Follow on Google News News By Tag * Ford certified technician * Riverside City College * Car Dealership * Automotive Service * More Tags... Industry News News By Place Country(s) Industry News
Follow on Google News | RCC preserves learning opportunities for automotive studentsDespite economic downturn, students still get on-the-job experience at dealerships
By: Desert Regional Consortium The economic downturn has led some schools to suspend their programs, but students in RCC’s two-year certification program still have a place to learn, said Ron Vito, vice president of Career Technical Programs. Joni Cowgill, RCC’s job developer, was able to create a network of dealerships where students could gain work experience, with the knowledge that in the future students would need these skills and the dealerships would need more staff. The work experience improves the odds that the students will be hired in such a competitive field. At Fritts Ford in Riverside, students rotate through different areas of the service center to learn all aspects of auto repair. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding brought Cowgill to her current post where she has helped place more than 100 students in jobs and teaches resume writing and job interviewing courses. “I want to get this economy pulled out of the ditch here,” she said. For students in the automotive program, that means keeping up with the latest skills. Auto manufacturers have been rapidly developing new technology which keeps teachers such as Yuri Ulloa, an RCC Ford Automotive Student Service Educational Training (ASSET) instructor, busy making sure the course material is up-to-date. The students spend nine weeks in class and nine weeks in the shop during the two years it takes to receive an associate degree in automotive sciences. Each student becomes a Ford Certified Technician so they have to keep pace with the new Ford features, such as parking assistance and collision avoidance. Ford also provides the cars for students to work on. “We see huge amounts of changes every six months,” Ulloa said. Having that specialized knowledge in the current competitive work environment may mean the difference between getting hired and not. For students, that means not only knowing what the new features are, but also how to fix them. “You have to have the hands-on ability, but you also have to have an inquisitive mind like a CSI investigator,” # # # About the Desert Regional Consortium of Community Colleges: The Desert Regional Consortium consists of 13 community colleges and two community college districts in Riverside, San Bernardino and Kern counties. The consortium assists colleges in providing professional development opportunities and designing programs to improve workforce training and technical education. The consortium was formed to address the economic development needs of industry, government and the community. More info: www.desertcolleges.org Consortium members: Barstow College, Cerro Coso Community College, Chaffey College, College of the Desert, Copper Mountain College, Crafton Hills College, Mt. San Jacinto College, Moreno Valley College, Norco College, Palo Verde College, Riverside City College, Riverside Community College District, San Bernardino Community College District, San Bernardino Valley College, Victor Valley College End
Account Email Address Account Phone Number Disclaimer Report Abuse
|
|