“Just because you don’t want to go to a four-year college, doesn’t mean you can’t have a great career,” is the message Mack is taking from school to school across the country as part of the Mack School Tour. Many students along the East Coast and in the Midwest recently got the chance to look at the technology behind Mack trucks and learn about the opportunities in the trucking industry during a visit from Mack.
The tour, which began September 24, encourages students to explore technical fields as a career option by traveling to vocational schools and high schools that have advanced technical programs. Students learn about historical transportation technology while gaining hands-on experience in one of Mack’s technologically advanced, computer-programmable truck models. A video and live presentation display opportunities at manufacturing companies for skilled employees who have education outside traditional, four-year degree programs. Mack’s famous mascot, the Mack Bulldog, accompanies the tour.
“Like many manufacturers, Mack depends on a skilled technical workforce in all facets of our business,” said Tom Kelley, Mack vice president of marketing. “The Mack School Tour urges young people, when planning their futures, to consider training after high school that leads to well-paid technical careers in a variety of industries.”
Tivon Thomas, a ninth grader at Central High School in Tuscaloosa, Ala., hopes to pursue a career in the automotive industry.
“My teacher tells us in the next few years, there’s going to be a whole lot of jobs for technicians,” Thomas told the Tuscaloosa News after the Mack School Tour visited The Tuscaloosa Center for Technology on March 27.
The tour includes an extra bonus. At every school it visits, Mack will gives away a new Compaq laptop. The winner will be chosen through an essay contest in which students write about why it is important to start thinking about a career.
Next stops on the Mack School Tour include The Academy of Irving ISD in League City, Texas, on April 9 and Bend Davis High School in Indianapolis, Ind., on April 15. For additional dates and information, visit www.mackschooltour.com.
