The Forest-Scott County Career and Technical Center has been offering local students’ hands-on learning programs for decades. The skills studied and learned at the center prepare high school students to join the workforce in a skilled position upon graduation.
There are numerous programs for students to learn technical trades and skills which include automotive, carpentry, health sciences, law enforcement and computer technologies. Throughout its history the Career and Technical Center has offered tremendous opportunities for students and the automotive technology program students complete one of only 41 accredited programs in the state.
In a press release the Mississippi Department of Education reports that this school year, close to a third of Mississippi school districts are offering high school students a nationally accredited automotive technology program that will prepare them for direct entry into the workforce.
Mississippi is one of only 17 states that require high school automotive technology programs to be accredited by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF). The Automotive Service Excellence Education Foundation oversees the accreditation process, which includes an extensive evaluation of each program’s facilities, standards, instructors and administration.
The Career and Technical Center in Forest has worked hard to meet all accreditation requirements so that students are offered the very best in automotive training. The work of NATEF has made it possible for local students to complete a program that has them better prepared for the work force as soon as they graduate. “We are extremely happy to be working with NATEF in our automotive technology programs because of the opportunities they make possible,” said Forest-Scott County Career and Technical Center Director Timmy Fanguy. “They have worked really hard to make it possible to have these accredited programs in our schools.”
“The automotive technology field has become increasingly complex over the past decade, and high school programs have had to develop their staff, equipment and curriculum in order to teach the advanced technologies this profession requires,” said Wendy Clemons, executive director of secondary education at the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE).
Clarence Creel is the Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certified instructor who teaches the automotive technology program to students from Forest Municipal School District and all Scott County School District students. He said that having an accredited program gives his students an advantage when they enter the workforce after graduation. “When my students graduate they will be certified and ready to walk into a dealership and start servicing cars,” said Creel. “If a employer is looking for an automotive technician the students that have completed an accredited program will have a leg up in the hiring process.”
Approximately 41 high school career and technical education (CTE) programs statewide will offer students NATEF-certified training in 2018-19. The number of certified programs is expected to grow as more Mississippi high school CTE programs complete the accreditation process.
“All technical programs are moving to certified program or being shut down so we were proactive in obtaining certifications for our programs,” Fanguy said. “It was a very strenuous accreditations process in which we were given a set of standards that had to be met and checked during a two-day on-site inspection.”
“When our students graduate they can either continue their education and earn additional certifications or they can step out of the classroom and into the workforce,” said Fanguy. “They are better prepared to walk into any dealership and start work immediately.”
“Automotive industry contacts have told us that nationally certified programs will better train students for the automotive industry and make the industries more willing to invest in the certified programs,” Clemons said. “These investments can range from more training for instructors to equipment donations for the automotive technology labs.”
Guillermo Lopez from Gulf States Toyota, which covers five southern and southwestern states, said there is a big demand for qualified entry-level workers who want to build a successful career in the automotive industry.
“Because of our certifications our students can graduate from our two year program and be better prepared than students that did not complete and accredidated program,” said Creel. “When a student graduates from here I feel confident that they are ready to step into any shop and get to work.”
