In an effort to meet the growing demands of the automobile dealers and service departments in the area, Williamsburg Technical College has reinstituted its automotive technology program taught by automotive service excellence (ASE) master technician Jeff High.

Currently, Williamsburg Technical College has 35 college students and 20 high school students enrolled in the automotive technology programs.  Classes cover all major areas in the automotive technology field except for auto body repair. Students who complete the automotive technology curriculum are prepared to become entry level service technicians, and they can enter the profession at a higher level depending on their effort and work ethic.

Nearly $150,000 worth of equipment was recently installed in the shop, including a state-of-the-art computerized Hunter laser alignment machine, a brake lathe, a tire changer, and a tire balancer.  High says that the new equipment is exactly what students need to be competitive in today’s automotive service job market. “Everything in today’s automotive repair atmosphere is computerized and changing rapidly,” High says.  “The Williamsburg Technical College automotive program prepares students to be hired into any car dealership service department or mechanic shop and hit the ground running. Students can even start their own business and succeed. Car servicing is much more complicated than back in the day of ‘shade tree mechanics’ and it takes specific training to meet the needs of today’s automotive repairs and upgrades.”

The faculty and administrators at the College recently met with an advisory committee made up of local automobile professionals to ensure that the program continues to provide the needed training for prospective employees of local companies. Members of the advisory committee include: Sel Hemingway and Richard Price of Hemingway Motor Company, Dave Fenters and Joe Altman or Longstreet Chevrolet, Bubba Haselden and Gardner Barber of Haselden Brothers, and T.J. Johnson and Jeff Foxworth of Big Country Chevrolet.

Brandon Haselden, Williamsburg Tech’s industrial technology department head, is excited about the program and the interest students and local businesses have shown.  “While everyone is always talking about all of the jobs that we are losing to our overseas rivals, one thing is sure,” Haselden says, “the service side of all the industrial technology fields will never go away.”