Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing To Promote Technician Education at Michigan International Speedway

Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing driver Paul Menard will be sporting a special paint scheme for the August Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway. The Wood Brothers will enter the No. 21 Earn While You Learn/NewFordTech.com Ford Fusion in the Consumers Energy 400 at MIS.

The paint scheme was chosen to promote Ford Motor Company’s commitment to training automotive technicians. Graduates of Ford’s Technical Career Entry programs are immediately eligible to join the workforce as technicians, the specialists employed by Ford & Lincoln dealers, as well as Quick Lane Tire and Auto Centers, to repair and maintain customers’ vehicles.

“Properly trained technicians are crucial to the growing landscape of the automotive service industry,” said Frederiek Toney, president of the global Ford Customer Service Division. “Advancements in technology are asking more of Ford and Lincoln’s technicians than ever before, and we need to ensure they are properly prepared for these challenges.”

Trained technicians have vast employment opportunities as well as a stable and lucrative career with opportunity for growth at over 3,000 Ford and Lincoln dealers. This is because a trained technician is extremely valuable in a dealership as they have direct interaction with customers who rely on their advice for safe and reliable vehicles.

“When Len and I started working on cars, we were still in early high school and basically learned as we grew up,” said Eddie Wood, co-owner of Wood Brothers Racing. “The more we learned, the more we were trusted to do. But the way technology has progressed in motorsports, specialized training is more important than ever, and that’s true whether you’re working on race cars or street cars. It takes a pretty special person to want to take that on.”

Ford has three levels of programs available today, and plans to increase involvement at the high school level are in the works. Current programs include:

  • Maintenance & Light Repair: Participants spend 9-12 months in Ford Factory training preparing for an entry level technician position at a Ford or Lincoln dealership, or a Quick Lane Tire and Auto Center. Participants gain basic automotive repair knowledge along with Ford specific training on brakes, electrical and steering/suspension.
  • Ford Accelerated Credential Training (FACT): A 12-month program spent garnering general automotive knowledge followed by a 15-week capstone course focusing on Ford-specific curriculum. FACT is a partnership between Ford and Universal Technical Institute (UTI) at nine UTI campuses in the US.
  • Automotive Student Service Educational Training (ASSET): Alternate between classroom learning and hands-on training at a Ford or Lincoln dealership over a 24-month period. In addition to the Automotive Technician Certificate the other two programs provide, ASSET ends with an Associate’s Degree. ASSET is available at 38 community colleges across the country.

“We would have really loved to have this education Ford is offering back then,” Wood added. “It gives a person that likes to work with their hands a shortcut to the knowledge needed to succeed.”

To learn more about how to become a certified Technician through Ford, visit www.NewFordTech.com. For scholarship opportunity inquiries, visit NewFordTech.com/YES, and don’t forget to cheer on Paul Menard in the No. 21 Earn While You Learn/NewFordTech.com Ford Fusion on August 12.

Ford Performance PR