CUHS auto program earns high marks from national accreditation group
EL CENTRO — The National Automotive Technician’s Education Foundation has certified only one high school automotive program in the state of California for integration of applied academic skills with technical instruction, and that school is Central Union High School.
While about 50 other schools in the state that have NATEF recognition, Central Union High’s program is the only program in state that has been NATEF certified for its applied academic skills.
The program was presented the certificate based on its integration of academics and technical skills within its curriculum, and for the collaborative effort between the school’s automotive and academic instructors.
The CUHS automotive program was evaluated in November 2017, and was presented in March with its NATEF recertification and the NATEF certification of excellence for academics. It’s been the only program in California that has been re-certified under the 2017 NATEF revised standards, and certified in the applied academics of English, mathematics and science. Recognized on the certification of excellence were CUHS science instructor Mike Corey, mathematics instructor Dan Myers, English instructor Alicia Apodaca and automotive instructor Ron Shane.
Over the course of his 26-year career as the school’s automotive technology instructor, Shane has been awarded for his work with numerous plaques and awards, which he displays proudly on his classroom walls.
After the school’s auto shop program received its NATEF certificate of excellence recently, Shane said that certification now overshadows any other recognition he’s received throughout his career.
“This is the pinnacle,” Shane said. “For automotive training, it doesn’t’ get any higher than that. There are other NATEF schools, but they don’t have the applied academics like we do.”
The school’s program received the applied academic recognition based on how well its students have been able use writing, problem solving and computations skills in order to fill out task sheets.
Similar to how automotive technicians fill out repair orders, students are required to fill out task sheets based on what repairs they’re making each day as part of the curriculum. The task sheet cover all eight areas of NATEF certification, and are updated each time NATEF has new test standards.
CUHS’s program has continuously been NATEF certified since 2000 and has been re-evaluated for certification every five years. “It’s a win-win situation for students because when you graduate from an accredited program and you enter into the automotive service field or technical school, you’re advanced out there,” Shane said. “So you get to cheat up to first place because we’re a NATEF school.”
The certification also gives the school receives extra benefits, such as extra donated cars and equipment.
“The automotive industry does not and will not donate equipment to non-certified programs,” Shane said.
Since he first began teaching the school’s program 26 years ago, Shane said it has grown quite notably. “When I got here, we had one lift, and that lift would barely pick up a pickup truck,” the CUHS automotive instructor said. “We also only had about three or four wrenches. It wasn’t in good shape.”
Today, the school’s auto shop features an engine lab, three bay lifts and wheel alignment machines, among other equipment.
This year, approximately 125 students are taking the program, which has five classes varying from basic to advanced skill.
“Anything that we have here is what the kids are going to be looking at in the dealerships or repair facilities,” Shane said. “As a matter of fact, we have some better materials than some of the repair facilities themselves.”
Shane said his own personal goal throughout his teaching career has been to send out good quality people to the working businesses.
“The good Lord put me on the earth to study and tell people about the one of the passions I have, and that’s the automobile,” Shane said. “The biggest joy I have is when I go out to the area dealerships and I see the kids that I taught and they’re wrenching and they’re collecting paychecks. That’s the biggest thing. I love it. I couldn’t be happier. It’s like being a proud papa.”
Shane noted the school’s program has earned a pretty high standing within the local business community throughout the years.
“I’ve got students working at all the area dealerships,” Shane said. “So when they have happy employees that are making money and paying taxes to the community, the community rewards us.”
Central Union High School District Superintendent Renato Montaño said the CUHS automotive program is extremely popular and is one that the district takes great pride in.
“What we hear from the industry is that students in Mr. Shane’s program are very well-prepared, and are very good employees,” Montaño said. “There’s always a lot of requests from students from other districts and Southwest High School to transfer to Central to participate in the auto program because of its reputation and the work that Mr. Shane does with his students.”