TURNERS FALLS — Superintendent Richard Martin and Automotive Technology Instructor Steven Miss are pleased to announce that Subaru Of New England has accepted Franklin County Technical School as a partner site for its Subaru University (Subaru-U) program.
Miss met with Jeff LeClair and Keith Manning of Subaru of New England on Wednesday, July 7 to provide a tour of FCTS facilities and discuss how Subaru of New England and FCTS could work together.
“We have been working for the past few years to build professionalism and career skills in the Automotive Technology program that go beyond technical skills. We are also working to prepare students for management, customer service and sales positions within the industry,” Miss said. “Developing qualified technicians is a shared goal between Subaru and FCTS and we are pleased to be able to make this program available to our students.”
The new affiliation, expected to begin during the 2021-22 school year, will offer access to training aids, curriculum, factory service information and tools. Most importantly, the partnership will offer FCTS students factory level certifications; work based learning/Co-op programs through the Hadley, Brattleboro or Keene sponsoring dealerships; and modern facilities for exploratory tours.
Through Subaru-U, Subaru of America, Subaru retailers across the nation and accredited secondary and post-secondary schools aim to address the increasing need for automotive technicians at retailer service centers by working together to provide training and education to students on Subaru vehicles and systems.
Students are able to gain technical skills through Subaru’s Web-Based Training and their school’s curriculum, as well as soft skills and real world experience with Subaru retailers. Students will take much of the required entry-level training for Subaru technicians through Subaru-U, positioning them well for possible future employment.
“We aim to provide our students with rigorous academic programs and hands-on technical learning experiences that introduce them to and prepare them for various career paths. Subaru-U will give our automotive students access to training and valuable real world experience and we are looking forward to starting the program,” Superintendent Martin said. “I would also like to thank Steve Miss for his work to bring Subaru-U to our students, and Subaru of New England for their support and partnership.”
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