All 10 second-year students in the Riverland Community College Industrial Maintenance and Mechanics (IMM) program have taken and passed the state boiler exam. This earns them a second class A high-pressure boiler license. Riverland’s IMM students have a 95 percent pass rate of the exam over the last five years.

The Riverland IMM program is one of a few in the state that prepares students not only to work in the industrial maintenance and mechanics industry, but for boiler exams, as well. First-year students prepare for a special engineer license exam. After successful completion of this exam, students start clocking hours with actual operation of an in-house boiler. In the second year, students are qualified to apply for and take the second class high pressure boiler exam. Upon graduating, students hold a Minnesota Steam Engineer Second Class License Grade A, which allows them to operate high pressure boiler and turbines. They may operate high pressure boilers of 100 horsepower and be a shift engineer for boilers up to 300 horsepower.

According to Riverland IMM Instructor Gary Peterson, the industry is experiencing a shortage of qualified boiler operators. Peterson is part of a new advisory group formed to generate interest in the field and provide access to quality training. The advisory committee consists of a few educators, but is primarily made up of industry representatives from power and ethanol plants, refineries and other manufacturing facilities.

“The committee is advocating for standardized curriculum to ensure consistent training for all potential boiler operators,” Peterson said.

This Riverland Industrial Maintenance and Mechanics program provides training in the maintenance and repair of industrial equipment including operation of lathes, mills, drills and small tools used for machine repair. It includes a great deal of individual attention from instructors with extensive work experience. The program also focuses on hydraulics, pneumatics, piping, sheet metal, electrical, bearings and seals, blueprint reading, preventative/predictive maintenance, safety and welding. Welding classes include gas, ARC, tig and wirefeed. The IMM program is a good fit for students with a high mechanical aptitude.