VGCC to offer new options for Automotive Systems training
Vance-Granville Community College students interested in careers as automotive service technicians will have more options beginning with the college’s fall semester, which starts Aug. 18. In addition to the one-year Automotive Systems Technology diploma program, which VGCC has offered for many years, a two-year Associate in Applied Science degree in Automotive Systems Technology will also be available.
“We’re excited to be able to add the degree program to Automotive,” said VGCC Dean of Business and Applied Technologies Bobby Van Brunt. “This will give our students many more options and will markedly improve our ability to satisfy the counties we serve. The investment we are making in equipment and human resources underscores the commitment we are making to improving automotive servicing in our local communities.”
Fred Brewer, the Automotive Systems Technology program head and instructor, said that the additional education will be beneficial to students who enter a field that is more technologically sophisticated than ever before. At VGCC, which offers Automotive courses both during the day and at night, students initially learn automotive theory in the classroom. They are then introduced to “live” projects in a state-of-the-art open automotive lab. All aspects of vehicles are covered, and because of recent changes in the field, one emphasis is on computer diagnosis (using electronic equipment to properly diagnose a vehicle’s problems). Brewer said his graduates typically find jobs in the area that pay well. “Technicians with good fundamental knowledge, problem-solving and diagnostic skills, and whose training has included electronic skills, should have the best opportunities,” Brewer said.
For students who only want to focus on particular systems within an automobile, new certificates will also be offered in Electrical Systems, Suspension & Steering, and Transmission Systems.
In 2006, Vance-Granville’s Automotive program was recertified by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) and the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), indicating that the program continues to meet high national standards. VGCC graduates are prepared to take the ASE exam and are ready for full-time employment in dealerships and repair shops in the automotive industry. Anyone interested in the Automotive program at VGCC should contact Fred Brewer at (252) 492-2061, ext. 3204.
Above: VGCC Automotive Systems Technology program head/instructor Fred Brewer demonstrates the high-tech electronic equipment used by students in the lab on the college’s main campus.(VGCC Photo)
