New program will drive NEIT students to Fiat

HANDS ON: Students in the Fiat Chrysler-oriented learning program at New England Institute of Technology work on a 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee. From left: Luis Natareno;  David  Washburn; Paul Harden, director of transportation technologies; and Austin Moon. / PBN PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO
HANDS ON: Students in the Fiat Chrysler-oriented learning program at New England Institute of Technology work on a 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee. From left: Luis Natareno; David Washburn; Paul Harden, director of transportation technologies; and Austin Moon. / PBN PHOTO/ MICHAEL SALERNO

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles U.S. could see more automotive technicians from New England Institute of Technology joining its workforce in the coming years, thanks to a new certification program at the nonprofit technical college.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ United States subsidiary of London-based Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is collaborating with the National Coalition of Certification Centers to offer the “Mopar Career Automotive Program” certification. NEIT launched the new program this month.

The program gives automotive-technology students the certification needed to work as automotive technicians at Fiat Chrysler dealerships throughout the country, according to Paul C. Harden, director of transportation technologies at New England Tech.

“Chrysler has come a long way in the last few years and they have a lot of products coming out,” Harden said. “As they sell more, they’ll have a greater demand for technicians.”

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Indeed, since Chrysler filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009, Fiat has gradually acquired majority ownership of the company and laid out a plan to refocus growth around Chrysler and its products, such as Jeep, Dodge and Ram, according to its five-year plan.

Concurrently, the company is collaborating with a network of education providers, including New England Tech, to develop applicable, industry-recognized certifications in order to bolster its workforce pipeline.

New England Tech is now one of 11 institutions to offer and administer the program and the only one in the Northeast, according to Harden.

The goal of the program nationwide is to train about 1,000 students annually at more than 100 colleges. Students who complete the program will be certified to work in various technician jobs at Fiat dealerships across the country.

“When you think about the jobs at the dealership, you think of it as mechanics, but there [are] also service writers, people working on parts, warranty claims and a variety of other positions,” Harden said. “One of the things about [this program] is that it exposes students to a variety of positions.”

The program comprises about 35 online modules, which Harden says vary in length, combined with some classroom training and faculty support. A positive aspect of the program, Harden adds, is that it’s self-paced, allowing students to fit it into their schedules.

New England Tech offers a similar training program with The Ford Motor Co., but it doesn’t have the same level of local dealer commitment, according to Harden.

“Right now there [are] only two Ford dealers in Rhode Island, compared with a number of Chrysler dealers,” Harden said. There are dealerships selling Chrysler brands in North Kingstown, Middletown, Warwick, Johnston and East Providence along with one in North Attleboro, and another in Mystic, Conn.

Gregory Palazzo, service director at Warwick-based Bald Hill Dodge Chrysler Jeep Kia, has been working on cars since 1986. He likes that the new program will allow him to hire technicians out of New England Tech without having to train them, saving him time and the dealership money.

A lot of the training, he adds, involves skills the technicians have already learned in school, but must be taught because the methods are specific to Chrysler manufacturing.

“It’s the same situation as if someone that works at Dunkin’ Donuts goes to work at Starbucks,” Palazzo said. “They know how to pour coffee, but they need to learn the Starbucks way.”

The automotive-service sector is also currently in need of technicians, Palazzo said, because qualified workers are scant and the work has become increasingly more complex.

“Everything is computerized,” he said. “There are software updates, radios and phone pairing systems, so you need to have separate skills to know how to do that.”

Having the local presence of dealerships in the region is also key for New England Tech students, Harden says.

“Most of our students are probably from within an hour radius of the school, so a lot of them generally want to stay around,” Harden said. “With a number of dealers [in the region], it should help students out with opportunities.”

New England Tech, based in Warwick, runs year-round and is offering the new program for the first time this quarter, which began Oct. 5.

Harden hopes at least 15 of the roughly 200 automotive-technologies students at the school participate in the program this quarter.

Palazzo says there are several New England Tech graduates working at the Bald Hill dealership. He sees the new program as win-win for the dealership and the school.

“It’s going to help New England Tech, and it’s going to help kids graduating [find jobs],” Palazzo said. •

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