The Automotive Technology Department is in the process of installing two new automotive lifts to help accommodate the growth of the program.
According to Director of Facilities Larry Lara, the two additional lifts were needed to accommodate the high demands of the growing Auto-Tech department.
Currently, the automotive lab has six working lifts. The additional lifts will help ease the bottleneck effect that the department has experienced with the influx of students entering the program.
According to Department Chair Victor Miranda, auto-tech has owned the $10,000 lifts for over a year, but this semester was the soonest it could facilitate the installation.
Automotive professor Charles Zepeda said it has been difficult to satisfy eight introductory automotive classes with only six hoists available in the auto-lab, especially when there are two or sometimes even three classes running simultaneously on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons.
“It will dramatically increase productivity,” Zepeda said. “Right now we are dividing six lifts between two classes, that’s 40 students running concurrently on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoon.”
According to Zepeda, there are over 250 students currently enrolled in the auto-tech program and that number is going to increase.
The auto-lab upgrade will be especially critical next semester, considering auto-tech will be adding new green technology classes to the program.
Both Miranda and Zepeda agree that the upgrade is important because it will increase productivity and help all the students get more time available for hands-on training.
“Sometimes we have three classes at one time and I am limited to one rack [lift] and my class is big, so we are always kind of in competition for them,” Miranda said.
Miranda said the upgrade was originally slated to be completed by the Nov. 1. The foundation has already been installed, but the hoist apparatuses have not been attached yet.
According Automotive Director David Lopez the lift installations will be completed within the next 30 days.
