Dahl Automotive gives back to the community
Company donates GMC 2500 Duramax Diesel to Automotive / Light Duty Diesel Tech program
This semester, students in the Automotive and Light Duty Diesel Technology program will gain hands-on experience with diesel technology, thanks to a generous gift from Dahl Automotive.
Andrew Dahl, President of Dahl Automotive, and his daughter Katherine came to the Winona campus in August to turn over the keys to the GMC 2500 Duramax Diesel, valued at $21,500.
"One of our core values is giving back to the communities we serve. Being able to partner with the college in this way, to be able to donate the vehicle, is a benefit for the students," Andrew said. "And we feel it's also a benefit to us in that someday some of the students will come to work for us and join our team."
Instructor Josh Jacobsen explained that with the vehicle from Dahl Automotive, the college can train students on today's light duty diesel technology and the vehicles they will be working on at the dealerships after graduation.
"Diesels have completely different engines, different fuel systems, they're much heavier duty. It takes a whole different set of skills to work on them," he said. "We are very lucky and grateful that Dahl Automotive made this donation."
Good jobs await graduates of MSC Southeast's Automotive and Light Duty Diesel Technology diploma program. Both Vinnie Pontius, Director of Operations at Dahl Auto Plaza in Winona, and Andrew Dahl mentioned that currently the job market is very tight, and it's not easy finding well-qualified employees.
"What a lot of people don't understand is that a career in automotive is a good career. You can earn a very good living for your family, make very good money," Andrew Dahl pointed out. "When I talk to our technicians about why they love what they do, they say it's because they love the challenge: The satisfaction of diagnosing a vehicle, figuring it out, being able to fix it properly, and getting it back on the road again brings a lot of satisfaction."
Thanks this gift from Dahl Automotive, MSC Southeast automotive technology students will be getting their careers on the road with an even broader range of experience -- ready to work on light duty diesel engines.