Hill College NTXAD Partner for Auto Tech Apprenticeship Program
Jessyca Brown
Monday, June 21, 2021 12:00 PM
General Events
Hillsboro, TX
Hill College is providing college-to-career opportunities for its students pursuing an automotive technology degree or certification with the help of the North Texas Automobile Dealers (NTXAD) Registered Apprenticeship for Automotive Service Technicians program.
Students enrolled in Hill College’s automotive technology program who meet NTXAD’s program criteria will be matched as apprentices with partnering dealerships in the north Texas area, including Don Davis Auto Group’s Ford and Nissan dealerships in Arlington, Five Star Subaru of Grapevine, and Hiley Hyundai and Hiley Mazda in Fort Worth.
The apprenticeship, which follows a work-based learning model and competency-based instruction, will last between 18 and 24 months and provide students with 364 contact hours of related technical instructional hours and 3,000 hours of on-the-job-learning. All apprentices are required to serve the dealership that hires them for three months, which equates to 500 on-the-job learning hours.
“We are excited about this program and the benefits it will provide,” said Hill College’s dean of instruction for business and industry, Brian Bennett. “The program will supply choices of employment to students, which helps the community and Hill College. And since their ability to earn is based upon their skills, this should give students a head start in their careers.”
In fact, apprentices in the program will begin earning while they learn. Beginning students with little to no experience will start at $10 an hour, and wages can increase from there within some limitations. And jump starting their career by participating in the program could potentially lead to even higher earnings for students down the road.
According to NTXAD’s website, the average salary nationwide for automotive technicians at new dealerships is $61,000 plus benefits, and top technicians and mangers can make upwards of $100,000. The current shortage of technicians nationwide means jobs are in high demand, including in the North Texas area, and interested students have a range of career options.
“Toyota says there will be need for 54,000 techs industry-wide in the next 10 years,” said Bennett. “Students can work at dealerships, independent garages, tire stores, own their own business or go back to school to become managers and directors.”
Hill College Vice President of Instruction Dr. Kerry Schindler said the program is a win-win for students, the college and the industry.
“This apprenticeship program has the support of the industry, which is a huge part of what makes these programs successful,” Schindler said. “Theory and classroom work are important, but hands-on experience is the other half of the coin for learning to occur. This program will give our students the ability to have varied and unique learning opportunities to begin practicing in real life what they are learning in the classroom.”
Hill College’s automotive technology program offers an associate of applied science degree (60 credit hours), certificate of technology in advanced automotive repair (46 credit hours), and certificates of completion in automotive repair technology (32 credit hours) and basic automotive repair (16 credit hours).
Enrollment is currently open for the fall 2021 semester, and 16-week and first 8-week courses begin Aug. 23. Students can apply online at https://www.hillcollege.edu/Admissions_Aid/ApplyNow/Index.html. For more information about Hill College’s automotive technology program, visit https://www.hillcollege.edu/Academics/Business-Industry/AutoTech.html.