posted on January 24, 2013 12:13
San Antonio, Texas (January 24, 2013) –HOLT CAT®, the Caterpillar® Equipment and Engine dealer for South, Central, North and North East Texas, will host an open house and tour of its new ProTech Technical Training Center at the company’s San Antonio campus, at 4748 East Southcross. This $3 million LEED Silver training facility will enhance technical training capabilities in the San Antonio area and across the state.
The ProTech Center features four classrooms, four teaching bays and a 2,100 square foot engine-troubleshooting lab to deliver hands-on learning. In 2012, HOLT ProTech trained more than 2,000 Caterpillar dealer technicians and is expected to train the same amount in 2013. HOLT training attracts technicians from other dealerships located in Texas, North Carolina, California, Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama and at least ten other states for courses that last three to five days. HOLT has trained customers and Caterpillar dealer employees from fourteen countries outside the U. S.
"HOLT sees a serious, industry-wide need for skilled workers and this state-of-the-art facility demonstrates our commitment to future growth, professional training and development for technicians," said Allyn Archer, President and Chief Operating Officer of HOLT CAT.
Texas Senator Leticia Van de Putte, who attended Thursday’s open house along with State Representative Ruth Jones-McClendon, said that in recent years the education policy pendulum has swung away from career and technical education, and funding for such programs has declined. Many lawmakers are interested in reversing that trend in the upcoming legislative session, she said.
"I am gratified to see we are swinging back to a more common sense approach. Not all students are going to go down the same path and they need real-life choices," Van de Putte said. "Without the strong voices of HOLT CAT and others in our business community, we cannot craft an education system that meets the needs of a future workforce. Employers know what’s coming around the bend."
Texas Representative Roland Gutierrez also said, "This is yet another affirmation of the outstanding commitment by HOLT CAT to invest in our community and recruit and develop an outstanding workforce."
Unlike vocational programs of yesteryear, today’s technical workforce is highly skilled and requires some level of postsecondary education or training to cultivate the three Cs – critical thinking, creative problem solving and computing.
"This is a very sophisticated business", said Guy Clumpner, Senior Vice President of Organizational Development Services at HOLT CAT. "The technical acumen required to be successful in this field requires digital, computer and electronic skills and knowledge, as well as the ability to accurately diagnose and make repairs. Our focus is to hire and develop professional technicians who can build successful careers in one of the most critical areas of our business."
With about 80 open positions for technicians, HOLT hopes the ProTech Center will help them recruit new skilled workers as well as provide technical training to current and future HOLT technicians and customers. In addition, HOLT is interested in helping strengthen the workforce pipeline through formal education pathways in high schools and community colleges, and supporting a push in the Texas Legislature to allow more time in the state-mandated high school curriculum for vocational/technical classes.
In addition to the ProTech facility investment, HOLT is investing broadly in vocational/technical training in Texas. HOLT CAT and the Caterpillar Dealer Excellence Fund recently contributed more than $54,000 in support of career development and training of specialized technicians to nine schools across Texas. On Thursday, two recipient schools, St. Philips College and MacArthur High School, received checks for technical training grants that will help support their programs.
About HOLT CAT
HOLT CAT sells, rents and services Caterpillar machines, engines, generator sets and trucks in a 118-county Texas territory spanning from the Red River to the Rio Grande. HOLT offers total machine and engine rebuild capabilities, sells used equipment around the world and fabricates its own line of land clearing equipment and HOLT Spray King® water tankers. HOLT is the dealer for Link-Belt Cranes in the Eastern half of Texas as well as the El Paso area. They are the dealer for AGCO/Challenger and Claas farm equipment for the Eastern half of Texas and portions of Arkansas, Missouri and Louisiana. SITECH Tejas, another division of HOLT, is the authorized dealer for Trimble Heavy and Highway construction products and services, as well as AccuGrade grade-control products in the same 118 county territory of Texas.
The Holt name has been associated with heavy equipment and Caterpillar for over 100 years. Peter M. Holt, Chief Executive Officer of HOLT CAT, is the great-grandson of Benjamin Holt, who in 1904 developed the first successful track-type tractor which he named the "Caterpillar." HOLT CAT has come to be synonymous with quality, integrity and commitment to customer service. The HOLT CAT team is committed to providing rock solid stability with superior products and services to heavy equipment and engine users from Brownsville to Texarkana, Texas. For more information, contact HOLT CAT.