Car Dealers Association Donates to Pierce College Program

The Greater Los Angeles New Car Dealers Association has donated $40,000 to the automotive service technology program at Los Angeles Pierce College.

The Woodland Hills school received the funds last month when association Executive Director Bob Smith presented a check to automotive service technology professors Alex Villalta and Tom Fortune.

Pierce College Interim President Aracely Aguiar said the school was honored to receive support to develop the next generation of automotive service professionals

“Our automotive service technology program continues to grow thanks to generous donations from organizations like GLANCDA,” Aguiar said in statement.

The money will be used to invest in used vehicle training aids, including OBD II compliant vehicles from wholesale auction lots and stick shift vehicles for manual transmission workshops and instruction, such as driving a stick shift in a dealer environment, according to a release from the association.

The funds will also be earmarked for other instructional aids, including materials for the new expanded automotive building, which opens at the college in the fall, the release said.

“Cars that can be used as teaching aids are an invaluable resource for our department,” Fortune said in a statement. “We are so thankful for (the association’s) support of Pierce College and the automotive professional industry as a whole.”

Pierce College’s automotive service technology program provides students with the knowledge and skills for maintenance and repair of brakes, suspension systems, electronic systems, emission systems, climate-comfort control systems and all aspects of automotive repair, according to the release.