Automotive Career Education Expert Technician (COA)

The Automotive Expert Technician Certificate of Achievement Program provides technical preparation for the skills necessary for a position as a bumper to bumper, expert level and hybrid certified technician. Internship hours as an automotive technician are required to complete this program. Students will learn how to perform inspection, service, repair, and diagnosis of engine mechanical systems, brake systems, steering and suspension systems, electrical and electronic systems, hybrid vehicle systems, heating and air-conditioning systems, driver and passenger comfort systems,, drivetrain and powertrain control systems, and hybrid systems. Assessments occur through written exams and skills competency assessments with an emphasis on service, repair, and diagnostic procedures. Critical thinking skills, practical hands-on skills, safety, and employability (soft) skills are practiced throughout the curriculum. Students who successfully complete this program may continue their automotive education by pursuing an AS degree and transfer opportunities.

The Ventura College Automotive program has undergone a realignment of its courses and sequencing over the last 4 school years. This process involved implementing a true 4 semester rotational schedule with a repeatable sequence designed to guarantee students the opportunity of program completion within 2 academic years (21 months). In the Fall of 2018, the final scheduling corrections we re made allowing for 2 cohorts of 24 students each to move through the program. 4cohorts of students exist at any given time and student attrition is accounted for by accepting additional students which accommodates both part time and special population students, this makes the cohort size a variable between an average of 48 – 56 students per year, or 96 – 116 at any given time. While fulltime students are ideal so that each cohort moves through the program in a two-year cycle, it is not required as part time and special population’s pathways must be accommodated to meet both industry and educational needs.

Course enrollments for the Automotive Program have been well above the local and state college averages for some time. Course success rates have also been above average. However, the certificate and degree completions have historically been below average. The current Automotive program staff has worked at closing the certificate gaps and success can be seen in the number of certificates issued rising from a 5- year average of 11 – 12 per year, to an average of 33.5certificate completions over the last two academic school years (17-18, 18-19).This has also been the result of emphasis on workforce development by the state and college. The rollout of the new certificate structure is expected to significantly increase the number of completers and captures student success for industry standard skills attainment that was not previously awarded a COA. The Labor Market Data available does not reflect regional data that was recently pulled through the COE during development of the new ACE Programs and only accounts for predicted growth within the industry.

According to 2017 data, there were 146 completions from 7 regional college automotive programs with 510 openings, this means that the 7 institutions are underserving local industries and that college programs have plenty of opportunity for growth to address this gap. Furthermore, regional job hiring processes primarily appear to use job postings as the way of counting openings. Many of our students, and many technicians receive jobs by having an application on file meaning that no job posting is made. To put perspective on our local area, the Auto Program had 39 TTEN internships in the 18-19AY, 16 general program internships (non-TTEN students), 169 successful ASE certifications (currently only counting TTEN students), 29 Toyota Maintenance Technician Certifications, 29 Toyota Certified Technician certifications, and 22 Toyota Expert certifications. Additionally, we had 390 SP2 (Osha approved safety training) certificates, 26 NC3 Pro-Cut certifications, and 38 Digital Multi-Meter certifications. The program also certifies potential smog candidates.

See the attached document for detailed information on enrollment and completer projections;ACE_Enrlmnt_Cmpl_Data(2019)

The design of the proposed certificate structure is consistent with the mission of Ventura College as stated below:

Vision

Ventura College will be a model community college known for enhancing the lives and economic futures of its students and the community.

Mission

At Ventura College, we transform students’ lives, develop human potential, create an informed citizenry, and serve as the educational and cultural heart of our community. Placing students at the center of the educational experience, we serve a highly diverse student body by providing quality instruction and student support, focusing on associate degree and certificate completion, transfer, workforce preparation, and basic skills. We are committed to the sustainable continuous improvement of our college and its services.

The college is dedicated to enhancing the lives of students, developing their potential and improving the economic future of both students and the community. This program will enable students to develop their critical thinking skills, increase employability skills, and contribute to increasing success for the industry for which they will work. The stackable Certificate of Achievement Programs are in alignment with the mission of the college.

