Now is a good time to get the certified training you need to become a professional automotive service technician. Colorado Northwestern Community College’s (CNCC) Automotive Technology program can help you get the credentials you need for employment in dealerships, independent garages, fleet shops, service stations, and specialty shops. CNCC’s program will get you started down the path to a bright future and equip you with the specialized knowledge required in today’s high tech automotive industry.
ASE and NATEF Certified
CNCC’s automotive programs are ASE certified and accredited by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF). These designations assure that CNCC’s automotive program meets and/or exceeds national industry-wide standards of excellence. As nationally certified, ASE trained technicians, Colorado Northwestern’s automotive program graduates have more job options available to them.
According to automotive technology instructor Dale Updike, “This program is unlike any other. We fix customer cars. Real scenarios that give you the best and most in-depth experience of what it will be like when you walk into the job.”
Automotive Job Outlook
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual wage for automotive service technicians and mechanics in Colorado range from $45,780-$59,350. According to the BLS, job opportunities for qualified technicians will continue to be very good. CNCC’s Dale Updike concurs.
“Job prospects are great,” says Updike. “With an increasing number of vehicles on the road, the industry is facing a shortfall of trained mechanics.” In fact, CNCC currently has dealerships and employers calling and emailing the school looking to hire automotive students the moment they have completed their training and ASE certification.
Training Options to Meet your Needs
Colorado Northwestern’s Automotive Technology program provides you with two routes to help meet your individual needs and career goals. You have the option to earn a series of professional automotive technology certificates that build upon one another or pursue a two-year associate of applied science (AAS) degree that includes core automotive certification.
Each certificate can be earned over the course of two semesters (1 year) and build upon previous certificates. The first certificate is the Automotive Maintenance and Light Repair certificate. During these courses we introduce students to topics of basic automotive maintenance, brakes, electrical systems, suspension and steering, manual drive train and axels, and general diagnostics. More importantly, students get to start experiencing the automotive shop and participate in hands-on lab experiences with actual customer vehicle repairs.
After completing the Automotive Maintenance and Light repair Certificate students can begin work on an Automotive Service Technician certificate. Courses in this certificate expand on what has already been learned to include automatic transmission and transaxles, heating and air conditioning, electronic systems and engine performance, and computer diagnostics. Students will have more ‘shop time’ with customer cars and spend most of their days working under the hood.
The final professional certificate in this series is the Master Automotive Service Technician where students learn engine rebuild and repair, fuel ejections and emissions, and advanced diagnostics. Completion of each of these CNCC certificates prepares students for the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Certification Tests.
For students looking to earn a degree, CNCC offers the AAS in Automotive Technician. This is a two-year degree that includes both the Automotive Maintenance & Light Repair, and Automotive Service Technician certificates, along with additional general education courses that provide a foundation for business and communication skills. This AAS degree provides the skills needed to be hired immediately into the industry for employment in the areas of computerized engine controls, air conditioning, transmissions, alignments, brakes, control systems diagnostics and engine service. Additionally, ASE accepts the two-year CNCC auto program as one year of work experience.
To learn more about Colorado Northwestern’s Automotive Program or to register for classes visit www.cncc.edu/auto.
