By Alisha Thompson/reporter
South Campus’ automotive department unveiled a partnership that allows students to start training to become automotive technicians in spring 2018 for Fiat Chrysler dealerships.
The Mopar Career Automotive Program, a web-based curriculum through Mopar, the auto parts and customer service organization for Fiat Chrysler, will be integrated into TCC’s existing course structure and requires a passing score of 85 percent or better on each module.
“This is a factory-targeted training for Fiat and Chrysler models,” South automotive instructor Terry Schranz said.
After completing 16 hours of the program’s modules, a student will become a candidate for employment at any Fiat Chrysler dealership. The highest scoring students will be placed into a nationwide drawing to win an 85-piece tool set from Mopar.
Ninety-five percent of students start as a Level 1 Lube Tech but can become strong candidates when Fiat Chrysler hires new technicians.
“Here at TCC, we are looking to provide opportunities to get individuals more and more into those high-demand careers,” South president Peter Jordan said.
TCC is also partnering with the National Coalition of Certification Centers, or NC3, a nonprofit network of corporations committed to training the next generations of skilled workers. The program hopes to meet industry demands by offering stackable, automotive credentials with recognized certificates designed to build resumes.
“We are very excited to partner with TCC and give opportunities to students to grow and build their education,” NC3 program manager Kathryn Leiting said.
South’s automotive center has been upgraded for its Toyota technician training program, which was announced earlier this year and plans to open in fall 2018. Seats are filling up quickly, and the college is offering day, night and weekend classes to keep up with the demand on campus as well as in Arlington high school automotive programs.
“We meet students where they are, and we serve the community we are a part of,” Jordan said.
With the new upgrades and curriculum, students will complete 40 percent of the full Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram technician training and can perform 50 percent of the warranty work in service departments.
The DFW area has multiple Fiat Chrysler dealerships, and the company has promised to hire 5,000 technicians nationwide by the end of 2018.
“From a student’s perspective, if we were to get a job with Chrysler having gone through the program at TCC, it would help with pay raises and promotions giving us a jump start,” South student Darrel Painter said.
