/ Modified may 18, 2021 5:08 p.m.

PCC opens automotive technology center

It's one of the college's new centers of excellence.

PCC auto int The new Automotive Technology and Innovation Center at Pima Community College was dedicated in May 18, 2021. The center will offer students education in the technology of both internal combustion and electric vehicles.
Steve Jess/AZPM

Pima Community College opened a training center Tuesday to educate the next generation of automotive technicians.

The Automotive Technology and Innovation Center doesn't look all that different from the service department at any dealership - lots of cars on lifts, bays with tune up and wheel balancing gear, and so on.

But the 50-thousand square foot facility is the realization of a dream for Chancellor Lee Lambert, who envisioned a better automotive program when he came to the school seven years ago. "I think there's many of you in this community, I know especially the dealers and all the other automotive folks, you've been waiting for this moment," Lambert said at Tuesday's ribbon-cutting.

Automotive faculty leader Skylar Webb said applied technology is one of the keys to Tucson's economic future. "If you want better technology, if you want bigger corporations, if you want more innovation in Tucson, you need to start with your trades. And that's what the chancellor is letting us do. If they can fix your car, if they can build your house, if they can repair your HVAC - especially your HVAC - then people want to come here. And no one wants to move Apple here if they can't get their Teslas fixed," Webb said.

As one speaker at the vent pointed out, a modern car is probably the most complex device most of us touch every day, and the advent of electric cars is making the service technician's job that much more demanding.

The new automotive facility is one of several centers of excellence Pima is planning on opening in the coming years.

By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona