Thank you for telling me about these programs. Here in St. Louis there is a private college (tuition about $15,000 a year) that teaches automobile technology as a 2-year associates' degree, but I'm not sure how much industry-specific stuff the students learn.
What's a shame is that high schools *used* to teach this stuff. Now vocational education is looked on as something shameful, for the mentally challenged. Everyone is supposed to go to college & then become a lawyer. I don't know who is supposed to fix or build anything.
The Wall Street Journal had a front-page article recently about Swiss-style machinists (very precision work requiring sophisticated equipment and good computer/math knowledge.) We had been relying on imports from Switzerland & Germany, but apparently those are drying up. Young people won't enter the field because in the US they study engineering instead. We have a real class problem with the skilled trades that we haven't *ever* properly addressed.
I do not know how things are going in St. Louis but paying 15G's/Year for a tuition in automotive technology is close to ridicules. The students at Cerritos College do not pay a penny, everything, is paid by the automobile manufacturer, because like I said they are eager to recruit new qualified technicians. I think you guys in Missouri are taken to the cleaners in regards to this issue. It should be free of charge to everyone, at least here in Social it is that way. As i said the car manufacturers are footing the bill.
I do not know about automotive issues in Missouri, but here in California the automobile state of USofA, we are in dire straits finding new techs. In California if you do not have a car, you can not find a decent job, period! There fore routine maintenance/repairs are a requirement and we are rapidly running out of qualified techs.
As I reiterated, the pools of qualified technicians is shrinking gradually with no end in sight. No body want to take this line of work, perhaps because it is, as I mentioned very demanding.(it requires commons sense (one has to make a decision what pattern to chose in order to make the operation profitability. Did I mentioned that automotive techs are paid on commission ONLY?), an eye of measure, (picking the right socket/tool by looking at the bolt/nut) and the techs also have to price the job.
When I hear those whiners, lamenting about the loss of jobs, due to outsourcing, it begs to ask...don't you think that your line of work is overly represented and begnine?
Obviously the field is getting saturated, demand for corporate profitability is required by the share holders. Service positions like I have mentioned are going to the dogs, because nobody wants to do it. It looks like, hands on professions are a thing of the past.
100G's+ a year, slick suits, fancy talk, and all the doodaah's is the norm of the day. Craftsmanship, pride in making things happened, get down and dirty, sweat and tears and have your baby win the race...or just be honest and fix this guy's car, who just pulled in you dealership.
It is so much to talk about...do not get me started!