Granting Success: Amarillo College

Below is a reposted blog from our friends at Amarillo College. When a grant is approved by our governing board, it becomes a partnership with the organization who receives the grant. Organizations do incredible work in the Texas Panhandle, and below is what can happen when it all comes together.

Amarillo College was looking to expand its East Campus programs and looked to the Amarillo Area Foundation to help become a nationally accredited program.

AC’s Automotive Technology program achieves national accreditation

By Joe Wyatt

Amarillo College is pleased to announce that its Automotive Technology program has achieved accreditation by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) in the category of Automobile Service Technology.

pictured are, from left, Isaac Bernal, interim program coordinator, Brian Jacob, retiring program director, and Rebecca Archer, executive secretary for the AC program.

To receive ASE accreditation, the College had to demonstrate that it meets all the rigorous standards set forth by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation.

Additionally, AC underwent an on-site evaluation last fall that more than satisfied an independent committee, which closely examined the program’s course syllabi, sequence of instruction, and program training facilities, materials and faculty.

Students who study automotive technology at AC are now entitled to sit for computer-based ASE certification exams that align with industry standards and demonstrate to potential employers the level of expertise they have achieved.

“This is really exciting. Our students deserve this,” Isaac Bernal, AC’s interim program coordinator, said. “ASE accreditation gives our students the opportunity to achieve certifications that show employers how knowledgeable and dedicated to the field they are.

“We hold ourselves to a very high standard, so it makes sense that we would pursue a level of accreditation that similarly benefits our students, our industry partners and, ultimately, our entire automobile-driving community.”

Bernal and Brian Jacob, the longtime program coordinator who will retire this month, spearheaded the accreditation effort, with administrative support from Michael Kitten, dean of technical education, and David Hall, associate dean of technical education.

The entire process took about a year and a half, they said, and the new accreditation runs through 2023.

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence was established in 1972 as a nonprofit organization to help improve the quality of automotive service and repair through the voluntary testing and certification of automotive technicians and parts specialists.

Today, there are approximately a quarter of a million ASE certified professionals at work in dealerships, independent shops, collision repair shops, auto parts stores, fleets, schools and colleges throughout the country.

Here’s the link to the original post: CLICK HERE