Nissan donated six vehicles to Moraine Valley Community College. Standing with the cars from left is Dr. Pamela Haney, Moraine Valley vice president of Academic Affairs; Sajillah Gadson, field operations specialist, Infiniti North Region; Michelle Johnson, senior manager of aftersales dealer business management, Nissan; J. Schaffer, regional aftersales manager, Infiniti North Region; Dr. Sylvia Jenkins, Moraine Valley president; Gary Dagesse, regional aftersales manager, Midwest Region; Kymberly Thompson, senior market area manager, Nissan; Ira Siegel, Moraine Valley program coordinator and professor of automotive technology; Dr. Kiana Battle, Moraine Valley dean of Career Programs; Dr. LoShay Willis, Moraine Valley assistant dean of Career Programs; and Rick Hendricks, Moraine Valley vice president of Administrative Services.
Moraine Valley Community College received six vehicles in correlation with its new partnership with Nissan to train students in the Nissan Technician Training Academy.
Six Nissan vehicles, including two all-electric ones (the Leaf), from between 2011 and 2017, were donated to the college. Originally Moraine Valley was only scheduled to receive four until Nissan learned of the college’s alternative fuels program.
“These donated vehicles are incredibly important to our automotive technology program as they will provide our students, especially those participating in the new Nissan/Infiniti Technician Training Academy, with opportunities to learn how to diagnose, service and repair vehicles featuring some of the latest technologies,” said Ira Siegel, Moraine Valley program coordinator and professor of automotive technology.
Nissan recently partnered with Moraine Valley because of its Automotive Service Excellence Education Foundation-certified programs as well as its long-standing and successful partnership with another automobile manufacturer.
“The outstanding faculty and facilities and the certifications are some reasons we chose Moraine Valley,” said Michelle Johnson, senior manager of aftersales dealer business management for Nissan. “It’s also an excellent opportunity for the school to work in the community with dealers. As one student said it best, it’s a great career opportunity and it’s more than a job to work for Nissan or Infiniti.”
Because a large number of technicians are retiring, the demand is high for skilled workers in the auto repair industry. The Nissan training program will help fill the growing void. Many individuals have general auto training but not Nissan-specific experience. For more information on the program, contact Siegel at (708) 974-5511 or siegel@morainevalley.edu.
