[View ALL News Press Releases] Elizabethtown Community and Technical College continues to strengthen its relationships with the automotive community, as evidenced by the recent donation by Kia Motors America of six late model 3.5-liter V6 engines for use in the college's Automotive Program. The donation, which was facilitated by Raymond Taylor and Michael Rodriguez, Service Training Instructors at the Kia Motors America Central Technical Training Center in Lombad, IL, is the latest example of the recent partnerships between ECTC and Kia Motors. ECTC graduate Tracy Smith is an advisory committee member for the college's Automotive Program and the Parts and Services Director of The Kia Store in Elizabethtown. Smith's knowledge of current automotive manufacturing and repair needs helps to ensure ECTC's automotive programming is up-to-date and prepares graduates for future success. Last year, Kia Motors offered factory training at ECTC's facility and auto technicians from several areas in Kentucky and southern Indiana attended the training. This December, Kia will once again use the college as a resource for training their dealer technicians in the area. "This is a wonderful opportunity for us, too," said Les Pike, ECTC Automotive Program Coordinator. "Not only is Kia Motors providing us with late model training aids with these engines, but we also have the chance to participate in their factory training here on campus. We learn first-hand the latest in technology from the manufacturers themselves." Several representatives from the The Kia Store in Elizabethtown, including Tracy Smith, Donald Coomes, Service Manager, and Tom Pitt, Kia technician and ECTC student, were present at the donation ceremony and expressed their enthusiasm for the support Kia has for the local automotive program and their technicians. With this partnership, students graduating from ECTC's automotive program will have general knowledge of the Kia brand, which will make them highly employable as prospective technicians. "Tom Pitt is a great example of the kind of student we expect from ECTC," said Tracy Smith. "Right now he's working as an apprentice alongside our master technician, and we expect him to quickly advance in our company." Through strengthening partnerships between ECTC's automotive program and supporting industry, the program's graduates become well-suited for the workforce. Anyone interested in training to become an automotive technician should call program coordinator, Les Pike, at 270-706-8657.