The need for automotive technicians who can service alternative-fuel vehicles is increasing rapidly due to technological advance. Automotive manufacturers are now offering diesel and compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles. The training on this type of vehicles in community and technical colleges, however, is lagging behind the industry. Many new automotive graduates from these colleges hired by dealerships and independent shops must be sent to extensive manufacturer training to service diesel and other alternative-fuel vehicles. To change this situation, Texas State Technical College Waco (TSTC), working with partners from industry, other higher education institutions and high schools, is developing a new Advanced Technical Certificate in Advanced Vehicle System, focusing on light-duty diesel, CNG and hybrid vehicles. The project involves skill analysis, curriculum development, lab equipment identification and acquisition, and curriculum implementation and refinement. The curriculum developed will be submitted to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for inclusion in the state's Workforce Course Manual.
The course and laboratory materials develop by the project can be adopted by other institutions, spurring the training of automotive technicians in alternative-fuel technologies in two-year schools nationwide, and addressing the unmet demand for this type of automotive technicians. To facilitate this effort, the project will hold a conference that will invite other community colleges to the TSTC Waco campus to learn the curriculum.
