![\"Ford](\"https:\/\/lamesacourier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/web-ford-asset-2017-grads-group-shot.jpg\")
<\/a>Cuyamaca College\u2019s automotive technology program, which enrolls an average of 300 students each semester, is highly regarded because of its industry-recognized certifications. In addition to strong support from Ford Motor Co. for the ASSET (Automotive Student Service Education Training) program, which provides vehicles, tools and a partnership with Cuyamaca College dating back to 1986, the automotive technology program also enjoys industry backing from General Motors for the GM ASEP (Automotive Service Educational Program).<\/p>\n
Unlike most training programs, ASSET and ASEP students are employed in the industry at sponsoring Ford, Lincoln and GM auto dealerships while they\u2019re learning the skills.<\/p>\n
According to Ford Motor Co., 99 percent of ASSET graduates get hired at their sponsoring dealerships. By the time graduation rolls around, nearly all the trainees are already employed full-time.<\/p>\n
When the fall semester starts Aug. 21, students in the traditional Ford ASSET program will continue a two-year regimen of alternating classroom instruction with on-the-job dealership training. However, thanks to a $55,000 investment in AV equipment for web conferencing, live-streamed and recorded lectures and curriculum changes to protect the program\u2019s integrity, distance learning will also be offered, said instructor and coordinator Brad McCombs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is really exciting for Cuyamaca College to be Ford ASSET\u2019s first pilot program in distance learning in the country,\u201d McCombs said.<\/p>\n
The online students will spend their two years full-time at Ford dealerships in their area with daily training classes on the web. The online training covers areas including electronics, climate-control systems, brakes, steering and suspension, and hybrid vehicle components and operation.<\/p>\n
All students must complete a record book showing completion of the training modules and proving their ability to perform specific tasks. The books, which also serve as resume portfolios, are audited and signed by dealership personnel and the college instructor.<\/p>\n
All ASSET students are also required to complete general education courses, making the program one of the college\u2019s most demanding, second only to engineering in the total number of units needed for an associate degree. The GE classes are also offered online and distance leaners will get their degrees from Cuyamaca College. Campus visits are needed for mid-term and final exams.<\/p>\n
The college\u2019s Ford ASSET program, the only one in the county and one of only three statewide, is recognized as one of the best training programs in the world, McCombs said.<\/p>\n
Its two-year timetable is intensive with no summers off. But the payoff is immeasurable: an associate of science degree transferable to California state universities, Ford Motor Co. certifications, and a near-guaranteed job upon graduation.<\/p>\n
All but one of the 16 students in this year\u2019s graduating class have full-time jobs as entry-level dealership technicians making between $21 and $35 an hour, McCombs said. The odd student out has a job waiting once a driver\u2019s license hold is cleared by the DMV, he added.<\/p>\n
Ford representatives at the commencement ceremony said that with the increasing complexity of today\u2019s vehicles, the students can bet their education is far from over.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Learning for the Future\u2019 is your college\u2019s motto and it is perfectly 100 percent aligned with the Ford ASSET program,\u201d said keynote speaker Roger Henry, the parts and service director for Ford\u2019s Southern California region. \u201cNew technologies are emerging constantly with the hybrids and the development of autonomous vehicles. The world is changing rapidly. Your education is not complete. Your education and learning is just starting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Classes such as the Ford ASSET and GM ASEP programs are critical to the industry as the primary source of trained technicians, industry representatives say. Because of the technology of new vehicles, a growing number of employers require workers to have postsecondary training, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, which describes the job outlook as \u201cvery good\u201d for automotive technicians.<\/p>\n
The graduates took their turns addressing the nearly capacity audience inside the college\u2019s Performing Arts Theater, speaking confidently of their abilities nurtured with patience and caring by their instructor.<\/p>\n
Ignacio Castaneda-Garcia, class vice president, spoke glowingly of the close-knit relationship students have developed over the years and McComb\u2019s devotion to students.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of good teachers here, but Brad doesn\u2019t just care if you show up to class, he cares that you learn,\u201d he said. \u201cHe is someone who is willing to take the time to help us grow.\u201d<\/p>\n
For an application and more information about enrolling in the Ford ASSET program, go to cuyamaca.edu\/people\/brad-mccombs\/<\/a><\/p>\n Registration is underway for classes at Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges for the fall semester beginning\u00a0Aug.\u00a021. Information on admissions and registering for classes is available at gcccd.edu\/now<\/a><\/p>\n