The Automotive Service Technology Program is designed to provide the necessary educational background and practical training to repair today’s automobiles and light trucks. Theoretical knowledge and practical experience are combined to provide students with the occupational skills needed to be successful. The mission is to assist each individual in choosing, preparing for, and becoming gainfully employed in the field of Automotive Technology. Automotive service technicians inspect, maintain, and repair automobiles and light trucks that run on gasoline, electricity or alternative fuels such as ethanol. Automotive service technicians’ and mechanics’ responsibilities have evolved from simple mechanical repairs to high-level technology-related work. The increasing sophistication of automobiles requires workers who can use computerized shop equipment and work with electronic components while maintaining their skills with traditional handtools. Today, integrated electronic systems and complex computers regulate vehicles and their performance while on the road. Technicians must have an increasingly broad knowledge of how vehicles complex components work and interact. They also must be able to work with electronic diagnostic equipment and digital manuals and reference materials.

Graduates of the Automotive Mechanics Technology Program can become employed as a Repair Service Estimator, Automotive Service Writer, Auto Repair Technician, Shop Foreman or Specialty Shop Technician. Additional information is available from the Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook.