It’s widely known across the Houston area that one place ensures the training of highly-skilled automotive technicians in a variety of manufacturers.
“The majority of our technicians come from San Jacinto College,” said Danny Barnett, service manager with Monument Chevrolet. “We trust the automotive program for high quality technicians.”
That trust comes from years of providing the region with technicians who are not only able to properly repair vehicles according to industry standards, but who also come equipped with soft skills from a well-rounded education from an institution fully-accredited by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF).
“Our graduates enter the automotive industry ready to work according to manufacturer standards,” said Mark Deschner, chair of the San Jacinto College transportation department. “We also offer the FAST program to train the most diverse technicians who work in the independent shops, where they will see many different brands of vehicles on a daily basis.”
Along with FAST, San Jacinto College offers an associate degree in automotive technology with training for five manufacturers that include Ford, General Motors (GM), Chrysler, Honda/Acura, Toyota/Lexus; and certificates for training in Honda, Chrysler, and Toyota automotive repair.
Even though automotive repair primarily starts early on in a technician’s life, San Jacinto College automotive graduates, Jorge Palomino, Miguel Escobedo, and Benito Munoz, each agree that education is imperative to a long-lasting career in an industry where cars are becoming more like computers on wheels.
“These vehicles are not the same as they were years ago,” said Munoz, an automotive technician with Momentum BMW. “You have to have the training to understand the electrical systems of vehicles.”
Palomino, who works as a technician for Ron Craft Cadillac, first tried his hand at repair under the instruction of his father. He said more education sets a person a part from the rest of the competition.
“I’m new, a kid, and there are technicians here with 20 plus years of experience in the business,” said Palomino. “That degree really helped me. Also, the program taught me about various procedures, specifications, and calculations. If you think you don’t need to go to school for this, you’re not going to get very far in life, and certainly, not in this industry.”
Escobedo learned how to read schematics, use a scan tool and a multimeter, just a few of the items that come with certified automotive training.
“I used to work on vehicles at home, and later interned with Monument Chevrolet,” said Escobedo. “I wanted to become a full-time technician. By going to college, I was able to get that full-time automotive technician position here at Monument.”
San Jacinto College automotive technology students train in a new 92,000 square-foot transportation center, equipped with 25 adjoining class and lab rooms, 24 offices, fully-computerized multipurpose room, and manufacturers and vendors areas. It is registered with the U.S. Green Building Council as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) NC-Silver.
Each full-time automotive instructor is also an ASE Master-Certified Technician and certified as an L1 Advanced Engine Performance technician. Industry partners include Snap-on tools, Mac Tools, Matco Tools, and Hunter Engineering Company. Morris & Associates served as the architects, and Durotech General Contractors, Inc. was the center’s contractors.
For more information, visit
www.sanjac.edu/automotive-technology, or call 281-998-6150.
Jeannie Peng-Armao