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Auto Tech Program “Benchmark” for Excellence

By July 3, 2013January 9th, 2019No Comments

Kirkwood’s Automotive Technology program receives top honor from Toyota

On Wednesday, June 26, 2013, Kirkwood’s Automotive Technology program earned certification from Toyota for its outstanding curriculum and hands-on training of students, a top honor that validates the program as first-rate by industry standards.

The recognition is significant, enabling Kirkwood’s automotive program to meet the industry’s highest standards. Kirkwood students completing the program qualify to work in Toyota and Lexus dealerships nationwide. Achieving the honor, which validates the curriculum as meeting or exceeding Toyota’s top tier standards for student training, has been 22 months in the making, noted Todd Hesseltine, associate professor with Kirkwood’s program.

Kirkwood has partnered with Toyota’s Technician Training and Education Network (T-TEN) since it started in 1986. In 2011, Kirkwood and Toyota began working together to develop a new certification initiative, aiming to expand and fine-tune Kirkwood’s auto tech curriculum to meet more rigorous standards. The goal was to establish a whole new level of curriculum and instruction, developing industry-based curriculum learning.

Toyota officials at Wednesday’s event offered high praise for Kirkwood’s commitment to the program.

“These guys have been instrumental in getting this program pulled together,” said Rick Lester, Toyota’s National Technician Development Manager for T-TEN. “Kirkwood is our biggest contributor within the T-TEN community, without a doubt. This is one of the best programs – if not the best program – in the country.”

Lawrence Booth, Toyota T-TEN program consultant, worked closely with the Kirkwood auto tech faculty to reshape the program to better prepare students.

“The level and magnitude of this effort are second to none,” Booth said. “We need to be preparing our students to be able to diagnose and repair vehicles in the workplace. The skills we instruct them on are critical.”

Kirkwood’s program is one of only 42 nationwide partnering at this level with Toyota’s T-TEN program.

“It’s all for the students,” Hesseltine said. “We’re proud to have a partnership with Toyota.”

The instruction methods and detailed curriculum Kirkwood’s program helped develop will help other community college auto tech programs achieve similar status.

“These guys get it,” Booth said. “Kirkwood is at the head of the pack. With this CE program certification meeting and exceeding our program standards, we now call Kirkwood a colleague.”