ACDelco Helps Address Technician Shortage

Motor, Oct 2004 by Nash, Tom

The increasing complexity of automobile technology is rising in proportion to the shortage of technicians properly trained to diagnose and repair vehicles. This alarming state of affairs could result in a future in which vehicle owners need to schedule service appointments for their vehicles weeks or even months in advance.

ACDelco is working to help ensure that such a future never happens, through its Service Training centers across the United States. For the past year, ACDelco has sponsored one of its Service Training centers in the automotive department at Luzerne County Community College (LCCC), in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania. LCGG students participating in the ACDelco Total Service Support (TSS) program receive up-to-date training in the latest automotive technologies free of charge.

"I have been an automotive technician ior more than 30 years," said Gary Mitchell, Eastern Regional Training Instructor, LCCC. "When I needed training, I had to travel out of the area to get it. Now its right in our backyard. Our students are technicians who repair cars for a living right here in the Wyoming Valley."

LGGG offers a two-year associates degree and placement program that helps students und full-time employment upon graduation. Through its TSS program, ACDelco contributes to the LCCC automotive department with donations of diagnostic equipment, training materials and a 2004 Ponn'ac Grand Prix.

"I think it's great we can work together to help supply books and tools to grow new technicians for an evergrowing market," Mitchell said. "We are badly in need of technicians."

Susan Christopherson, ACDelco's Manager of Product Service and Training Development, put it this way: "Students in automotive educational programs today are the technicians we will rely on to repair our cars in the future. It is in everybody's best interest to support these programs so there will be professional, competent technicians around for years to come. ACDelco is committed to supporting technical training for the aftermarket technician. Training is the key to being able to effectively repair today's complex vehicles, and students who want to become technicians need a strong foundation to succeed. We believe high school and college programs are a good place to start."