August 14, 2018—Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) continues to expand its technician training and development programs to tackle the critical shortage of qualified automotive technicians in the U.S.
The luxury automotive manufacturer, which recently became the first to establish a Registered Apprenticeship Program for veterans through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, launched a partnership with Jefferson Community & Technical College (JCTC) in Louisville, Ky.
The announcement came at a ribbon cutting ceremony that included remarks by Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin, Kentucky Secretary of Education and Workforce Development Derrick Ramsey, Mayor of Louisville Greg Fischer and MBUSA Vice President of Customer Service Christian Treiber. The partnership is the first-of-its-kind in the state and an important addition to the curriculum at JCTC.
The JCTC educational program prepares students to become a level one Mercedes-Benz Certified Systems Technician in just three semesters. Students will train on Mercedes-Benz vehicles, intern at a Mercedes-Benz dealership and have the opportunity to gain full-time employment after completing the program.
This is the most recent example of MBUSA’s efforts to elevate technician training and meet the needs of its dealerships across the nation. The company currently offers Mercedes-Benz DRIVE, which became part of the government’s National Apprenticeship System in 2017 and is the first automotive dealership-focused training program certified by U.S. Department of Labor, Department of Veterans Affairs and National Association of State Approving Agencies. Offered to veterans and nonveterans, the technician training is available with nearly 400 seats in locations across the country including Long Beach, Calif.; Dallas, Texas; Jacksonville, Fla.; and coming in 2019, Robbinsville, N.J. MBUSA also offers an ongoing training program with Gwinnett Technical College, one of Georgia’s largest technical colleges, with plans to introduce more in the coming years.
