Jim Price Hyundai Donates Tucson To Auto Tech Program
On Friday, November 22, 2019 Charlottesville-Albemarle Technical Education Center (CATEC) received the keys to a 2016 Hyundai Tucson from Charlottesville’s Jim Price Hyundai.
Updated Technology Helps Program
CATEC’s Auto Service Technician program will use the compact sport utility vehicle to bridge the gap between real world industry needs and classroom curriculum. The two-year Auto Service Technician program will use the SUV to do hands-on projects, allowing them the access they need to rapidly-evolving automotive technology. Auto Service Technician instructor Matt Richardson says, “We will be able to look at the updated technology and features of a modern car. We will be able to put ‘bugs’ in the car and students will have to figure them out using a scan tool. It is a really great update for our program.”
As a recently National Automotive Technician Education Foundation (NATEF)-accredited school, CATEC’s Auto Service Technician program is excited to use the car for classroom instruction. CATEC Director Stephanie Carter says, “Acquiring a vehicle that is only three years old is a great asset because it provides our students with updated training. This donation illustrates the importance and symbiotic nature of our business partnerships; generous donations, like this car, support our development of a well-trained, job-ready local workforce.”
CATEC as the Right Choice
Hyundai Service Training Instructor Rick Byrne and Jim Price Hyundai’s General Manager Chris Gleason think CATEC is the right choice to receive the SUV. Byrne says the CATEC students he encounters are a “step above average high school graduates. I think highly of CATEC.” Students can earn up to 10 Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) industry credentials while in high school. This industry testing is specially designed to certify students studying the automotive service industry. Students are ASE-certified for two years, making them marketable entering the automotive industry as high school graduates and will allow them to continue their industry training as technicians. Byrne says ASE certifications allow career professionals to rise to the top of their professions.