Mack School Tour Begins With Fall Swing Along East Coast

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., Sept. 24 -- Mack Trucks, Inc. this month will kick off a tour of high schools along the East Coast to promote technical careers, visiting Conard High School in West Hartford on Sept. 26.

Using its experience as one of America's largest truck manufacturers, Mack plans to illustrate the wide range of job opportunities in technical and industrial fields. Student tour programs at Conard will run from 7:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

In its fall schedule, the technology outreach program plans stops also in Worcester and Cambridge, Mass.; Levittown and Brooklyn, N.Y.; Newark, N.J.; Newark, Del.; Baltimore County and Montgomery County (Washington, D.C. area), Md.; Raleigh, N.C.; Charlotte, N.C.; Atlanta, Ga.; and Stark (Jacksonville), Orlando, St. Petersburg, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, Fla.

The Mack School Tour features a traveling historical exhibit of older transportation technology innovations from Mack, contrasted with one of Mack's technologically advanced, computer-programmable truck models. A fast-paced video and live presentation will highlight opportunities at manufacturing companies like Mack for employees with skills and training outside of traditional four-year college degree programs.

"Like many manufacturers, Mack depends on a skilled technical workforce in all facets of our business," said Tom Kelly, vice president of marketing at Mack. "The Mack School Tour urges young people, when planning their futures, to consider training after high school that leads to well-paid technical careers in a variety of industries."

Kelly added that the signature Mack bulldog, one of America's best-known corporate mascots, will accompany the tour as its schedule allows.

Kelly noted some disturbing trends in college completion - such as the U.S. Department of Education's estimate that of those high school graduates heading to college this fall, only 34 percent are likely to have earned two- or four-year degrees by 2006. Other studies indicate that one-third of all college freshmen drop out during their first year.

At the same time, industrial and manufacturing companies are reporting difficulty in finding and keeping workers with different types of technical training. And the U.S. Department of Labor expects only one-quarter of jobs to require a college degree by 2007.

Kelly noted that many technical careers, in high demand areas, require only a two-year degree. "Mack employees range from engineers to artists and writers - and we're not alone. Of course, many jobs in our industry require advanced graduate degrees, but many require technical certifications and, most important, a proven willingness to continually learn new skills," said Kelly. "These positions can lead to rewarding careers for students who may find that the traditional four-year college degree doesn't really fit their interests.

"Parents and students alike owe it to themselves to check out all the opportunities out there before making expensive career decisions, and we hope that highlighting career choices through the Mack School Tour will encourage them to do just that," Kelly said.

Dedicated to quality, reliability, and total customer satisfaction, Mack Trucks, Inc. has provided its customers with innovative transportation solutions for more than a century. Today, Mack is one of North America's largest producers of heavy-duty trucks, and MACK® vehicles are sold and serviced in more than 45 countries worldwide.

Mack is a member of the Volvo Group, a publicly held company headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. With annual sales of approximately $18 billion, Volvo business areas include heavy trucks, buses, construction equipment, marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace, and financial services. In the United States, Volvo shares are listed on Nasdaq and are traded as ADRs (symbol: VOLVY).

For more information about Mack, visit our Web site at www.macktrucks.com.