SLCC, Courtesy Automotive partner to drive student success
- Courtesy Automotive Group donated a 2023 Lincoln Aviator, a 2024 Ford Explorer, and a 2023 GMC Acadia to South Louisiana Community College’s automotive program.
- The donation, valued at $124,000, will provide students with hands-on experience working on modern vehicles.
- The vehicles will enhance the program’s curriculum by allowing students to train on advanced driver-assist systems and other high-tech features.
South Louisiana Community College and Courtesy Automotive Group announced Monday a donation for students to gain hands-on experience in the automotive industry.
SLCC’s automotive department received a donation from Courtesy Automotive Group with a value of $124,000. It included a 2023 Lincoln Aviator and a 2024 Ford Explorer valued at $82,000 for both vehicles and a 2023 GMC Acadia valued at $42,000.
Lincoln Motor Company, Ford Motor Company and General Motors assisted with the donations, Court Williams, CEO of Courtesy Automotive Group, said.
“Technicians really on the backbone of our business… we could never have enough technicians,” Williams said. “The work that Bryan (Morris) and his team are doing here is invaluable.”
Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement and External Relations Lana Fontenot welcomed a room full of SLCC’s leaders and the school’s automotive students, Courtesy Automotive Group and community members to celebrate.
“Today is a very exciting day for celebration here at the college,” Fontenot said. “We are here today to acknowledge and gratefully accept a contribution to our college’s automotive program.”
Through the donation to SLCC, Fontenot said students in the automotive program will gain the skills needed to diagnose car troubles, repair engines, and ensure their roadways remain safe with properly functioning vehicles.
“We are thrilled to announce a donation that will take our students’ hands-on training to the next level,” Fontenot said. “This donation means that our students will have even more opportunities to train in the latest automotive technology, gaining the experience they need to be job-ready.”
Bryan Morris serves as the instructor and program coordinator for SLCC. He said the donations given to the school will help students who enter the automobile industry gain skills in working on high-tech equipment.
“The more high-tech equipment we can work, on the better outcome,” Morris said. “A student that works on a high-tech like this Lincoln right here. Now when we get done with the students, they can go to a Lincoln store, they won’t miss a beat.”
New cars today use BlueCruise technology, which utilizes an advanced driver-assist system that includes hands-free steering capabilities on compatible highways, essentially allowing the car to steer itself within designated “Blue Zones” while the driver remains attentive and ready to take control at any time.
“These vehicles are computers on wheels,” Morris said. “So, when we have a student get immersed in the diagnostics and the troubleshooting, it’s a transformation of education based to where they get from us with the hands-on work.”
With the rapid change in the industry, Morris said they need to stay on the learning curve. And with these donations thanks to Courtesy Automotive Group, the future impact of students looking to work in the automotive industry will be effective.
“When you go to get your car done, it gets done right,” Morris said. “The hands-on work these students are learning will benefit everyone.”
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