Jacobsen opened its doors on Dec. 11, to local high school students studying turf management in an innovative program designed to prepare them for career opportunities.
Jacobsen, a Textron company, shared insight on what it is like to be the premier supplier of high quality turf equipment and vehicles to customers who manage turf on golf courses, sports turf and municipal grounds including ball fields, parks and other recreation areas.
The students from Nation Ford High School in Fort Mill, SC, are majoring in golf course management, one of a few public high school programs designed to teach the skills needed for success in the turf industry.
To provide these students with a better idea of the demands involved with maintaining professional turf at the highest level, Jacobsen’s management team gave them a guided, behind-the-scenes look at its headquarters and manufacturing plant. By touring the company’s facilities, the students gained real-world knowledge from a global leader and saw how turf equipment they may one day operate is manufactured, tested and prepared for distribution to dealers worldwide.
“Jacobsen is proud to have the facilities and staff to provide an in-depth look at career opportunities,” said Joe Cunningham, Jacobsen vice president of marketing. “We want these future professionals to understand not only is there an abundance of local career opportunities in golf and turf, but that there’s more to this job than just growing and mowing grass,” Cunningham added.
Nation Ford’s agri-science program, created and headed by agricultural educator Jacques LeCour, is designed to give students a jump-start on a career by teaching them the skills and work ethic to start a job right out of high school or pursue higher education.
“The opportunities in the turfgrass industry are endless and this program gives an overview of the skills these students will need to succeed at different levels of employment,” LeCour says.
Jacobsen leads the turf equipment industry in training and education through its on-site, hands-on training facility called Jacobsen University. Since its founding in 1921, Jacobsen has invented equipment that helps turf professionals succeed in doing their jobs.
Jacobsen introduced the first greens mower, the first riding greens mower, the first lightweight fairway mower, the first turf groomer, the first electric riding greens mower, the first electric walking greens mower and the first magnetic bed knife. From quality-of-cut to ease-of-use, Jacobsen sets the standard for what the professional turf equipment industry has become today.