CHESAPEAKE, Va. – (June 30, 2004) – On June 30, Tidewater Community College and the city of Chesapeake announced plans for TCC’s Regional Automotive Technology/Workforce Development Center.

“TCC believes in partnership, and the Regional Automotive Technology/Workforce Development Center would not have been possible without the strategic collaboration of the city of Chesapeake,” says TCC President Deborah DiCroce. “Funded in part by monies from the 2002 General Obligation Bond referendum, the Center will provide state-of-the-art training tailor-made to respond to the growing needs of the automotive industry.”

The upcoming Automotive Technology Center facility, presently in the early design phase, will provide 30,000 square feet for cutting-edge automotive education. “Vehicle maintenance and repair in the 21st century has become a high-tech venture requiring in-depth training with hands-on technology experience,” explains Linda Rice, provost of the Chesapeake Campus.

The program readies students for the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification, and entry into special program options offered through the automotive industry, such as the Toyota T-Ten program. Students can earn an associate of applied science (AAS) degree, certificates and career-studies credits.

Classes that set the tone for TCC’s automotive degree and certification programs feature automotive diagnostics in a range of areas, automotive repair and servicing, engine performance, transmissions, power train, suspension and brakes, electrical systems, and air conditioning. Additionally, the program sets graduates on a course for career employment through cooperative education with area dealers and businesses.

“Our program enjoys the interest and support of industry representatives in dealerships across Hampton Roads,” adds Walter (Bud) Brueggeman, professor and head of the program. “Their vital contributions through cooperative education, scholarships and help in keeping us abreast of the latest technology are invaluable.”

For more information on TCC’s Automotive Technology Center, visit the TCC Automotive Technology web site or contact the Information Center at 822-1122.

Since its founding in 1973, the Chesapeake Campus has grown to serve more than 8,000 students each year.

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Tidewater Community College is the second largest of the 23 community colleges in the Commonwealth of Virginia, enrolling more than 34,000 students annually. The 37th largest in the nation’s 1,600 community-college network, TCC ranks among the 50 fastest-growing large community colleges. Founded in 1968 as a part of the Virginia Community College System, the college serves the South Hampton Roads region with campuses in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach as well as the TCC Jeanne and George Roper Performing Arts Center in the theater district in downtown Norfolk, the Visual Arts Center in Olde Towne Portsmouth and a regional Advanced Technology Center in Virginia Beach. Forty-three percent of the region’s residents attending a college or university in Virginia last fall were enrolled at TCC.