Portia McGroarty
C an’t afford to pay someone to change those break pads and rotors?
Pierce College students enrolled in the Automotive Service Technician (AST) program learn to work on a variety of cars and they can work on yours, too.
According to Tom Rosdahl, instructor of the automotive department, “Depending on the problem, anyone can bring their car in and our students can work on it. We charge for the cost of parts, but that is all.”
For the most part though, manufacturers donate cars that students can work on.
“Right now we have 22 donated cars that the school owns.
“We have a few Infinitis, Nissans, Toyotas, two Hondas, some trucks, a Ford, a Chevy… so we have a variety of cars,” said Rosdahl, who is also president of the Pierce College Academic Senate.
Having graduated Pierce’s AST program in ’74, Rosdahl began teaching the program full-time in 1985.
The AST program offers a variety of classes ranging from what the pros consider the basics, like changing brake pads, engine and transmission oil, all the way to the more intricate subjects of diagnosing and curing engine problems.
The program is designed to “prepare students to become ASE-certified auto technicians, to transfer to four-year institutions or just help them meet their personal goals in auto,” said Rosdahl.
A ccording to Josh Morelo, an AST student at Pierce, “The faculty is great. Tom Rosdahl and Tom Fortune are the two full-time instructors and they’re very helpful.”
Pierce’s automotive training program is significantly cheaper in comparison to schools that are confined to private automotive training and generally cost approximately $20,000.
“We teach a broad mechanical program of the entire car… but we don’t do auto body,” said Rosdahl.
The AST program has a 20-station computer room which has specific software installed providing information for every car’s make and model.
“Since I started taking courses in the automotive department we have been getting a lot more equipment. We have a lot of engine rebuilding equipment and a ‘Dynometer’, that checks the horsepower on cars,” said Morelo.
T o pass the automotive classes students need to, “show up, pay attention and study, just like any other class,” according to Rosdahl.
“Most of our courses are lecture-lab, so for example, a four-hour morning class would be in lecture for an hour and a half and the rest of the time is spent in the lab working on cars.”
Preparing students for their future employment, the program offers a two-year AS degree which they can use to get an entry-level as an Auto Service Technician.
“Some students transfer to four-year school, but the bulk of the students move through our program and either get a job in the field or open a business,” said Rosdahl.
They also offer classes to help students become smog technicians. Pierce’s Smog Training Certificate program received the Los Angeles Workforce Development Award for Creative Use of Instructional Technology in 2003.