North Iowa Area Community College is the 2001 winner of the prestigious ASE Automotive Award of Excellence for the state of Iowa. NIACC's Automotive Department will be recognized by the Association for Career and Technical Education/Automotive Industry Planning Council during their annual convention in New Orleans. NIACC will also be considered for national recognition, with the winner announced in December. Photo: (left to right) NIACC's ASE Certified automotive instructors Rob Heimbuch, Greg Arrowood, and Mark Poppe.

The award requires a rigorous application process. Candidates are judged on the quality of their automotive program, recruitment methods and activities, entrance requirements, entrance assessment forms and methods, and courses. Entrants also submitted brochures, examples of assessment forms, planning/budget documents, and expenditures, among other things, to assist in the evaluation.

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), which sponsors the award, is an independent, non-profit organization that works to educate consumers, the media and others to promote informed choices when seeking automotive repair. The primary goal is improving the quality of automotive service and repair through the voluntary testing and certification of automotive technicians. 

 NIACC automotive instructor Rob Heimbuch is an ASE Certified Automobile Technician and instructors Greg Arrowood and Mark Poppe are ASE Master Certified Automobile Technicians.

NIACC's Automotive Service Technology associate in applied science (AAS) degree program, which is ASE Master Certified, focuses on eight instructional areas: engine repair, automotive transmission/transaxle,
manual drive train and axles, suspension and steering, brakes, electrical/electronic systems, heating and air conditioning, and engine performance. 

Students have an opportunity to earn a diploma after the first year, but most complete the entire program and earn their associate degree. The Automotive Tech Prep Hub in Clear Lake actually allows area students to
complete the first year of the program free of charge by the time they graduate from high school. 

The goals of NIACC's automotive programs include maintaining an environment that is conducive to learning, offering curriculum that reflects current industry requirements, delivering classroom instruction that encourages analytical thinking, providing laboratory experience that utilizes technical and problem-solving skills, and promoting workmanship that meets or exceeds industry standards.

Year after year, automotive graduates report that their NIACC education met or exceeded their expectations. And for eight of the last 10 years, NIACC's Automotive Service Technology program has experienced a 100 percent placement rate.

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For more information, contact the Community Relations Department
North Iowa Area Community College, 500 College Drive, Mason City, Iowa  50401
422-4269 or 1-888-GO NIACC, ext. 4269
www.niacc.com