Uti

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galaxy

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My son wants to take the diesel course at UTI. Anyone have any experience, thoughts, inputs, anything on UTI or the course??? I have never heard anything bad about them and they boast a 70-some % employment rate for the diesel program.
 
I went to NTI which is their school in NC. It was a good school, and I learned a lot. As for the employment, they help, but there are no guarantees. Also it is an awful lot of money to pay for a one year course. If I had to do it over again I would probably just get a job as a lube tech at a dealership and have them pay for my training. It might take longer, but it wouldn't cost me any money.
 
Is he looking at the one in az? schooling is always good but the problem now is you have a ton of techs with way more experience that are looking for work as well. they can guarantee you a job, but that could mean a job that your getting paid minimum wage. The whole job placement thing is tricky. I would ask what the average wage if the job placement. Back when I was beginning my career, I looked into that school. Luckily I got picked up by the union and got job placement and training.
 
From my personal experience from the basic automotive class I took in rancho cucamonga, it isn't worth the cost. If he is looking for a job dealerships don't want him looking for the exact problem just find the problem area and replace it and uti teaches you to find the exact problem. and I had a helluva time trying to find a job in mechanics cause of that. But it is a great learning experience and worth it if he is going to do more college after that
 
I went to the Glendale Heights IL campus. First thing that sucks is you must rent an apartment.(don't know it its still that way but it was a few years back, 2003-04) I went to the evening program and then I went to work 10pm-7am to pay for rent and utilities and food. Slept for a few hours then repeat the process over again. I got burnt out very quickly lost a ton of weight. As far as the program (I took automotive) it was ok. I remembered meeting with the UTI rep and he asked what i my goal was, I told him i wanted to get into the Porsche program. He said its very hard and he said i must get 8 or more Student of the phase awards to even be considered. It didn't deter me but made me think about 2nd options.Now as far as the program i went through, I took auto class at tech school from my sophomore year in high school until i graduated, I worked at a dealer during this time as well. I figured i would be ready and have plenty of experience to get me ahead. Ill skip through the individual classes but the results were the same. Basic class's to get someone who has basic knowledge to be able to understand how fix and repair cars (trucks in your sons case) I wasnt learning very much and had a tough time doing everything i was doing to get a piece of paper. I stayed 7 sessions, I left with 7 SOP's. Attendance is very important as well. I know this is long and almost a book now but I agree with Mobile Detail, the shops are now flooded with techs (both good ones and bad ones). I think your son should take some night courses at the local tech school and try to find work in a dealer and then go the their diesel program ( it will be 1 mfg but much more in-depth) . Tell him to ask a lot of questions and work his butt off. I ended up going to Ford's SVT program and doing very well. I was constantly asking to go to new programs they offered and stay up to date on everything. I know this is the internet and you don't know me from adam. If you want to hear more or have some questions pm me and we can talk more.:props: I hope this helps.

Chris
 
In my experiance these programs are not long enough to really get enough information about one one system let alone dozens. I was the GM at a diesel fuel shop for 4 years and before that turned wrenches from before getting out of highschool.

I would offer this advise... if you don't see yourself doing work in the field for the rest of your life, you dont think you can take standing for 10+ hours a day, the pains, the aches in your hands from using tools, RUN AWAY!!

The field seems to be something you can very easly become trapped in. Being a mechanic or diesel tech does not relate to other jobs that are not very similar. I feel that I was lucky to get out of the field, because if I didn't get the chance I would have been doing it for the rest of my life.

If he wants a job in the field I would encourage him to stay away from the heavy on-road truck field. Its truly a PITA!! If I could do it all over again I would have tried to get an internship with Caterpillar or Komatsu or even Liebherr. Working on equipment in the off-road mining industry is a pretty good field to be in. Up-time for the industry is key and the mechanics/techs are paid pretty well.

The nice thing is if you can work on this off-road equipment you can work on the on-road.

As someone brought up above, these schools are good if you want to get on with a manufacturer. Also check out Mercedes, the dont want you to know jack about working on cars... they prefer to train you to work on their cars.

Just a little background about me, I am 29yo and started getting paid to work on cars/equipment when I was 15. I hold ADS, ASE, Bosch, Stanadyne, Refridgeration, and other certifications. If you have questions post them, I am happy to share how things worked out for me.
 
Reason why I ask those two questions are, there is a program called "Think Big" which is a Caterpillar kinda of program. You go to a junior college and you earn an Associate of Applied Science degree and not a certificate like you would get from UTI. I've heard nothing but bad thinks about them and they cost ALOT of money. I have also heard them go by the name of University of Trained Idiots from people in the industries.

I completed the Think Big diesel program about a year ago and was offered a job with Caterpillar as a research and development technician. I turned it down as I decided to continue my education. The program teaches you ALOT, along with your general education program. You spend 8 weeks in lectures/labs and the next 8 weeks in an internship at a dealer or in my case at a Caterpillar facility where you put knowledge you learned in class to the test and complete objectives, while being PAID!
After the two years you would have completed the course and get your diploma from a credited school where you can then transfer all your credits towards a "Think Bigger" degree where you earn your bachelors in applied science. Job placement for both, Think Big and Think Bigger is about 97% I would say. I have seen EVERONE get job placements unless their attitude was real shitty. The program is GREAT and schooling could end up being free because of the paid internship which is a plus!!
 
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