by David Snow
The Paducah Sun
February 3, 2023
Used with permission.
Jesse Shanks has known what he wants to do for a living for four years, and his automotive technology classes will help him get there.
The Paducah Tilghman High School senior is this week’s Associated General Contractors of Western Kentucky Technical Center Student of the Week.
Shanks is in his third year of study in the auto tech program at the Paducah Area Technical Center, but he knew he had a future in the field when he was 14, making the decision to study auto tech an easy one.
“I just knew it was something I was already into, that I had a little bit of experience in, rebuilding my first car as well as several other vehicles we have that are restored,” he said. “It’s just something I enjoy and thought it would be a great class to have.
“We’ve (restored) four (cars) to this point. I was 14 when I first restored a car, a 1991 Miata.”
Shanks said taking the classes has made him enjoy working on cars more than he did before.
“I enjoy being with other people who also are into that,” he said. “I know that there are more people who seem to enjoy it. At first, I thought that I was the only one who cared in the class, but now I know that pretty much everyone in there is into it.”
Shanks said the class has been working on a 1990 Camaro and other auto tech projects. Thus far, he has earned the Automotive Service Excellence maintenance and light repair and automotive brakes certification, and recently completed six other certifications.
Shanks has had a co-op job at Hutson John Deere Inc. in Paducah since September, and worked at McKeel Equipment Case and Kubota from October 2021 through last August.
“I’m working in the service department, servicing small tractors and lots of lawn mowers and small-engine stuff over there,” he said.
Shanks said that after graduation, he will take part in an educational program through John Deere.
“John Deere has a fantastic program for after school (graduation),” he said. “They will send me to school and reimburse the school, and I will come back and work for them. That’s my main plan right now.”
Shanks plans on attending the two-year program through Lake Land College in Mattoon, Illinois.
“It’s a six weeks on, six weeks off program,” he said. “You spend time at the school up there, and then, you come back and work in the shop for in-shop class hours.”
Shanks is a member of SkillsUSA, to take part with other students in the regional completion this spring.
Shanks said he would like to work as a technician on small agricultural machines.
Shanks is the son of Calvin and Sarah Shanks of Paducah.
A story featuring the AGC of Western Kentucky Technical Center Student of the Week will run in The Paducah Sun each Friday through March 31 with recipients chosen by instructors and administrators at the seven area technical centers that serve students in the state’s 13 westernmost counties.
In addition to the Paducah Area Technical Center, the 29 AGC of Western Kentucky Technical Center Students of the Week are chosen from the Ballard County Career and Technical Center, Caldwell Regional Career Center, Four Rivers Career Academy in Fulton County, Marshall County Technical Center, Mayfield-Graves County Area Technology Center and Murray-Calloway County Area Technology Center.
AGC of Western Kentucky will host a banquet April 27 at Marshall County High School for this year’s 29 Technical Center Students of the Week. Students will receive prizes, and Technical Center Students of the Year and an overall Regional Technical Center Student of the Year will be announced.
At the area technical centers, students are learning skills in many career areas that will help them join the workforce upon graduation and help fill the need for skilled workers in western Kentucky.