Wake Technical Community College recently opened a new training facility in Raleigh, N. C., for students looking to begin a career in automotive repair.
The hope for the new Hendrick Center for Automotive Excellence is to start filling some of the many jobs available for automotive techs in Wake County by tripling the number of students in the school’s Automotive Systems Technology Program. Wake Tech has also added a new degree for those interested in collision repair.
The $42 million state-of-the-art facility is meant to help prepare the students for careers at local dealerships and service centers. Those in the automotive systems program at Wake Tech can also receive specialized training with Audi, Ford, GM, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, and Toyota/Lexus to further their education.
A performance lab for engine and transmission classes, rooms for testing engines and transmissions, a welding lab, eight classrooms, three computer labs, and a conference room are just some of the features of the Hendrick Center. The 16,500 sq. ft. building also includes an automotive systems lab with 13 lifts and two-wheel alignment machines, as well as a 15,000 sq. ft. collision repair lab with six lifts, four paint booths, and two frame straighteners.
“It’s very fortunate that us students are able…to attend the new facility,” said Roland Welsch, an automotive student at Wake Tech in a video interview.
