Professional Automotive Training Center At Shoreline Community College
The Professional Automotive Training Center (PATC) at Shoreline Community College is a partnership between the Puget Sound Automobile Dealers Association and the Washington State Community and Technical College System. The PATC offers a wide variety of manufacturer specific technician training programs as well as training for specific dealership operations personnel.
Manufacturer Specific Technician Training at the PATC
Chrysler, General Motors, American Honda and Toyota offer two-year manufacturer specific technical training programs at the PATC. Students must meet specific competencies to qualify for acceptance into each program. Upon acceptance into the program, students interview with regional participating new car dealerships affiliated with the specific manufacturer program to establish a paid internship. The dealership remains the student's sponsor throughout the duration of the program. During the two-year process the student alternates each quarter between taking classes at the PATC and working in the dealership. After completion of the program, the student becomes a full-time employee of the dealership.
Before applying to attend Shoreline Community College so as to participate in one of the manufacturer specific programs, students should, first, contact the designated instructor for the program listed below to determine whether they meet the basic competencies to be admitted into the manufacturer program.
The following manufacturer specific training programs are available:
Chrysler College Automotive Program (CAP)
www.cap.daimlerchrysler.com
Instructor: Ken Campbell, 206-546-5844
General Motors Automotive Service Educational Program (GM-ASEP)
www.gmasepbsep.com
Instructor: Scott Main, 206-546-4784
American Honda Professional Automotive Career Program (PACT)
www.hondacareers.com
Instructor: Bob Biesiedzinski, 206-546-6970
Toyota Technical Education Network (T-TEN)
www.t-ten.com
Instructor: Matt Spitzer, 206-546-4669
General Service Technician (GST)
generalservicetech.shoreline.edu
Instructor: Mark Hankins, 206-546-4758
To talk to someone concerning any of the above manufacturer programs please contact Shoreline Community College at (206) 546-5851.
Dealership Operations Training at the PATC
The following courses are available to dealerships and their employees at the PATC. For information about class schedules, please contact PSADA (206) 542-3551 or Shoreline Community College (206) 533-6700.
ASE Computer-Based Certification Exams
Register for these exams at www.ase.com/cbt. You will be able to select the location nearest to you.
Finance and Insurance (F&I)
There is no screening or selective process to enroll in the program. Participants become efficient, productive and profitable F&I managers for their dealerships whether they are relatively new to the auto industry or have many years of F&I experience. Curriculum, taught by an AFIP-Certified Trainer, includes a comprehensive presentation of every aspect of finance and insurance operations and the newest F&I techniques and procedures. A half-day session is dedicated to managing lender relationships. The fifth day of the class is roll playing. This class meets Monday through Friday for a total of 40 hours and is scheduled three times per year.
Sales Training
Coming soon, new In Dealership Training Program.
Service Advisor Training
There is no screening or selective process to enroll in the program. The Service Advisor Training Class is geared for people in the auto business as well as those from other businesses who have an interest in becoming a Service Advisor. This training is designed to cover all aspects of a service advisor’s responsibilities that are required by all new car and independent auto repair facilities. The class covers customer relations, selling techniques, telephone and communication skills, repair orders, customer complaints, warranty and more. The principles being taught are also applicable to the marine, RV and motorcycle industries. This class is taught by Dave DeMontigny who has been an independent shop owner and in this field for over 20 years. The class meets Tuesday and Thursday evenings over a 2 week period for a total of 14 hours. The class is scheduled three times per year.
Title Clerk Training
There is no screening or selective process to enroll in the program. This class is a comprehensive presentation of title clerk duties, responsibilities and job functions and is an introduction to state titling manuals, state titling requirements, license fees, temporaries and permits. A person successfully completing this course should be able to competently execute all of the daily duties of a new car dealership title clerk. The Title Clerk class meets Tuesday and Thursday evenings and on one Saturday for a total of 12 hours. The class is taught by Debbie Waddell, an experienced dealership titling clerk. This class is scheduled three times per year.
Automotive Career Training Opportunities for High School Students
Puget Sound Automobile Dealers Association (PSADA) has made a strong commitment to attract Washington high-school students into careers in the automotive field through its sponsorship and support of the Automotive Youth Educational Systems (AYES) in high schools throughout the state. AYES is an industry-wide “school-to-career” program available for high school students in an effort to address the nationwide scarcity of qualified service technicians. AYES forms a partnership among participating automotive manufacturers, participating dealers, and selected high schools/tech prep schools.
Qualified high school students take challenging classroom/laboratory courses in basic automotive technology and are placed as an intern at a dealership where they will work under the guidance of a “mentor” (an experienced technician). While at the dealership the students will develop both their technical and communication skills enabling them to become valuable employees.
PSADA recognizes the need for such partnerships and offers constant support to Ron Olson, AYES Manager for Washington State, and to the program needs in an effort to connect the dealerships with high school students who have already received some standardized training and displayed significant interest in the industry.
For more information about AYES please visit AYES online at www.ayes.org or call Jim Hammond, PSADA, (206) 542-3551 jim@psada.com or Ron Olson, AYES Manager, (206) 546-4127 ron@psada.com.
