Aims partners with Ford Motor Co. for workforce development

WINDSOR – This fall, Aims Community College will begin a program that offers aspiring automotive technicians a paid internship with a local Ford dealership while they learn. 

The Ford Automotive Student Service Educational Training program will allow students to earn while they learn, according to a news release. Students alternate time in the classroom at Aims’ Automotive and Technology Center and with a sponsoring Ford or Lincoln dealer.  Aims’ program is Colorado’s only Ford ASSET program and the 41st nationwide, the release stated.

This is a paid opportunity in which students earn while they learn in the classroom and on the job. Students in the program can earn an associate degree, multiple Ford Service Technician specialty training certifications and dealership experience at the end of five semesters. Students will graduate as senior master level service technicians, the release stated. Such a program would normally take two and a half years to complete. 

“That’s been our goal in the automotive department for quite some time — to partner with manufacturers because the builder of the vehicle has the best training possible,” Larry Baker, automotive programs chair at Aims, said in the release.

The program will concentrate instruction not only on basic vehicle repair and maintenance on gasoline engines, but also that of electric and hybrid vehicles. 

”Having that student be engaged in this program and working with the school and the dealership will set them apart,” Jenna Rowan, service performance manager at Ford Motor Company Denver Region, said in the release. “It ultimately makes them the top prospects in the market for technicians.”Enrollment for fall 2024 is now open, but space is limited. People interested in pursuing a career as a Ford master automotive technician may apply for the Ford ASSET program at Aims. Get more information about the program and apply at aims.co/Ford-ASSET.