
Ford Selects Gateway to Offer Its ASSET Technician Training Program
Ford Motor Company has selected Gateway Community & Technical College to offer its
Automotive Student Service Educational Training (ASSET) program in northern Kentucky
and southwest Ohio.
Ford approached us about offering its prestigious ASSET program in a geographic region
that stretches from just south of Columbus, Ohio, to the Louisville, Ky., area, said
Sam Collier, chair of Gateway's Transportation Technologies Division. Fords decision
speaks very highly of the quality of our faculty and our ability to provide automotive
training to Fords specifications and high expectations.
The Ford ASSET program is a 24-month associate degree program offered at only 39
locations across the country. Ford sets the academic guidelines necessary to confer
Ford technician associate degrees.
The academic requirements ensure that ASSET students gain the same Ford Motor Company
Service Technician Specialty Training credentials that Ford technicians earn if they
enroll in programs at Ford Motor Company Training Centers, Collier said. He added
the ASSET program is separate from and in addition to Gateway's existing Automotive Technology option.
The ASSET program combines eight weeks of class lectures and labs with eight weeks
of on-the-job training in a co-op experience at local Ford dealerships. Every student
must be sponsored by a dealership, Collier said. The students will rotate through
the eight-week segments, alternating the classroom and co-op experience throughout
the two-year program.
Students must complete the associate degree to obtain the Ford ASSET credential.
While most ASSET graduates secure jobs at Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealerships, graduates
who pass the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence certification exams
can seek employment with other automotive companies.
The Ford-Gateway collaboration offers significant benefits to students and the Ford
dealers who sponsor them, Collier said. The students receive Ford-specific training
using Ford equipment on Ford vehicles. They learn the techniques Ford uses and acquire
comprehensive training that enables them to be more versatile technicians.
At the same time, the dealers benefit from greatly reduced training costs, Collier
added. Ford has estimated the traditional approach to training costs over $61,000
per technician. At in-state tuition rates, the Gateway-Ford ASSET program is about
$13,000 for tuition and books.
The program begins Aug. 18 with the start of Gateway's fall semester. The first co-op experience begins Oct. 13, and the projected graduation
date for ASSET participants is July 2016. The program is expected to accept 15 to
20 students for the cohort entering this fall.
Ford dealers and students interested in the program should contact Collier at sam.collier@kctcs.edufor more information.