For almost 30 years, Brent Heusinkveld has taught students the ins and outs of the diesel technology field from the latest in diesel engine repair to industrial safety. Not only has he worked diligently to teach his students the newest developments in the trade, he has also stayed abreast of the latest technologies himself.
Of the 400,000 technicians who have received at least one of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence's certifications, Heusinkveld is only one of four who has received all of the 53 certifications offered by the ASE. That unique distinction has made Heusinkveld a perfect candidate to serve on the National Automotive Technical Education Foundation board to help create a national test for high schools and post-secondary technical programs to analyze and test the skills students are learning in the classroom.
“NATEF has standards for programs, but never developed a national test,” Heusinkveld said. “So, we're developing a National Automotive Students' Skills Standards Assessment Test.”
Also a member of the SkillsUSA, a national organization for teachers and students preparing for trade or technical service careers, Heusinkveld has the unique experience of working directly with students, as well as keeping on top of the latest industry developments.
Serving on the board for the next two years, Heusinkveld will travel to Virginia to help create the assessment test. Since being appointed to the board in September, Heusinkveld has already participated in some preliminary work on the test through e-mails and phone conversations with other board members.
“It's an honor to be selected to work on this,” Heusinkveld said. “This is kind of the first one of its kind.”
Once complete, sample tests will be conducted at several schools before it is finalized and available for students to receive certifications.
“We'll run several test runs to see if it's acceptable to schools and educators,” Heusinkveld said. “We want to assess what education is doing – that's something we're definitely working on at the college.”
With seven different designations, the test will provide certifications for heavy duty truck diesel engines, electrical/electronics, manual drive trains, electronic diesel engine diagnostics, braking systems, air conditioning, and suspension and steering systems.
Not only will the test allow students to be certified in seven areas, it will also provide colleges with an idea of the strength of their industrial technology programs and enable them to make improvements where needed.
“It's a way to evaluate what we're doing at the college,” Heusinkveld said. “It provides insight.”
While it is unknown at this time whether Gillette College will use the assessment test once it is complete, Heusinkveld hopes that the test will help the students he teaches become better employees. The State of Wyoming is also working on a similar approach to assessing program outcomes and Heusinkveld has attended a three-day workshop in developing a statewide plan for the automotive programs with the diesel program outcomes forthcoming.
“Ultimately our focus is to improve our program and to help our students learn more,” Heusinkveld said. “We want to help our students be successful – this assessment is a part of that.”
As a member of a national board, Heusinkveld hopes to also develop some solid relationships with others on the board to help the college build and improve its program. With new professional relationships, Heusinkveld hopes to open new doors for the college's students and provide them additional avenues for employment in the future.
“You get to work with some really motivated people whose goal is to improve technical education,” Heusinkveld said. “I want to build upon those professional relationships that help the school and help me do the best that I am able to do.”
Aiming to help students at Gillette College become highly educated in the industrial technology field and to create top candidates for employers. Heusinkveld said he has always kept one goal in mind through all of his years teaching: “I hope to improve our program and help our students.”