On Thursday, November 11, Five Star Automotive Group Service Director, Joey Vause visited the Automotive and HVAC Technology Center at Florence-Darlington Technical College to speak with Automotive Technology students.
Vause works with Five Star Automotive’s Chevrolet, BMW and Mercedes-Benz location off the David H. McLeod Blvd. in Florence. While visiting campus, Vause spoke with FDTC’s students and discussed the important role that they will play for the industry once they graduate.
“We’re part of a large automotive group that’s based in Atlanta, Georgia,” Vause said. “We have a total of 27 stores that range from middle Georgia to Atlanta to South Carolina to Tennessee, as well as Indiana. We’ve realized a need for growth with technicians because the older guys, such as I, you know, we aren’t going to be here much longer. Very soon, which the time is now, we need some new blood in the system.”
Vause said that the Automotive programs at FDTC are extremely important because it’s a direct hiring pipeline for Five Star Automotive Group. In fact, in years past, an array of FDTC alumni began working for Five Star Automotive right after graduation.
“This program is extremely important because it’s local,” Vause said. “Your kids are local, they’re home grown. This is home for them, and hopefully they’ll stay here.”
FDTC offers a two-year Associate Degree in Automotive Technology and a one-year Certificate in Basic Automotive. Once a student graduates from the program, they will have the skills needed to repair and maintain cars and light trucks. They may even work for an OEM dealer, franchise business or independent repair facility.
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