The Automotive Technology program at Ventura College is a Master Certified National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) program. The program primarily offers courses aligned with industry skills designed to prepare students with the skills needed for employment in the aftermarket, dealership, and smog industries. In addition to offering a comprehensive general automotive program, there are specialized programs: the Toyota T-TEN (Toyota's Technical Training and Education Network) program, and a California BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repair) Certified Smog Program.

The program offers courses that range from the basic to advanced levels, cover all automotive content areas as required by NATEF and designed by Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), and are designed to simulate real world faults that emphasize the hands-on skills required to inspect, service, diagnose, and repair current model year vehicles.

Toyota's T-TEN program is a partnership that includes Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc., community colleges, vocational schools, and Toyota and Lexus dealerships across the country. Together, students receive state-of-the-art automotive training in both a classroom and dealership setting. As a T-TEN student, you will learn and earn in a supportive environment while receiving instruction from factory-trained instructors and guidance from dealership mentors. Advanced certifications are earned by T-TEN graduates for completing Toyota-designed courses and for passing National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence certification tests.

Recommended Courses

1. Students should take AUTO V27 (Units: ) and AUTO V27L (Units: ) in first semester preparation for the automotive degree/certification path.
2. Students needing to complete dealership internship requirements for the Toyota T-TEN certification should also take AUTO V96 Automotive Internship II (Units: 1-4).
3. In addition to the required courses listed above, it is recommended that student who seek to obtain additional insight into the field of study consider taking the following course: AUTO V48 (Units: )

Although these supplemental courses may be of value to the student, please note that they do not satisfy the requirements for this degree.

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to: 

• Practice safety in the repair and service associated with automotive systems.
• Use a systematic approach to select the proper method to diagnose, repair and test automotive systems.
• Demonstrate proficiency in the use of automotive diagnostic equipment to evaluate system performance and determine needed repairs.
• Demonstrate comprehension of automotive systems theory and operation.