SUNY Erie AOS Automotive Partnership

March 15, 2022

SUNY Erie AOS Automotive Partnership

Consistent with SUNY Erie Community College's strategy to engage more fully with local industry sectors to address businesses' changing workforce needs, the College has teamed up with two of the region's largest Automotive Partners to create unique training opportunities for students through a compelling "earn while you learn" co-op program. 

The collaboration began in 2019 with the West Herr Automotive Group's sponsored SUNY Erie Automotive Co-Op (SEACO) program at the College's Vehicle Technology Training Center on Big Tree Road in Orchard Park. The program has recently expanded to include the "Automotive Service Program" at Northtown Automotive's Jaguar/Land Rover dealership at 621 Getzville Road in Amherst.

Both programs offer students a 2-year Automotive Service Technician (AOS) degree. Over the course of the 2 years, students rotate between working alongside mentors in a dealership service department for 7.5 weeks and taking coursework in classroom and lab settings for 7.5 weeks. Through these unique opportunities, students receive paid on-the-job training, tool allowances, tuition reimbursement programs and mentoring. Every student is employed in a paid position with the hiring dealership during the two-year program. "The earn while you learn opportunity gives each student a head start into their career" says Jay Galligan from West Herr Automotive. 

SUNY Erie President, Dr. David Balkin, is a champion of win-win collaborative programs like these which ensure that industry partners' specific workforce needs are fully addressed with well-trained students and employees. "SUNY Erie's future is focused on offering innovative, collaboratively-defined, state-of-the-art programming that recognizes the changing needs of employers, while appealing to the interests and passions of our students. Our partnerships with the region's largest automotive companies, West Herr and Northtown, are model engagements that are now being replicated by SUNY Erie in other industry sectors," Balkin said.  

This blended learning has resulted in significant success, with over 90% of first year students graduating and maintaining full time employment. The 12:1 student to faculty ratio is one of the lowest in the region for a training program of this nature. SUNY Erie's instructors note that these small class sizes allow the instructors to better gauge a student's progress to ensure directed teaching in areas where a student might need additional help.

The dealership groups see this path as the way forward for recruiting, training and retaining qualified technicians. West Herr Automotive Group's SEACO program will graduate its second class this spring. Both programs are currently enrolling for the fall semester. Bill Holm, CEO of Northtown Automotive stated "having a forward-thinking partner like SUNY Erie…one that is willing to fully engage industry on workforce initiatives… has created important and impactful student/employee opportunities that will help us grow our business."

For additional information, please reach out to: