Delta College Dedicates Shima Heavy Equipment Expansion Project

With campus officials, industry leaders and the public present, San Joaquin Delta College dedicated the Shima Heavy Equipment Expansion Project on Tuesday, May 19, at 3 p.m. In celebration of the ribbon cutting, the college received two checks totaling over $182,000 to support Delta's heavy duty diesel equipment program, including specialized diesel emissions reduction training.

Delta College thanks Caterpillar dealers Hawthorne Machinery Co., Holt of California, Peterson CAT, Quinn Company and the California Air Resources Board for their support of Delta College's diesel heavy equipment training programs.

Caterpillar "CAT" Dealerships: $135,500
Caterpillar and Caterpillar dealerships have donated almost $4 million since the inception of the Caterpillar "Think Big" Dealer Service Technician Program in 2001. The first CAT "Think Big" class took place in the fall of 2002.

California Air Resources Board (CARB): $46,932
Since 2005, CARB has donated over $613,000 to Delta's diesel technology training programs that specialize in emissions reduction.

Funded by 2004's Measure L Bond, the Shima Expansion shops house state-of-the art equipment to teach courses that lead to certificates, degrees, and employment in service/repair fields that include: on-highway diesel trucks, heavy equipment, hydraulics and CAT "Think Big" Dealer Service Technician Program.