Former Vocational School NYADI Becomes an Accredited College

NEW YORK, Dec. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- NYADI, the College of Automotive and Diesel Technology, located in Jamaica, N.Y., has been a vocational school for the past 30 years, but has concentrated on becoming accredited as a college for the past decade. Now, NYADI has received its accreditation and offers a college degree in automotive and diesel technology, which is an associate in occupational studies (AOS), and is the only college in the region to do so.

"The reason we wanted to become accredited as a college is to give our students the opportunity to take their training and their careers to a higher level," NYADI College President Patrick Hart said. "In the automotive industry, the technology is rapidly changing and the students who have an AOS will be better prepared to enter that environment and have greater opportunity for career advancement once they're in the industry."

A full-time student can attain the degree within 15 months, spanning four semesters. "The degree is focused on technology and career and less focused on liberal arts," Hart said, noting that technical courses are taught at a higher level than with a typical certification. 

In addition to learning the technical skills, however, the degree is well-rounded; four, focused general education classes are taught in order to further enhance the employability skills of the students. Two of the general education courses are English classes, one of which is a communications class that focuses on writing repair orders, customer service and more. The second English course is a technical manuals class where students develop their abilities on using technical support and understanding technical manuals. The third general education course is an automotive mathematics class and the fourth is called Automobiles and Society, where students study the impact that automobiles have had on humanity and examine the future of transportation.

"(Students) will be better equipped if they want to be an entrepreneur and go into business, or if they want to work for a dealership or one of the larger factory-type stores that have a lot of room for advancement," Hart said of the AOS degree. "This will give them far greater opportunity to take their career wherever they'd like to take it."

The degree prepares students in all eight areas of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Automotive Certification. As a result, students graduate with the knowledge of being able to test, diagnose, repair, and modify the mechanisms related to brakes, steering and suspension, electrical systems, engine repair, heating and air conditioning, automatic transmissions, manual drive train, engine performance and high performance engines.

Students working toward their AOS will be in small-sized classes, so students receive hands-on technical training with state-of-the-industry equipment with significant attention from instructors. All instructors at NYADI are certified in the areas they teach by ASE, which is the body that certifies technicians in the automotive industry. This certification is indicative of a certain experience and skill level, so students can be confident in the teachers' knowledge and proficiency.  

NYADI is certified by the National Automotive Technician Education Foundation (NATEF) at the master-level, the highest level that can be attained. NATEF is a part of ASE that certifies vocational schools, looking at equipment, instructor qualifications, facilities, curriculum, and the administration and accredits the schools that meet their standards.

NYADI offers a transfer credit program where students can submit their transcript to be evaluated to see what credits can be transferred to get them closer to completing their degree. Day and evening classes are available to students, so a schedule can be developed based on convenience.

In addition to the AOS, NYADI offers certificate programs, which include an automotive program, a truck and diesel program, and an auto body program. NYADI is also known as an eligible career pathway program, which means that students who do not possess a high school diploma or GED can study to get their high school equivalency while they are enrolled at NYADI. This can be done concurrently while working towards an AOS or any certification at the school.

"One of the things that separates us from a community college or some of the other technical schools is that we specialize in automotive and transportation," Hart said.

NYADI also is set-apart by its industry partnerships. Some of its most notable partners include FIAT Chrysler Automobiles, MOPAR, Snap-On Tools, Freightliner Trucks, Detroit Diesel Engines, and I-Car, a collision industry group. NYADI also is a military-friendly school, so if you're a military veteran, NYADI receives VA educational benefits.

Classes at NYADI begin on January 8^th. For more information on the school and their programs, visit NYADI.edu.

SOURCE NYADI, the College of Automotive and Diesel Technology

Related Links

http://nyadi.edu