Subaru Partners With U.S. College To Offer Two-Year Automotive Technology Program

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By Kirby Garlitos

Published Sep 13, 2018

Students will get hands-on, Subaru-certified training

Subaru’s partnership with Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon will give rise to the first college degree dedicated to Subaru automotive technology. The two-year associate degree starts in the fall 2018 semester. It’s the first college program in the U.S. to provide students the opportunity to work at Subaru retailers by giving them hands-on Subaru factory-certified training inside an institute of higher learning.

This is a great move on Subaru’s part for a number of reasons. The automaker has one of the biggest footprints in the Pacific Northwest, a product of having a lot of Subaru owners in the region. It’s no secret that states like Oregon and Washington are known for their wet weather and snowy terrain. It’s the perfect playground for all-wheel drive Subies. “Our students love Subaru vehicles, and they often tell us they want to work on them,” Garvey said. “Plus, there’s a huge regional demand here in the Pacific Northwest for Subaru cars and SUVs, so it’s a win-win.”

Subaru’s partnership with MHCC is also a natural fit given the strong history between the two. The community college is one of a number of schools around the U.S. that have opened itself to Subaru U, a program that infuses specific training into existing automotive technology degrees. A lot of automakers have adopted similar systems to help train new technicians through a combination of classroom work and apprenticeships at local dealerships. It’s a great way for upstart technicians to learn about the craft from the best people who can teach it.

But this new two-year program created by Subaru and MHCC is on another level. Not only does it combine Subaru’s specialty training and apprenticeships directly into the college curriculum, but it also places students at the heart of the trade by providing paid on-the-job training at local dealerships and full-time positions after graduation.

It’s unclear, though, how the degree will translate to other tech-related auto positions with other automakers, but given that these students will get the education and the training from one of the most respected automakers in the world, it’s hard to imagine this degree being anything less than a huge bonus for students once they graduate from it.

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