January 25, 2007 - 4:00pm
Malaspina University-College Automotive Department is celebrating the addition of a shiny silver teaching tool to their training fleet.
DaimlerChrysler Canada donated a 2006 Jeep Liberty Diesel to the Malaspina Automotive Department this past week to help students in their training. The Jeep is the first new vehicle the department has received in the past 10 years.
“We’ve never had a newer model Chrysler to work on before,” said Dean Cadieux, coordinator and instructor in the Automotive Service Technician program. “This donation will allow students to work on the latest automotive technology.”
Apprenticeship students will gain a lot from this donation because many of them work at Daimler Chrysler dealerships and haven’t been able to work on newer Chryslers while in school, said Cadieux.
“DaimlerChrysler Canada is glad to continue its commitment to furthering the education of the Canadian automotive industry’s next generation of leaders,” said Reid Bigland, President and CEO, DaimlerChrysler Canada. “The donated Jeep Liberty CRD provides a fantastic opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience with today’s clean diesel technology, part of the industry's effort to provide consumers with greater fuel economy.”
Since September 2006, Malaspina University-College has provided garage space for all Vancouver Island DaimlerChrysler dealerships to train their journeyman technicians. In exchange for the facilities, DaimlerChrysler donates tools, transmissions, engines and electronic support to Malaspina students and staff.
Nanaimo’s Woodgrove Chrysler paid the transportation fee to get the Jeep Liberty from Edmonton to its new home at Malaspina.
“The Jeep donation is a thank you to Malaspina University-College for keeping Chrysler training on the Island,” said Woodgrove Chrysler general manager Michael Heys. “It really is an important benefit to us to have the Malaspina facilities available in which to train our technicians.”
“Malaspina benefits from the training programs because our instructors can also take the training. By attending those sessions with the DaimlerChrysler technicians, we keep up-to-date on our skills and technology,” said Cadieux.
This spring, Daimler Chrysler came out with 11 new vehicles, so journeyman technicians from all over the Island will be using the Malaspina facilities to gain certification.
For more information about Malaspina University-College’s Automotive program go to www.viu.ca/automotive.
Tags: In the Community
