Automotive students looking into a car engine

During San Bernardino Valley College's inaugural Future Automotive Professional Pre-Apprenticeship Symposium on May 8, more than 120 high school students had the opportunity to try automative diagnostics and learn about career paths from industry professionals.

The event was held in the new Applied Technology Building, and included interactive workshops, an industry panel, and a networking fair featuring BMW’s Service Technician Education Programs (STEP), Rivian, Snap-on, Omnitrans, and the San Bernardino County fleet. Organizers also gave away automotive toolkits and awarded a student certificate of achievement. 

Held through a collaboration with the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, civic leaders, industry partners, the Inland Empire Labor Institute, and the Inland Empire Desert Regional Consortium, the symposium emphasized the area's commitment to building strong pathways for high school graduates to work in high-demand automotive technology careers, SBVC apprenticeship program organizer Christina Ly said.

SBVC offers an associate of science degree and a vocational certificate in automotive technology.