For further information contact:
Andrew D. Welch
Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications
(O) 260-481-2270
awelch17@ivytech.edu

Ivy Tech Community College-Northeast
Automotive Technology Program Re-Certified

The Automotive Technology program at Ivy Tech Community College-Northeast has been notified of its re-certification through the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF). The program has been certified for the past 15 years. The process is a set of checks-and-balances that takes approximately six to eight weeks of preparation.

The evaluation Ivy Tech received noted the Automotive Technology program runs on high principles and has a high-level of importance placed upon the students’ needs. The program was evaluated on its overall standards; graduates; and educational areas of brakes, engine performance, automatic transmission/transaxle, engine repair, heating and air conditioning, and manual drive train and axles - all of which received near perfect evaluations.

The following is an excerpt from the NATEF re-certification:

“(Ivy Tech Community College-Northeast has) a very strong automotive program that is highly regarded as a leader and a model for others to follow. The evaluation team was impressed with the level of importance that the automotive program places upon the students’ needs and the high principles by which you run the automotive program.”

In order to be considered for certification, the program must first conduct an internal self-study. This involves a report on how the college functions, as well as the program itself. Specific guidelines outlined by NATEF must be met, such as providing 1,080 hours of instructional information to students in a two-year program. The program also covers all eight areas of certification into the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). The certification requires the program to have at least two advisory board meetings per year, and all instructors must be ASE certified and have at least 20 hours of education each year. This ensures that students are being educated by highly qualified and credentialed faculty.

For re-certification, the reports are then submitted to NATEF at which time the organization appoints an evaluation team leader to conduct a two-day site visit. For Ivy Tech-Northeast, this occurred in early September.

Through the Indiana Planning Council, Kelsey’s program has previously been touted as the top automotive technology program from 1999-2008 in the state of Indiana, and it ranked second in the nation in 2002.

For additional information regarding the Automotive Technology program at Ivy Tech, contact Ralph Kelsey at 260-480-4244.

Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s largest public post-secondary institution and the nation’s largest singly-accredited statewide community college system with more than 130,000 students enrolled annually.  Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana.  It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana.  It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.