Nicolet College students in the automotive technician program now have two additional vehicles to advance their skills on thanks to a recent donation by State Farm Insurance.

Both of the vehicles, a 2014 Chevrolet Sonic and 2012 Nissan Versa were totaled in crashes, providing students with the opportunity to learn how to repair multiple vehicle systems, said Nicolet Auto Instructor Ken Duesing.

“Vehicles like this, in this condition, are perfect for our students,” Duesing said. “This is about as real-world as it gets which makes them very valuable for students to work on as they learn new skills.”

Nicolet’s Automotive Technician program currently has about 20 vehicles in its fleet for students training.

““It’s important for students to work on many different types of vehicles, to see how each is different, and to give them that broad base of training that will help them be successful in their careers,” explained Duesing, who is a ASE Master Technician and GM World Class certified with 22 years of experience working in a dealership. “The more diverse the set of vehicles students can work on the better. This is a fabulous donation by State Farm that will definitely benefit students.”

Duesing has taught at Nicolet since 2012.

This is the third time State Farm has donated totaled vehicles to the college. Nicolet’s Auto program is accredited by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation, which has specific requirements on the types of fleet vehicles students train on.

“All of the vehicles donated have helped Nicolet meet that requirement, which is a significant benefit to the college as well,” Duesing noted.