The shortage of qualified automotive technicians has reached a critical stage driving Mercedes-Benz USA to expand one its technician training and development programs.
The luxury automotive manufacturer on August 13, announced the created of a new program in association with Jefferson Community & Technical College (JCTC) in Louisville, Kentucky.JCTC, which is the largest of the 16 colleges forming the Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS) with more than 12,000 students. The Kentucky Community & Technical College System is the Commonwealth’s largest postsecondary institution with more than 70 campuses.
The auto training shop program, Mercedes-Benz Accelerate, is the first-of-its-kind in the state. It prepares students to become a level one Mercedes-Benz Certified Systems Technician in just three semesters. Students will train on Mercedes-Benz vehicles, intern at a Mercedes-Benz dealership and have the opportunity to gain full-time employment after completing the program.
“The need for educational programs like these are important as we face an acute shortage of qualified technicians,” said MBUSA Vice President of Customer Service Christian Treiber.
“The shortage largely comes from the outdated image of mechanics and increase in demand," Treiber added. "Today’s mechanics must now have a completely different skillset; they are technologists that cater to increasingly complex vehicles. Training programs like the ones at JCTC are critical to help close this technician gap.”
This is the most recent example of MBUSA’s efforts to elevate technician training. The company currently offers Mercedes-Benz DRIVE, which became part of the government’s National Apprenticeship System in 2017 and is the first automotive dealership-focused training program certified by U.S. Department of Labor, Department of Veterans Affairs and National Association of State Approving Agencies. Offered to veterans and nonveterans, the technician training is available with nearly 400 seats in locations across the country including Long Beach, Calif.; Dallas, Texas; Jacksonville, Fla.; and coming in 2019, Robbinsville, N.J. MBUSA also offers an ongoing training program with Gwinnett Technical College, one of Georgia’s largest technical colleges, with plans to introduce more in the coming years.
