Automaker donates vehicles to schools for automotive training.

[twospirits]

Hyundai turns over keys to TPCT
By Jaine Treadwell, The Messenger

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, LLC (HMMA) turned over the keys of 17 new 2006 NF Sonatas Thursday to Alabama secondary schools and two-year colleges, the first in a series of donations by Hyundai's first United States manufacturing plant.

Troy-Pike Center for Technology in Troy was the recipient of one of the pre-production (M1) vehicles, which will be used as training vehicles in automotive programs in Alabama that are certified by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation.

Ray Crosby, automotive instructor at the TPCT, said having a new vehicle with a Control Area Network computer system as an instruction tool will enable the Troy-Pike Center for Technology to better prepare students to be productive entry-level members of the automotive work force.

“The automotive industry is now in its third generation of computers,” Crosby said. “In the first generation, the 1980s, computers controlled a couple of dozen functions on a vehicle. In the 1990s, computers controlled about a thousand. Now, we have a Control Area Network with one control computer that controls thousands and thousands of functions as well as several alternate computers.”

The training vehicle provided by HMMA will allow students on the high school level to learn skills necessary to obtain Automotive Service Excellence certification.
“A student who successfully completes one year of shop and a year of field experience will be certified to work on new vehicles at the dealership level,” Crosby said. “So, students who are trained on this vehicle will be able to enter the work force as productive members of society.”

Crosby and Thomas Childs of Trojan Towing, transported the Hyundai vehicle from the Montgomery plant to Troy.

“We want to thank HMMA for making this vehicle available to us,” Crosby said. “This will take our program to a high level and be of great benefit to our students. We also want to thank Thomas for the use of his truck and his time in getting the vehicle to the center.”

While at the plant site, Crosby was able to tour the facility and he was very impressed with what he saw.

“The site covers more than 1,700 acres and has a huge test track,” he said. “Every vehicle is tested and re-tested for bubbles and rattles. The vehicle that we have has 20,000 test miles on it. It's remarkable what they do to ensure the highest quality product.”

Greg Kimble, director of human resources for HMMA, said Thursday's donation is part of the company's continuing efforts to train Alabama's future workforce for careers in the automotive industry.

“We understand the value and importance of a well trained workforce and are pleased to present these vehicles to assist in Alabama's educational programs,” Kimble said.

This first series of donations went to schools within a 50- to 75-mile radius of the Montgomery-based plant but will expand to schools across the state.

The pre-production vehicles are for educational and training purposes only and are not for operation on public roads. M1 vehicles are disassembled during training and schools receiving the donations are instructed on the purpose and final disposal of the vehicles.

Reprinted from "The Messenger".

I find it pretty cool that companies such as GM, Mercedes/Benz, Kenworth and now Hyundai among others donate their vehicles to schools for automotive training, and even better to the ones that are part of the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF). It helps not having the schools/Colleges, that offer Automotive training, to pay for them, while giving the students/future technicians the latest cars and trucks to work/study on and get the necessary training skills for a job well done. Its a step in the right direction for these future technicians to achieve their certification.

TS out

[MarkHutch]

It's nice to hear some good news coming out of the automotive industry. So much of it is bad these days!