Modern Machinery offers tuition and loan assistance at Northern

Press release

Heavy equipment company Modern Machinery visited Montana State University-Northern Wednesday with 12 employees to kick off Modern Machinery Days, interview students, and announce their new Diesel Student Tuition Assistance and Loan Repayment Program.

Modern Machinery Days is a three-day event during which Modern Machinery’s instructors teach Northern’s diesel students about their industry-leading Komatsu bulldozers, excavators and wheel loaders. This year, they conducted three master-classes covering hydrostatic transmissions, intelligent machines and Tier 4 final engines.

Wednesday night, they announced their new Diesel Student Tuition Assistance and Loan Repayment Program during a dinner information session. Thursday and Friday, they interviewed students for potential internships and future employment with Modern Machinery.

“We hope to increase our exposure to the students, so the students can get a better idea about what we have to offer,” said Bill Crandall, Modern Machinery’s senior advisor. “We realize that there are many companies out there who are trying to hire Northern’s diesel graduates, and we realize we need to stay competitive.”

Modern Machinery has two programs available for Northern students. The first program is for student internships. Summer interns earn $20 per hour and receive hands-on technical training during their internship. Students who successfully complete a summer internship program are eligible to receive tuition assistance, depending on their year.

The Tuition Assistance and Loan Repayment Program helps to offset student debt incurred while obtaining a diesel technology degree. It allows the student to focus on their career path, while employed at Modern Machinery.

The plan gives each student they hire full-time after graduation $8,000 over the course of three years to help reduce their student debt. Applicants are encouraged to apply during their freshman year in school, however, any student may apply at any point before graduation. Interviews will be conducted, and if accepted into the program a student may qualify for a summer internship at a Modern Machinery location.

Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 to enroll in the program. Students are eligible for loan re-payment upon completion of a four-year degree.

Modern Machinery sells, rents and repairs high quality heavy equipment to the construction, mining, aggregate and forestry industries. The company began in 1944 with a single location in Spokane, Washington. Today, Modern operates full-service branches in Missoula, Billings and Kalispell; Boise, Jerome and Pocatello, Idaho; Kent, Spokane and Rochester, Washington; and Portland and Eugene, Oregon.