HDTT grad competing at 46th annual event in China October 12–17, 2022
Gabe Krebs
Gabe Krebs, 22, a 2019 graduate of the Heavy Duty Truck Technology (HDTT) program at Dakota County Technical College, will be joining more than 1,300 competitors from 60+ WorldSkills member countries at WorldSkills Shanghai 2022.
Taking place October 12–17, 2022, the 46th WorldSkills Competition coincides with WorldSkills Conference 2022, which is expected to draw more than 1,000 educators, government officials, business and industry leaders, and young people from around the world with the goal to discuss best practices in skills development and excellence in action.
The 45th WorldSkills Competition took place in August 2019 in Kazan, the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan in the Russian Federation. Next year’s competition will be hosted by Shanghai, the most populous urban area in the People’s Republic of China with more than 24 million residents. Shanghai ranks as a top international junction for technology, finance and transportation; the Port of Shanghai is widely recognized as the busiest container port in the world.
As a member of the 2022 WorldSkills USA Team, Gabe will compete in Heavy Vehicle Technology, one of 56 skills featured at WorldSkills Shanghai 2022. He sharpened his competitive abilities at two SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conferences. He brought home a silver medal from the 2019 NLSC in Louisville, Kentucky.
Gabe believes in hard work and continuous training to achieve his goals. “Wishing for something every day doesn’t count as dedication,” he said.
Faculty perspective…
Ken Klassen, an HDTT instructor at the college, recommended Gabe to the 2022 WorldSkills USA Team. Gabe is a driven individual and showed remarkable aptitude in the courses Ken teaches, including Drive Train I, Drive Train II, Diesel Engines, Fuel Systems, DOT Inspection, Diesel Engine Electronics and Heavy Truck Industry Training.
Ken Klassen
“Gabe was an outstanding student in all aspects in our HDTT program,” Ken said. “He proved through hard work, having a great work ethic and teamwork that Gabe can accomplish demanding tasks in a timely and professional manner.”
Ken added that Gabe inspires others as a natural leader. “Simply put, Gabe has been an outstanding student with honesty and integrity standing out as his core values,” he said. “Other students gravitated towards Gabe because of his strong technical skill set and talent as a communicator. Gabe was always willing to help out in class and in our program’s lab facility. He also volunteered at community and college events.”
Ken reported that Gabe has worked very hard to earn his spot in 2022 WorldSkills. “Gabe will now do internships at different locations within the the United States to prepare for WorldSkills 2022,” he said. “Everyone is very excited to see where this journey on Team USA takes us—at the awards ceremony, hopefully, on that podium one last time.”
In conclusion, Ken Klassen said: “DCTC and our HDTT program are proud of Gabe’s accomplishments. We are honored to have such an outstanding HDTT graduate representing our college.”
More about Gabe…
Gabe graduated from Lakeville South High School in May 2019. He started at DCTC as a Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) student and earned an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Heavy Duty Truck Technology in December 2019.
Gabe made the most of his time at DCTC. During fall semester 2019, he was awarded a $1,000 Mike Fritzen Memorial Scholarship from Republic Services in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota.
Gabe was also one of three DCTC students who placed in the top three nationally in SkillsUSA competitions at the 55th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC) June 24–28, 2019, in Louisville, Kentucky. Gabe took silver in the Diesel Equipment Technology (High School) competition.
An estimated 18,000 people—students, teachers and business partners—participated in the 2019 NLSC, a week-long SkillsUSA showcase for career and technical education students from across the United States.
Gabe was awarded gold medals in the Heavy Equipment Technologies competition at two SkillsUSA Minnesota Skills and Leadership Conferences. Louisville represented his second appearance at the SkillsUSA Nationals.
“I enjoyed the experience at the NLSC,” Gabe said at the time, “and the opportunity to travel and compete doing something I like to do.”
Gabe worked while going to DCTC as a truck technician at Friedges Landscaping. Today, he works for Interstate PowerSystems, serving as an assistant foreman in the Allison Transmission department at the company’s Lakeville location.
He has two older brothers, Franklin, 24, who manages a tobacco/vaping shop, and Andy, 23, who started his own marketing company. In his free time, Gabe enjoys working with his friends on their vehicles. He also likes motorcycling and trapshooting.
Gabe resides in Faribault, Minnesota, with his mom, his brother, Andy, two German shepherds, Cooper, 5, and Odie, 3.5, and a 2-foot-long ball python named Ke$ha.
More about WorldSkills…¹
Shanghai
Since its inception in 1950, WorldSkills has built an impressive presence on the world stage of vocational education and training, demonstrating global excellence in skills through its biennial international skills competitions and promoting the importance of a strong skills system for every country or region.
The 21st century has seen an exceptional growth in the membership, capability, profile, and reach of WorldSkills, as Member numbers have grown to 76, including all of the G20 countries, and the scale of the biennial competitions has grown dramatically.
The rapid growth has raised the profile of WorldSkills, but also highlighted the need for WorldSkills Members to work together more closely towards shared standards of excellence for every Member.
LEARN MORE…
WorldSkills vision
Improving our world with the power of skills.WorldSkills mission
To raise the profile and recognition of skilled people, and show how important skills are in achieving economic growth and personal success.WorldSkills position
The global hub for skills excellence and development.
More about the Heavy Duty Truck Technology program…
As a student in the HDTT program at DCTC, you will learn all aspects of heavy-duty truck repair and maintenance. The program focuses on large trucks, typically class 7 and 8.
Areas of instruction include:
- Electrical and electronic systems
- Steering/alignment
- Foundation brakes
- Air brakes
- Anti-lock brake systems
You will perform diesel engine troubleshooting as well as overhauls and tune-ups on both mechanical and electronic engines. Clutch, transmission, drive axle repair and overhaul are taught along with welding instruction, preventive maintenance and HVAC.
You will be given the opportunity to obtain a commercial drivers license (CDL) and become a state of Minnesota certified commercial vehicle inspector.
This program is accredited by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF). Programs must undergo extensive evaluation and site visits by NATEF to receive and retain program accreditation.
Bus and Truck Mechanics
Maintain or repair any type of diesel engine.
WAGE
Above the statewide median of $23.00/hour
Minnesota
Median: $25.91/hour
High: $31.65/hourSeven-county Twin Cities metro
Median: $28.04/hour
High: $33.42/hourOUTLOOK
This career is currently in very high demand and is seeing high growth compared to other careers. Growth rate is 6.4 percent, or above the statewide average.
There will be a need for about 7,524 new Bus and Truck Mechanics to meet market demand between 2018–2028. This includes the demand due to replacement (workers leaving the occupation or retiring) as well as growth.
Learn more about the Heavy Duty Truck Technology program at DCTC by contacting:
Kenneth Klassen
Heavy Duty Truck Technology Faculty
651-423-8402
Pete Szybatka
Heavy Duty Truck Technology Faculty
651-423-8591
¹ SOURCE: WorldSkills Vision 2025: Strategic Plan
