FCA program jump-starts next generation of auto techs

Area auto technology students got a high-performance field trip to Baytown last weekend for a behind-the-scenes glimpse of some of the nation’s top drag racing teams working under fire.

Touring the pit paddocks of Don Schumacher Racing on the first day of the National Hot Rod Association’s SpringNationals at Houston Raceway were 27 students of Lone Star College Harris-North and San Jacinto College in Pasadena enrolled in the Mopar Career Automotive Program (CAP).

The partnership between Mopar, the parts division of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), and Houston-based Pennzoil exposes students to career opportunities as motor vehicle technicians. Think farm team where students earn their chops with hands-on learning before graduating to the “majors” — a career as a technician at a Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep or Ram dealership.

The record-setting Schumacher team includes Matt Hagan, who pilots the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat funny car, and Leah Pritchett, who pulled double duty competing in drag racing’s elite Top Fuel class as well as the NHRA’s Factory Stock Series. Last year, Pritchett won the factory stock championship and finished in Top Fuel’s top five.

The hard-charging, ear-splitting world of professional drag racing is meant to send a powerful message: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there are now about 750,000 auto technicians working in the U.S, but the industry is facing a staffing crunch with an additional 46,000 qualified technicians needed between now and 2026.

Mopar CAP, established in 1984, prepares students to begin their careers upon graduation from a certified, two-year training institution, such as a university, college, community college or technical center. Today there are more than 9,000 students...