A partnership between higher education and industry is helping address the shortage of automotive technicians.

The Ford Automotive Student Service Education Training (ASSET) program is at 40 community colleges.

In Oregon, Mount Hood Community College hosts the ASSET program, which trains workers on becoming automotive technicians.

Kristin Lima is dean of applied technology, business and information systems at the college. She said local Ford dealerships provide paid internships for hands on training.

“The great thing for the students is that they can earn while they learn,” said Lima. “It’s very similar to apprenticeship, but a little different in the fact that it’s focused each term based on which classes they are taking.”

Mount Hood Community College is the only Oregon college that’s part of the ASSET program – and Lima said people travel from around the region, including Idaho and Montana, to participate.

People can apply on the college’s website and Ford is offering $2 million in scholarships.

General Manager for Gresham Ford, Bess Wills, said they’ve hired interns from the ASSET program directly. She noted that the profession is more complicated than it used to be.

“To work on a vehicle these days you really almost have to be a computer specialist, if you will,” said Wills. “I mean there’s something like hundreds of on board computers and chips and all that kind of stuff.”

Automotive technicians are in short supply, with more than 400,000 needed nationwide by 2027, according to a recent report.

Wills said someone who trained at her dealership was easily able to take his credentials with him across the country.

“Because of a family situation, he had to move to the Midwest,” said Wills. “We called a dealer there and he had a job before he even moved.”

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

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