Eight of the 14 students who completed this summer’s Fast Track Automotive Training Program at the Collin College Technical Campus in Allen are already employed by automotive dealers — several of them sent to the program by the dealerships that hired them — and the remaining six are actively interviewing.
Fast Track, sponsored by the Carroll Shelby Foundation and North Texas Automobile Dealers (NTXAD), is an 80-hour program that meets five days a week over four weeks. Designed for recent high school graduates, the program strengthens the maintenance and light-repair skills introduced in high school automotive courses while preparing students for the pace and expectations of a professional dealership service department.
Students received hands-on instruction in vehicle maintenance, tire service, multipoint inspections (including video inspection documentation), repair order writing, shop safety and the proper use of automotive lifts. Every graduate earned Lift Safety Certification from the Automotive Lift Institute, an industry-recognized credential they carry directly into the workplace.
“The Fast Track program gives students an opportunity to sharpen the skills they learned in high school and make a successful transition into the automotive workforce,” said Brent Franks, president of North Texas Automobile Dealers. “Every graduate left this program either employed or interviewing, and several dealerships valued the training enough to send their own new hires through it. When employers [enroll] their people in a program, that tells you the training works.”
“My grandfather believed in giving young people a chance to prove what they could do with their hands and their determination,” said Aaron Shelby of the Carroll Shelby Foundation. “Fast Track carries that belief forward — these graduates are starting real careers, and the Foundation is proud to help open that door.”
“Hosting the NTXAD Fast Track program introduces Collin College to talented students we first meet through the Auto Tech Competition,” said Elias Alba, director of automotive and collision programs at Collin College. “Many of these students continue their education with us and go on to earn additional certifications — Fast Track is the front door to a much longer pathway.”
Fast Track is one of several career pathways NTXAD has built to connect young people with automotive careers, including the North Texas Auto Tech Competition, the NTXAD Apprenticeship Program powered by ASE, dealership mentoring, career events and partnerships with area schools. Together, these programs have placed 224 students into dealership and automotive careers over the past three years.
For dealers across Texas, the model is straightforward and repeatable: Connect high school automotive programs with dealership employers, add a brief but intensive bridge program built around service department needs, and let the relationships do the rest. Learn more at keepamericamoving.org.
