By Brenda De La Cruz
East Los Angeles College’s Automobile Technology Department received a $10,000 grant from the Greater Los Angeles New Car Dealership Association GLANCDA.
From July 2021 through February of last year, GLANCDA has donated a total of $250,000 toward the community a little more than half of that going directly to local community colleges.
Donations like the grant ELAC received are intended to help further student success of automotive technology training programs students enroll in. Some of the training equipment will be funded by this grant is electric vehicle test equipment to help students keep up to date with ongoing advancements of technology, as well as scholarships for automotive technology students.
As part of STEM CAPs (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Career and Academic Pathways) students interested in the automobile technology field can earn an Associate of Science degree ,with 70 units, or a Certificate of Achievement in the subject. This is a growing field and GLANCDA said that as of November of last year, there were over 1,500 open technician positions all over Southern California. This is due to the high demand in sales and services of vehicles in the state.
Obtaining this grant will help students wishing to learn the skill sets of auto repair to be taught by instructors at an ASE Master Certified program. ASE Master Certified programs are essentially programs which have been vetted by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. Students who have taken courses through the program have earned employment through the county, the MTA and more.