STEPHENVILLE, NL – March 17, 2021 marked a date that had more than its usual affiliation with luck for College of the North Atlantic (CNA), as Ford of Canada and Humber Motors Ford donated a 2020 Ford F-150 to the college to be used in the Automotive Service Technician program at its Heavy Equipment Centre of Excellence.
The contribution is part of a nationwide initiative in which Ford of Canada is donating a total of 95 vehicles to automotive technology educational institutions across the country. These vehicles were damaged due to flooding last year and have been deemed irreparable. As such, Ford of Canada saw an opportunity to bring some of the latest in vehicle technology to automotive programs across Canada.
Ford of Canada and Humber Motors Ford - represented by Tammy Coish, Joe Antle (General Manager), and Darrin O’quinn – presented a 2020 Ford F-150 donation to College of the North Atlantic’s (CNA) Bay St. George campus. The vehicle, one of 95 donated to automotive technology educational institutes across Canada, will be used for hands-on training in the Automotive Service Technician program at CNA’s state-of-the-art Heavy Equipment Centre of Excellence in Stephenville, NL. The vehicle was received by Jan Peddle, Campus Director; Brent Howell, Dean of Natural Resources and Industrial Trades; Marty Madore, Associate Dean; and, Scott Parsons, Automotive Service Technician Instructor, along with several employees and students.
Humber Motors Ford prepared the vehicle for this donation, which will provide a hands-on learning experience for the students at Bay St. George campus’s state-of-the-art $20-million Heavy Equipment Centre of Excellence in Stephenville, NL.
“On behalf of Ford of Canada and Humber Motors Ford, it gives me great pleasure to be able to give back to the community with this wonderful 2020 F-150 donation to College of North Atlantic,” said Joe Antle, General Manager, Humber Motors Ford. “It enables our future technicians to experience first-hand the innovative technology that’s available in these vehicles today with the ability to give the students an understanding of how to diagnose and repair as needed as we move into the future.”
As part of this donation, Ford of Canada is providing CNA students with access to their online Automotive Career Exploration (ACE) training. ACE is a partnership program between Ford Motor Company of Canada, Ford dealerships, and secondary and post-secondary institutions, like CNA, that aims to raise awareness and increase interest in career opportunities within the automotive industry.
Scott Parsons, Automotive Service Technician Instructor at Bay St. George campus’s state-of-the-art Heavy Equipment Centre of Excellence in Stephenville, took a peek under the hood of the 2020 Ford F-150 recently donated by Ford of Canada and Humber Motors Ford with students – Jordan Stuckless, Logan Squires, DJ Tobin and Gabe Caines.
For faculty and students at the campus, this donation marks an incredible opportunity to expose graduates to current and relevant technology, increase the technical abilities of the instructors that spans across several of its motive-powered programs, as well as strengthen ties with the local dealerships throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.
“It’s a case of our programs being relevant and assisting students when they graduate to be aware of and experienced with the technology,” said Brent Howell, Dean of Natural Resources and Industrial Trades. “This donation goes beyond the vehicle itself and its capabilities; it’s the systems that industry leaders like Ford are using in the automotive sector when it comes to online training, parts and service information, and preparing them for the world that they are about to step into. It gives us and our graduates a competitive edge in the marketplace by boosting their resume with Ford-certified credentials that will set them apart from others out there.”
Jan Peddle, Campus Director at Bay. St. George campus, says investments like this support industry partnerships to ensure CNA programs remain on the cutting edge of technology from both a learning and research capacity.
“We see the benefit to our students, our instructors and the college. We are very fortunate to be able to incorporate this vehicle and the online training resources into our automotive program, allowing us to introduce students and faculty to industry leading technology, and helping our students better prepare for entry into the workplace. Partnerships like these enable us to step it up and deliver training that is cutting edge and open the door to explore more opportunities with Ford of Canada.”
Students enrolled in a Ford ACE partnership school obtain valuable knowledge of Ford vehicle systems through specialty training in areas, such as New Model Training, Electrical Systems, Steering & Suspension and Brakes. These are a subset of the same program current Ford technicians complete to receive specialty training in dealerships.
To learn more about CNA programs or the Bay St. George campus Heavy Equipment Centre of Excellence, visit:
www.cna.nl.ca. For information about Humber Motors Ford, visit:
www.humbermotorsford.ca.
-30-
Media Contacts:
Mary Navas
NATIONAL Public Relations
mnavas@national.ca
(902) 410-1205
Michelle Barry
Communication Manager
College of the North Atlantic
Michelle.barry@cna.nl.ca
(709) 643-7721