OCONTO FALLS, Wis.- Matt Steinhausen knows first hand the benefits of the motorcycle technician program at Oconto Falls High School.
"They actually taught us how to pull the motor of a 1999 Fat Boy was the one I worked on when I was there," said Steinhausen.
Now he's a service technician for Vandervest Harley Davidson in Green Bay. The training Steinhausen received similar to students today who are still working on motors, but they're learning something new.
A Dynamometer, like what's used in actual shops, helps students get real life experience, even if they've never touched a motorcycle before.
"They will work through everything starting with the engine, tearing the engine down through the tires, changing the oil, everything from as simple as putting gas in it all the way to a transmission rebuild," said Oconto Falls High School drafting and engineering instructor, Matt Beschta.
It's those skills that made Vandervest Harley Davidson decide to donate 6 bikes to the Tech Ed. department.
"The donations from these companies has allowed us to be able to put motorcycles in the hands of our students," said OFHS principal, Bruce Russell.
That training comes in handy for employers too so they say they don't mind donating.
"We actually have some that are still in high school when they come on for us and they work through the summers," said Vandervest Harley Davidson general manager, Erik Vandervest.
Vandervest says they offer an apprenticeship program that takes students right out of high school and trains them on the job or sends them to more schooling if necessary. Those 6 motorcycles are scheduled to be delivered to OFHS Thursday.
