Western Nevada College renames technical education department, partners with Subaru
Western Nevada College isn’t entering Career and Technical Education Month lightly. WNC rolledl out a technical division rebranding initiative Wednesday and announced a new partnership with Michael Hohl Subaru and Subaru of America.
With a renewed focus on preparing students for respectable living-wage careers and strengthening Northern Nevada’s talent pipeline for local employers, WNC has renamed its technical education department to Workforce, Career & Technical Education.
“This new name — WCTE — more accurately describes the high-quality training opportunities WNC offers to help Nevadans engage in the workforce,” said Dr. Dana Ryan, VP of Academic and Student Affairs. “To be valuable to the students and the community, programs must be aligned with employer needs so we are proud to be able to announce a new partnership with Subaru that will support our Automotive Technology students in preparing for careers.”
Michael Hohl Subaru and Subaru of America are greatly assisting with the launch of WCTE with the timely and benevolent donation of a new 2023 Subaru. The new car will help WNC’s Auto Mechanics students learn current repair skills necessary to work on the latest vehicles at local dealerships and repair shops.
“Subaru of America's intent is to create a platform of partnership with WNC and Michael Hohl Subaru to educate and employ quality technicians with the purpose of providing a lifetime of high-quality employment opportunities within the automotive industry,” said Subaru of America Zone Market Development Manager Ray Smit.
WNC Automotive Mechanics Instructor Sunshine Haupt is excited about the possibilities this new partnership will provide Western students and the community.
“With the new partnership between Subaru and WNC, I believe this will open new avenues for students and instructors to interact with each other as a community,” she said. “With exciting new vehicles also comes the ‘scary’ computer training. Our partnership with Subaru will help us to take the stigma out of the big, ‘scary’ mechanical world.
“WNC's partnership with Subaru will put WNC on automotive industry seekers' radar. No longer does the community have to travel far out of state for state-of-the-art manufacturer training.”
Go here to learn more about WNC’s WCTE programs, including auto mechanics.