The Communique

Issue date: 4/3/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Ashley Poffenbarger Automotive Technology students Jarad Krall and Jeromy Slay work on a car engine in the Automotive Tech building.

Kirkwood Community College's automotive technology department once again has something to be proud of. Recently Kirkwood's automotive technology received recertification by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF).

NATEF is part of the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence. The institute focuses on keeping the learning curve of new automotive technicians up to par with industry standards, explained Automotive Technologies Dean Phil Thomas.

Thomas stated that the NATEF program had very strict criteria to follow when looking at recertification. "The program helps ensure service excellence of the automotive technicians and ensures that they have the necessary skills."

"The NATEF curriculum controls everything from how we teach to what we teach and what books we use," said Phil Jorgenson, automotives instructor.

Being NATEF certified has its benefits for students. It helps Kirkwood to continue to be sponsored by different car manufactures, "for example we get about three cars a year from Toyota," explained Jorgenson.

Kirkwood's NATEF recertification is conducted every five years by an onsite evaluator followed by two affiliates from the automotives industry that have no connections to Kirkwood. NATEF even goes as far speak with current and former Kirkwood students of the automotive technology department as well as the employers of those technicians. Kirkwood also does a mini self-evaluation every two and a half years to remain NATEF certified.

"To coorelate all the paper work it took me about 3 months" said Jorgenson.

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