From Engine Builder
| Unprecedented demand for Ignite – a free summer program for high school juniors interested in high-tech, high-demand careers as automotive and diesel technicians – has prompted NASCAR Technical Institute (NASCAR Tech) to open 30 additional spaces. Students must register by May 23. NASCAR Tech is one of 12 Universal Technical Institute campuses nationwide offering the program this summer. Participating students receive intensive, hands-on training and the opportunity to earn credits toward a UTI program. Ignite will be offered at NASCAR Tech June 10-28. “Parents and students are hearing about the increasing demand for qualified, well-trained automotive and diesel technicians, and they are jumping on the opportunity to receive free training from some of the top instructors in the industry at NASCAR Tech this summer,” said Jennifer Bergeron, campus president at NASCAR Technical Institute. “Transportation industry careers can be highly technical and rewarding jobs with great earning potential, upward mobility and stability. Our Ignite program teaches high school juniors about the opportunities that exist in the transportation industry and skilled trades, and we’re looking forward to welcoming more students this summer.” During the three-week, no-cost course, Ignite participants learn automotive basics and get an introductory sample of the programs completed by full-time UTI students. The Ignite curriculum emphasizes a career-focused education that prepares students for the high-tech, ever-evolving transportation industry. Students explore career opportunities in the transportation field, receive hands-on training on today’s latest technologies and learn from UTI graduates and local employers about the high need and earning potential for trained technicians. UTI launched Ignite nationwide in the summer of 2018, following a successful pilot program at campuses in Avondale, Arizona; Houston; and Orlando, Florida, the previous year. Each of the programs were at or near capacity, and a large percentage of participants said they planned return to UTI as a full-time student after high school. Summer Ignite students are eligible to receive credit toward future UTI courses and can complete a UTI program and begin a career in the transportation sector in less time. Industry demand for trained automotive and diesel technicians continues to accelerate. The U.S. Department of Labor projects that, by 2026, there will be more than 1.2 million job openings in the automotive, diesel and collision repair industries. To help reach that total, the transportation industry will need to fill more than 120,000 technician job openings annually, on average. For more information about the Ignite program: www.uti.edu/ignite. |
