$11M Auto Repair College Opens In Bloomfield (PHOTOS)

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Well-paying jobs in a high-tech industry shouldn’t take four years of full-time college, according to an auto repair trade school that recently opened its 13th campus in Bloomfield.

Earlier this week, Universal Technical Institute (UTI) cut the ribbon at its new 108,000 square-foot, “state-of-the-industry” campus at 1515 Broad Street in Bloomfield. Overall, the campus represents an $11 million investment by UTI in the region, administrators said.

The school is hoping to train up to 800 students every year in Automotive and Diesel Technology, prepping them for careers with its partners, including: BMW, Cummins, Ford, Freightliner, Mercedes-Benz, NASCAR, Peterbilt, Porsche and Volvo.

According to UTI, its students can be ready to work in as little as 11 months in the 45-week diesel program and graduate the core automotive program in just 51 weeks. Nationally, more than four of five UTI graduates are employed full-time in their field within a year of graduating, the school claims. (Learn more about the Bloomfield campus here)

UTI Bloomfield is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

“Our employer and industry partners are telling us that they can't find enough skilled technicians to meet their demand, especially in a transportation hub like the New York metropolitan area,” UTI-Bloomfield Campus President Steve McElfresh said.

McElfresh’s claim was supported by an executive with Penske.

“We recognize that with UTI graduate hires, we know we aren’t just getting someone who can turn a wrench,” said Terrell McCray, Northeast HR Manager for Penske Truck Leasing.

McCray added:

“Students here are pushed to think beyond the classroom; they’ve already worked on the equipment and sophisticated digital systems they’ll find in every Penske vehicle they touch, but, beyond that, learning to be a professional is part of the curriculum, and they have the classroom role models to set an example of how to conduct themselves in the workplace.”

• See related article: Auto Repair Trade School Opens 'High-Tech' Campus In Bloomfield

A week after the inaugural class of students began their first programs at UTI-Bloomfield, a crowd of supporters assembled on Tuesday at the campus’ training facility for a ribbon cutting ceremony. Among the speakers were Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia, Essex County Freeholder Carlos Pomares, Assemblyman Ralph Caputo and Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker.

School administrators said that they expect the Bloomfield campus to mostly serve a “commuter population.” Keeping this in mind, they plan to offer a “flexible curriculum” that helps students fit classroom time into their work and family schedules.

“This school is important not just for Bloomfield, not just Essex County, but it is really important for Northern New Jersey and all of the state,” Essex County Freeholder Carlos Pomares said. “This highly-skilled training is not available everywhere, and we have a very dense population with a million cars on the road, so we are very excited for the resources UTI brings to the community both in terms of job opportunities and for New Jersey businesses.”

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According to projections by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be more than 1.2 million job openings in the automotive, diesel and collision repair industries by 2026. To help reach that total, the transportation industry will have to fill more than 120,000 technician job openings annually on average.

The resurgence of interest in vocational training recently gained the approval of Livingston High School Hall of Fame member Shiva Ayyadurai, the rock and roll scientist who is now running for the United States Senate in Massachusetts.

According to a Monday tweet from the outspoken Ayyadurai, who was commenting on a Forbes story titled “Why We Desperately Need To Bring Back Vocational Training In Schools”:

“Parents: You’re wasting hard-earned $$$ AND putting your children in debt by sending them to ‘college’ - REALLY a ‘club’ to get drunk, waste time, learn ZERO skills, come out spoiled unconscious incompetents. At least, make sure they learn a REAL SKILL!”

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Photos courtesy of Universal Technical Institute