Texas State Technical College Waco Development of an Advanced Technical Certificate in Advanced Vehicle Systems

由于技术的进步，对能够为替代燃料汽车提供服务的汽车技术人员的需求正在迅速增加。汽车制造商现在提供柴油和压缩天然气（CNG）汽车。然而，社区和技术学院对这类车辆的培训落后于行业。经销商和独立商店雇用的许多汽车专业毕业生必须接受广泛的制造商培训，以维修柴油和其他替代燃料汽车。为了改变这种状况，德克萨斯州立技术学院（TSTC）与工业界、其他高等教育机构和高中的合作伙伴合作，正在开发一种新的先进车辆系统高级技术证书，重点是轻型柴油、压缩天然气和混合动力汽车。该项目涉及技能分析、课程开发、实验室设备识别和获取以及课程实施和改进。开发的课程将提交给德克萨斯州高等教育协调委员会，纳入该州的劳动力课程手册。项目开发的课程和实验材料可被其他机构采用，促进全国两年制学校对替代燃料技术汽车技术人员的培训，解决这类汽车技术人员的需求不足。为了促进这一努力，该项目将举行一次会议，邀请其他社区学院到TSTC韦科校区学习课程。

The need for automotive technicians who can service alternative-fuel vehicles is increasing rapidly due to technological advance. Automotive manufacturers are now offering diesel and compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles. The training on this type of vehicles in community and technical colleges, however, is lagging behind the industry. Many new automotive graduates from these colleges hired by dealerships and independent shops must be sent to extensive manufacturer training to service diesel and other alternative-fuel vehicles. To change this situation, Texas State Technical College Waco (TSTC), working with partners from industry, other higher education institutions and high schools, is developing a new Advanced Technical Certificate in Advanced Vehicle System, focusing on light-duty diesel, CNG and hybrid vehicles. The project involves skill analysis, curriculum development, lab equipment identification and acquisition, and curriculum implementation and refinement. The curriculum developed will be submitted to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for inclusion in the state's Workforce Course Manual.The course and laboratory materials develop by the project can be adopted by other institutions, spurring the training of automotive technicians in alternative-fuel technologies in two-year schools nationwide, and addressing the unmet demand for this type of automotive technicians. To facilitate this effort, the project will hold a conference that will invite other community colleges to the TSTC Waco campus to learn the curriculum.