Ivy Tech Community College Northeast has entered into a partnership with Fiat Chrysler Automobile’s (FCA) Mopar Career Automotive Program, or Mopar CAP, to create a next-generation employment pipeline for Mopar-certified automotive technicians who will service Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep and Ram vehicles. Mopar is the parts, service and customer care organization within FCA.
Approximately 25 total guests from FCA’s corporate offices in Auburn Hills, Mich., general managers from FCA dealerships within a 75-mile radius, and National Coalition of Certification Centers officials will tour Ivy Tech Northeast’s Automotive Technology program on May 10, where formal leadership ties will be established and planning for the program rollout will begin.
As a condition of the partnership, all Ivy Tech Northeast automotive technology faculty will become Mopar-certified instructors. In addition, participating students will earn training credits from the FCA Technical Skill Core Curriculum, and the College will benefit from free and ongoing instructor training, as well as access to cutting-edge advancements in automotive technologies.
Ivy Tech Northeast will be one of only three Mopar CAP partners in Indiana to date, with the other partners being Ivy Tech Kokomo and Ivy Tech Southwest (Evansville).
“We feel honored and excited to be entering this partnership,” says Bob Huffman, Automotive Technology program chair. “Not only will this opportunity give our students access to the latest automotive technologies as they are introduced for the market, but it can provide them with good-paying internships and strong leads for full-time employment following graduation.”
Earlier this spring, the American Technical Education Association named Ivy Tech Northeast’s Automotive Technology program the country’s 2016 Outstanding Technical Program.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average automotive technician at a dealership earns $40,650 annually, with the top 10 percent earning $59,590 annually.
The Mopar CAP’s origins began in 1984 when Chrysler selected five community colleges and universities nationwide to establish the Chrysler Apprenticeship Program.
