New School Expects to Meet Demand for Qualified Vehicle Techs

Universal Technical Institute opened enrollment to prospective students at its new, state-of-the-industry campus in Bloomfield, NJ, with classes to begin in the fall. The campus will train students for high-tech, in-demand jobs as skilled automotive and diesel transportation technicians. Car dealers in particular cite a shortage of qualified service technicians.

The Bloomfield campus marks the company’s first entry into the tri-state area and will be its thirteenth campus nationwide.

At full capacity, the 108,000-sq.-ft. facility will offer hands-on, high-tech training to approximately 800 students. Students can complete core automotive and diesel technology programs and be ready to work in 11 to 18 months.

“As we hear every day from our employer partners, there is a clear, significant and unmet demand for trained automotive and diesel technicians,” says UTI-Bloomfield Campus President Steve McElfresh. “We give students the skills needed to fill these jobs, which cannot be outsourced, automatized or offshored, and offer opportunities to build rewarding, long-term careers.”

At its campuses, UTI partners with both local employers and transportation industry leaders, including brands like BMW, Cummins, Ford, Freightliner, Mercedes-Benz, NASCAR, Peterbilt, Porsche and Volvo.

These partners invest in campus facilities, outfit training labs with the most current vehicles, technology and tools, and guide educational programs, so students graduate with the knowledge and skills employers want. Approximately four of five UTI graduates are employed full-time in their field within a year of graduating, the school says.

“We are thrilled to have a UTI campus in the Northeast,” says John Cragg, executive vice president-East Operations at Penske Automotive Group, a dealership chain.

“UTI is a vital source of the technicians we need to operate our 32 dealerships and collision centers in the tri-state area, and our demand for these highly skilled employees only continues to grow,” he says.

He cites the need for “professional technicians with high-tech skills to meet the ever-increasing requirements in automotive service. Our company offers generous compensation and incentive packages to attract and retain the best UTI graduates.”

Last year, the federal government tripled its estimate of the number of transportation technicians needed nationwide by 2026.

According to new projections, there will be more than 1.2 million job openings in the automotive, diesel and collision repair industries, and the transportation industry will have to fill more than 120,000 technician job openings every year.