Editor at Large: Exploring the Campus at Cleveland’s Ohio Technical College

Eager minds from all over the country are traveling to Cleveland, Ohio, seeking to master the art of mechanics. Over 40 years, Ohio Technical College (OTC) has served as one of the premier destinations in the United States to find a great get-your-hands-dirty automotive, engine and machine education. I got the opportunity to tour the campus last week, meeting enthusiastic students like Matt Martin, studying generator maintenance.

“I came here because I wanted a career that was hands on and challenging,” says Martin, a 20-year-old from Wisconsin with a strong ag background. “I thought I knew a lot growing up, but coming here, asking questions and listening and learning from my instructors, my abilities have certainly grown — mechanically and electrically.” 

The school has grown too. OTC started in 1969 on the second floor of a building in Cleveland’s Warehouse district, known back then as the Ohio Diesel Mechanics School. The small trade educator originally offered a six-week course with phases in Cummins four-stroke engines, Detroit two-stroke engines and basic diesel fundamentals. Today, OTC has an 800,000-sq ft campus, the largest of its kind in the United States, offering automotive, diesel, auto-diesel, collision repair, motorcycle training, generator courses and programs on compact equipment.

Students can take twelve and 18-week courses, Monday through Thursday, day and night classes, immersing themselves in the craft of mechanics (from renovating and repairing Class 8 trucks to learning everything you need to know about welding). The campus is two square blocks on the east side of Cleveland, filled with classrooms, repair shops, computer labs, garages, bookstores and cars, trucks and construction equipment in various states of study. The structure is big, yet OTC limits its enrollment, striving to keep the class sizes under 25. This allows the technical school to be selective, looking for high testing students who are committed to success.

“We’re here to teach them not only the basics of mechanics, but how to be a professional,” says Ben Maddox, director of OTC’s Diesel Equipment Technology Program. “We teach them how to look professional, act professional, interview properly and be on time.”

OTC offers a variety of opportunities for future professionals who want to work with equipment, trucks and diesel engines. First off, the school’s specialized ASE/NATEF-certified Diesel Equipment Technician Training Program is one of the best in the nation, educating students in: diesel engine performance and repair; electrical and electronic systems; drive train systems; transmissions; suspension and steering systems; brake and hydraulic systems; industrial and heavy equipment; and light- and medium-duty diesels. You can complement that diesel course with a 12-week, 300-hour Generator Power Systems Program, designed for the technician who has an eye on working with generators. Graduates of the Generator Power Systems program have secured careers with companies like Cummins, Detroit Diesel and Caterpillar, as well as with hospitals, cruise ships, oil drillers and the government.

“Generators are exploding for a lot of reasons right now – cell phones and data centers for starters,” says Mox Eggert, director of the generator program. “We’re here to teach them the basics, so once they get their foot in the door, they will succeed.” 

The aim is to take generations of students and mold them to fill those highly sought-after trade positions – gen set specialist, diesel technician, heavy equipment mechanic, automotive expert and future entrepreneur — all with Associate of Applied Science degrees that dealers, manufacturers and trade specialist are constantly looking for. For instance, master welders can be hard to find, so check out the college’s School of Welding, outfitted with latest welding equipment supplied by Lincoln Electric (a Cleveland-based company). It features extensive hands-on training on all forms of welding, blueprint reading, equipment operation and the advanced principles, theories, practices and applications of the craft. The American Welding Society (AWS) predicts the demand for skilled welders in the United States alone may outpace supply by 200,000 individuals. “My goal for students is a certification and a job to go with it,” says welding teacher Mike Ostrowski.

That’s a big part of the program — job placement. Upon graduation, OTC offers career placement services and ongoing placement opportunities for life. In addition, the college offers a great deal of part-time jobs while students study in Cleveland (a city with a great automotive job bank). The college even offers dorms and scholarships, allowing underprivileged and out-of-state-students prospects to attend. And while OTC has a heavy focus an automotive (it is one of only three BMW automotive training programs in the country), it still has plenty of opportunities for gear heads who love construction and landscape machines. Its 12-week hydraulics program allows students to tear apart and put together skid steers, tractors, utility vehicles and all types of versatile compact equipment.

“The industry is screaming for hydraulic technicians — there’s not enough out there,” says David Applegate, hydraulics teacher specializing in the school’s small ag and construction equipment. “That’s what we specialize in here at Ohio Technical College — filling those great trade jobs with workers who have the skills and work ethic to prosper.”  — Keith Gribbins, managing editor, Compact Equipment