CLARKESVILLE, Tennessee (now Clarksville) — A new school to help accelerate the education and career path of automotive technicians began and was celebrated Tuesday on the Clarksville campus of Tennessee Polytechnic College (TCAT) on International Boulevard.
The program is known as Automotive Technician Development Training, or ATDT. Prior to the ATDT, it took one to two years for a technician to receive a higher education. This first class of eight technical students has been brought up to just four months.
Opening day for the first class of technical students in the Automotive Technician Development Training (ATDT) program at TCAT, Tennessee Applied College of Technology on April 4, 2023. (Lee Erwin)
Opening day for the first class of technical students in the Automotive Technician Development Training (ATDT) program at TCAT, Tennessee Applied College of Technology on April 4, 2023. (Lee Erwin)
Opening day for the first class of technical students in the Automotive Technician Development Training (ATDT) program at TCAT, Tennessee Applied College of Technology on April 4, 2023. (Lee Erwin)
Opening day for the first class of technical students in the Automotive Technician Development Training (ATDT) program at TCAT, Tennessee Applied College of Technology on April 4, 2023. (Lee Erwin)
Opening day for the first class of technical students in the Automotive Technician Development Training (ATDT) program at TCAT, Tennessee Applied College of Technology on April 4, 2023. (Lee Erwin)
Casey Jenkins speaks to the first class of technical students for the Automotive Technician Development Training (ATDT) program at TCAT, Tennessee Polytechnic on April 4, 2023. (Lee Erwin)
Opening day for the first class of technical students in the Automotive Technician Development Training (ATDT) program at TCAT, Tennessee Applied College of Technology on April 4, 2023. (Lee Erwin)
Opening day for the first class of technical students in the Automotive Technician Development Training (ATDT) program at TCAT, Tennessee Applied College of Technology on April 4, 2023. (Lee Erwin)
Opening day for the first class of technical students in the Automotive Technician Development Training (ATDT) program at TCAT, Tennessee Applied College of Technology on April 4, 2023. (Lee Erwin)
Opening day for the first class of technical students in the Automotive Technician Development Training (ATDT) program at TCAT, Tennessee Applied College of Technology on April 4, 2023. (Lee Erwin)
With this industry-specific TCAT course, technicians will not only accelerate learning, but also complete required online courses and earn the necessary certifications. At the end of the course, each technician will receive a toolbox and tools.
Casey Jenkins, owner of Jenkins & Wynne Ford Lincoln Honda, said the school should help address the significant shortage of such workers in the industry for advanced skilled technicians in the field.