ADEI Open House to Spotlight Progress of Dealer Training NOVA Joins MC on Tech Ed; Courses Now Available on a Menu Basis

ADEI Open House to Spotlight Progress of Dealer Training

NOVA Joins MC on Tech Ed; Courses Now Available on a –Menu” Basis

–I think the theme this morning is just how many dedicated people there are in this room who are working to make sure that we get qualified technicians who have great careers within our business,” said Vince Sheehy, chairman of WANADAês newly formed Automobile Dealer Education Institute (ADEI) and president of Sheehy Auto Stores.

Speaking to dealer principals, fixed operations directors, and educators who attended the –Open House” on Wednesday, May 2, at ADEIês state-of-the-art training facility at Montgomery College, Sheehy pointed out that since the program began in 2001 with the sponsorship from Ford Motor Company, which is still a strong supporter, it has expanded to include the full gamut of manufacturer training, and has trained and placed over 140 line technicians in area dealerships. –For my money, thereês no better way to bring a tech on line, and I credit that success to the great partnership between this college and WANADA,” he said.

–Our goal is to expand beyond just technician training to such areas as sales, F&I, service sales and automotive accounting. We are looking to expand to other locations, and are moving forward with an expansion to Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA),” Sheehy added.

Community College Partnerships

WANADA and NOVA have been working for over a year on developing a technician training program like the one at Montgomery College, and plans are to start offering classes at its Alexandria and Manassas campuses this fall. William H. Gary, vice president of Workforce Development for NOVA, came to the open house to –reaffirm the collegeês commitment” to ADEI automotive training.

–We serve business sectors that drive Northern Virginiaês economy, and the automotive industry is a key driver of our economy,” said Gary. –The challenge is to marry industry needs with the infrastructure within NOVA so our auto programs can be adapted to your needs. We will use Montgomery College as our template.”

It will be a big deal for ADEI because, as Gary pointed out, NOVA is the largest institute of higher education in Virginia, and the second largest multi-campus community college in the nation. –We serve over 65,000 students and over 250,000 students that come to us for workforce development related training,” he said.

Montgomery College President Brian Johnson also was quick to note that an April 22 article in The New York Times listed Montgomery College in the top ten among 1,200 community colleges studied across the country. –The reason is people like you; people from the community who support the institution. We have such a wonderful support system.”

MC serves 23,256 students a year, according to Johnson, –And when you combine that with workforce development training, that number swells to 60,000 individuals that this community college touches per year.”

Johnson called George Payne, Montgomery Collegeês vice president of Workforce Development, –the envy of his colleagues,” for running an operation that –reaches into the business communityÄand nets us over $10 million a year” a rarity among such programs.

Payne, in turn, praised the MC/ADEI program as –a model partnership,” with valuable, adaptable support services at the college. For example, he noted that the program this year has integrated a study skills course into the first module of tech training and has added an assessment test to identify what special needs might help the student, such as English as a second language.

Ed Roberts, dean, Gudelsky Institute for Technical Education (GITE), emphasized that the $7 million training facility was the first to be built 15 years ago with private funding, with –half coming from industry supporters and those who shared the vision of a technical facility. The key to our success is the partnership we have with industry, especially the auto industry,” he said.

Debra Anderson, automotive program director of GITE, later gave participants a tour of the impressive training facilities and they were able to hear first hand from Frank Valeda, a technician trainee at DARCARS Chrysler/Jeep in Rockville.

Mix and Match Training

The meat and potatoes of the program was given by Harold Redden of Fitzgerald Auto Malls, who is Chairman of ADEIês Automotive Strategic Leadership Team, which is made up of dealers, fixed operations managers, educators and WANADAês tech team, to oversee the program at Montgomery College and suggest changes in the WANADA technician training program.

Redden explained the structure of the program, which is based on one day of classroom instruction and four or five days on the job at a dealership. The course is designed as progressive learning toward full ASE Certification. It is broken down into five modules: study skills, vehicle safety, steering and suspension and brakes; electrical and electronic systems; engine performance; engine repair, heating and air conditioning; and transmissions and transaxles. Each module runs a 20-week semester, so over the course of 2_ years, a student can go from beginning to fully certified master ASE technician.

With the modular or –course menu approach,” however, dealerships can send experienced techs for one module they may need, or send beginners to the first module to see if they have the aptitude to continue, Redden pointed out. –In some cases taking one or two modules may be all the dealer needs. So this mix-and-match approach gives us a lot of flexibility.”

To satisfy NATEF program education standards, dealership mentors work with student techs against a task list based on those standards. In addition, one hour is set aside each week for students to do specific manufacturer training created by the service director.

–There is also a tool component with this program where the dealer can optionally elect to help the student obtain a starter set of tools,” said Redden. –It is a very structured, successful program,” he concluded.

The –WANADA Touch”

–Itês what I call the WANADA touch,” said

Joe Herson, former dealer principal at Manhattan Auto, referring to the recruiting and personalized follow-up services provided by WANADAês –auto tech team of Archie Avedisian, Bill Belew and Wil Desjardins. –This is a big thing WANADA offers that other training programs donêt have,” he said.

With regular input from ADEIês Strategic Leadership Team, –this is a living, breathing program able to quickly adapt to the needs of dealers and trainees,” said Herson, who began working with Montgomery College 30 years ago and was a driving force in raising almost $1 million in donations from dealers to build the GITE training facility.

WANADA CEO Gerard Murphy praised the longtime commitment and efforts of technician training stalwarts like Herson, former dealer leader Dick Snyder and career education advocate Larry Shulman, Esq. He also recognized Harry Martens, Martens Cars, who like Snyder and Herson, has been a dealer committed to dealer education for many years.

Murphy also called the WANADA sponsored Montgomery County Automotive Trades Foundation, headed by Steve Boden, –a high school proving ground we use as a farm team to recruit qualified techs.” Boden noted that ATF serves 500 students, many of whom –are real all stars,” he said. WANADA also works with high school automotive training programs in Prince Georgeês County, Fairfax and the District.

Murphy also lauded ADEIês partnerships and support it receives from Rotary Clubs, the Veterans Administration and Montgomery Works, which provide a variety of training and support services in Montgomery County.

–This is exciting stuff thatês moving the needle on automotive career education that WANADA and its membership are committed to,” Murphy said. –This program is unequivocally working.”

For more information on the WANADA Technician Training Program, or to sign up to sponsor a student, contact Bill Belew at WANADA, (202) 237-7200.