart kids. This provides great training for kids who want to enter this field after graduation. At the end of the day, it’s a great opportunity to pass this knowledge on to the next generation.”
