The Heavy Equipment & Transport Technology Department at Wake Technical Community College is excited to offer a one-year Forklift Technician Diploma Program that is partnered with Carolina Handling, Carson Material Handling, Crown, G&W Equipment, Gregory Poole Lift Systems, and Southeast Industrial Equipment.
The partnering forklift dealers sponsor students in the program, who attend classes on Monday and Tuesday during the Fall, Spring and a Summer Semesters and work for the sponsoring dealer on Wednesday through Friday – and possibly Saturday – while in school. The students would earn a fair hourly wage while working at the dealership and, upon graduation, would be entitled to tuition and textbook reimbursement, based on their dealer sponsorship contract. A tool program incentive also may be available.
The program prepares students to become forklift technicians who can service, troubleshoot, and repair various types of lift trucks in the material handling industry. Diesel, gasoline, propane, and electric machines are covered in detail, and the program consists of electrical, hydraulic, engine and powertrain courses, to name a few.
Coursework will include transportation systems theory, braking systems, design parameters, drivetrains, electrical/electronic systems, engine repair, engine performance, environmental regulations, materials, product finish, safety, steering/suspension, transmission/transaxles and sustainable transportation.
Graduates of this Forklift Program should be prepared to take professional licensure exams, which correspond to certain programs of study, and to enter careers as entry-level technicians in the forklift industry.
For more information, view the course descriptions at waketech.edu. Students interested in signing up for this new program should contact Jon Paige Kearns at jpkearns@waketech.edu or Katie Richards at krichards@mheda.org.
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