Toyota Partners With Contra Costa College To Launch Automotive Technician Training Program

Toyota and Contra Costa College Launch Leading T-TEN Training Program

Partnership to offer new path into the workplace and address skills shortage

SAN PABLO, Calif. (Aug. 17, 2018) – Toyota’s Technician Training & Education Network (T-TEN) and Contra Costa College announced a new partnership on August 16 which will boost education and job growth, and address the need for talented and qualified automotive technicians across Northern California.

As an industry leading automotive technician training program, T–TEN helps to develop and place thousands of factory certified technicians in challenging, rewarding and well-paid positions in automotive dealerships, across the U.S. The T-TEN program typically offers a class size of 20 to 25 students per year and leverages Toyota's industry-leading training with both a classroom and hands-on laboratory setting over a period of 24 months. The training also includes a paid internship experience for students at a local dealership as they pursue certifications for Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

Through this new partnership, an initial cohort of 16 students will receive structured and rigorous training at Contra Costa College, which has been recognized previously for its Automotive Services program, receiving a Silver Strong Workforce Star recognition for substantial increases in student earnings and the attainment of living wage jobs for graduates.

“Through Toyota’s T-TEN program, students will get Toyota factory training with hands-on paid internships, which will give them the opportunity for living wage jobs and/or career advancement after graduation,” said Interim Dean, Library, Allied Health, Vocational Education & Athletics Division at Contra Costa College, Lucile Beatty. “This partnership will provide additional opportunities for our faculty to stay current with technological advancements in the automotive industry, and Bay Area Toyota dealerships will have a constant stream of Toyota T-TEN graduates to employ. It’s a win-win-win partnership.”

“The job market for technicians is expected to grow exponentially, but the automotive service industry faces a number of issues which compound the skills gap. By partnering with stand-out institutions such as Contra Costa College, the T-TEN program addresses this need and ensures local dealers have a source of highly trained, entry-level technicians,” said Tom Trisdale of Toyota Motor North America (TMNA). “Furthermore, many T-TEN graduates have embraced Toyota’s culture of continuous learning, moving beyond the technician role and growing into advanced roles at Toyota, making this an attractive career path for ambitious graduates.”

The partnership was launched on Thursday, August 16, during an event at Contra Costa College in San Pablo. Contra Costa College President Dr. Katrina VanderWoude, TMNA executives, Executive Vice Chancellor of Education and Technology at Contra Costa Community College District Mojdeh Mehdizadeh and local Toyota dealer principals were present, as well as representatives from local officials’ offices. During the event, Dr. Katrina VanderWoude discussed the program’s potential to function as a model for future innovative public/private partnerships supporting both education and workforce outcomes. Tours were also given to attendees demonstrating the facilities where students will receive intense instruction on diagnosing and repairing Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

T-TEN was launched in 1986 to provide a strong pipeline of talented, career-minded, highly trained service technicians for Toyota and Lexus dealerships. In order to enter the program, students must demonstrate a passion for the career and an aptitude to learn the skills necessary to perform as a service bay technician. T-TEN has placed over 23,000 certified technicians in the service departments of nearly 1,500 dealerships around the country. Today Toyota is partnered with 38 programs across the USA.