Photo by Deb Gau Marshall High School graduate Jonathan Gruhot and Stan LaVoy of Titan Machinery in Marshall, sign a certificate for Gruhot to take part in Titan Machinery’s diesel sponsorship program.

MARSHALL — Recent Marshall High School graduate Jonathan Gruhot said he knew he was interested in working with diesel machines, whether that meant driving them or fixing them.

Stan LaVoy of Titan Machinery says the company has a few different career and education programs to offer to young adults like Gruhot, including the diesel sponsorship program.

Titan also has internship programs, and works with area high school students interested in careers in the equipment industry. Students in the Titan EDGE program get a chance to shadow Titan employees and gain experience.

“It’s something the industry has been doing for a while,” LaVoy said of the sponsorship and EDGE programs. “We’ve had pretty good success” with the programs, he said.

Encouraging more students to consider careers in technical and industrial fields is something that employers and schools in Marshall have been showing support for over the past few years. Career and Technical Education Summits held in Marshall have brought together area businesspeople to talk about how to develop students’ skills, and Marshall Public Schools has put an emphasis on making sure students explore different career paths. A Career and Technical Institute is planned to open this fall in Marshall, with automotive, welding and certified nursing assistant programs for high school students.

On Thursday Gruhot began his two-year degree and a career path with a “signing day” for the Titan Machinery’s diesel sponsorship program. Instead of committing to a college sport, Gruhot signed a student sponsorship certificate that would get him started in the equipment industry career.

Through the sponsorship, Gruhot will be attending Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown, S.D. to earn a two-year degree in diesel technology. After that, he will return to work for Titan for five years.

Gruhot said he’s already been working at Titan Machinery in Marshall since completing an internship there last spring.

“It was eye-opening,” he said of the experience. He said it’s been positive working with the Titan employees, too.

On Thursday, Gruhot’s parents Brad and Karen Gruhot, and LaVoy gathered around as Jonathan signed the sponsorship certificate. Gruhot said he will start his studies in Watertown in August.

Gruhot said he’s been interested in working with machinery for a long time. Through experiences working at D&G Excavating, “I got interested in the shop life pretty early,” he said.

Being able to put in a day’s work and have something to show for it was one of the good things about working with machinery, Gruhot said.

“I like getting to see the finished project,” he said.