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If you like cars and trucks, enjoy problem solving, and have a desire to succeed; the career of an Automotive Service Technician may be the opportunity you have been looking for! Our graduates have many job opportunities and excellent wages, due to the need of trained vehicle repair technicians and the number of career opportunities available. We would like to take this chance to tell you all about it. Please take a look at the information following this note to learn about our program and the rewarding career of an Automotive Service Technician.
We are proud of our program, and we hope you will come for a visit and see for yourself what we have to offer! We are located in Albert Lea, MN. You can see our present students in action, and we can give you information on how to apply to the college, financial aid and our Automotive Scholarships that are available. If you would like more information, or would like to set up a visit, please feel free to contact us by calling 1-800-333-2584 or by emailing us at the addresses listed below.
Sincerely,

Ollie Gladso Automotive Instructor olle.gladso@riverland.edu

Jason Merritt Automotive Instructor jason.merritt@riverland.edu

Our Program:

We believe that hands-on experience is the best way for our students to learn. For every hour spent in the classroom, our students spend an average of three hours of working in the shop. We have a wide range of training and excellent shop facilities with equipment and procedures in the newest technologies. For those who want even more, we also offer electives in light truck diesel, advanced engine building, and high performance engine building.
Our program is accredited by a NATEF (National Automotive Technician Educational Foundation) certification process through ASE. We have strong ties to the industry and our advisory committee (made up of area industry leaders). We recently received national recognition when the Automotive Industry Planning Council awarded us national runner up for their award of excellence of automotive programs.

The Automotive Career:

This career has a lot of opportunities to offer our graduates. Many find a rewarding career, diagnosing and repairing cars and light trucks in car dealer service departments and independent repair shops. Some even own their own repair businesses. Some use their training to work in parts distribution, technical assistance, tool supply companies, or car sales. Others begin as technicians and later become service managers, manufacturer representative or automotive engineers.

Job Opportunities:

CareerOnestop.org, a U.S. Department of Transportation sponsored web site, lists Auto Service Technician as having the third most job openings through 2014 for occupations requiring post-high school training. Our program placement averaged 90% over the last 5 years. In fact, in 2010, all our students found gainful employment in the Automotive industry! Most of our students are placed right here in southern Minnesota, but job opportunities are available throughout the U.S., and worldwide.

Earning Potential:

The table below (provided courtesy of the Alliance Automotive Service Providers of MN) shows the earning potential Auto technicians have in MN. It indicates the average number of employees and their annual compensation as reported by mechanical repair member respondents in 2006 for their full-time employees in MN. 1/3 of the shops responding to this survey indicated that they had looked to hire entry level technicians in the last year. More than 3/4 indicated they had looked for experienced techs.

Position	# Fulltime Employers	Average Annual Income (A11)	Average Annual Income (7-co. Metro)	Average Annual Income (Greater, MN)
Mechanical Technician, Experienced	2.6	$46,833	$51,632	$39,815
Mechanical Technician, Entry Level	1.1	$27,876	$30,559	$25,149