The program is designed and intended to prepare students for careers with job titles that include the following:

1.  Automotive Maintenance Technician

2.  Automotive Service Technician

3.  Automotive Repair Technician

4.  Automotive Diagnostic Technician

5. Automotive Hybrid Technician

6. Automotive Master Technician

The Ventura College Mission states “Placing students at the center of their learning experience, we serve a highly diverse student body by providing innovative instruction and student support, focusing on associate degree and certificate completion, transfer, workforce preparation, and basic skills.” The new Ventura College ACE program focuses on workforce preparation, associate degree and certificate completion and primarily serves to meet two of the five goals set forth in the 2017 – 2023 Master Educational Plan:

· Goal 1: Increase the success of our students while closing equity gaps

Objective7: Ensure that all Workforce Preparation programs meet student employment goals set by the State of California.

· Goal 2: Increase our community’s access to transfer, workforce preparation, and basic skills education

The Automotive program at Ventura college focuses on career pathways for students and offers multiple options leading to employment. Currently those offerings include; Toyota's Technical Training & Education Network (T-TEN) CEED Program providing students access to Repair and Diagnostic level manufacturer certification, a Subaru-U program providing students access to Subaru University and manufacturer maintenance certification, a BMW step program providing a fast-track factory training and employment pathway, NC3 (National Coalition of Certification Centers) skills certification, and Ca. Smog Technician certification and training. The program has been very successful with a high percentage of employed students and increased certificate and degree completions.

The ACE Programs include a 6-tier stackable certificate system that provides students with multiple pathways for employment within the automotive industry. The certificates are closely aligned with common job specialties and categorizations and ensure that work experience is acquired as increasingly higher skill set certificates are awarded. Occupations related to this program include (but are not limited to);

Automotive Maintenance Technician, Automotive Service Technician, Automotive Repair Technician, Automotive Performance Technician, Automotive Hybrid Technician, Automotive Master Technician.

Continuing education within the discipline is designed to broaden student opportunities with additional occupations: Automotive Repair Technician, Automotive Master Technician, Automotive Specialty Technician, and First Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers.

The program emphasizes critical thinking skills, practical hands-on skills, safety, and employability (soft) skills throughout the curriculum which is reinforced by nationally recognized instructor-led modular certificate programs such as NC3 (National Coalition of Certification Centers)sponsored Snap-On Industry certification for On-Car Brake Lathes, Digital Multimeters, Mitchell ProDemand (repair and service information database), SP2 safety training, and TTEN (Toyota’s Technician Training and Education Network) Manufacturer level certification. Students can continue their education by pursuing a 2-yearMaster Program Certified NATEF (National Automotive Technician Education Foundation) certificate, and / or a 2-year Associates of Science degree in Automotive Career Education. Additionally, the program offers non-core courses that prepare students for a California State Smog licensing exam and entry into the field as a Smog Inspector.

While the main focus of the program is to place students in career positions within regionally located automotive repair facilities, students who do not wish to pursue a working career as an Automotive Technician and who do not meet the internship hours requirements have the option of acquiring the Maintenance Certificate, 2-Year ASE Education Foundation Certificate, and the2-Year AS degree.

The goal of the programs are to provide students with qualified certificates of achievement that demonstrate their preparedness to perform specialized skill sets that are aligned with current automotive industry technician positions. In order to achieve this the Automotive Career Education program has established a sequence of 6 stackable certificates that provide students with multiple career pathway opportunities. The program competencies have been developed in partnership with TTEN (Toyota’s Technician Training and Education Network) and the local automotive advisory group, aligned with and accredited under Master ASE Education Foundation program standards and the California BAR Smog Program. Recently, the programs have also adopted A Subaru-U,BMW-Step, and Toyota TECS program to provide even more career opportunities.

The program has a requisite structure and requires students begin the program with the V11 Vehicle Maintenance course. Students identify their personal goals and objectives in the Vehicle Maintenance course and receive counseling to guide them on the correct pathway. From there a cohort system is established to align student goals with multiple program competencies. The Expert Technician COA specifically is aimed at the highest level of training provided with a minimum of 650 hours hands-on technician experience (675 hours at 9 units of Internship)