Prospectus: Auto techs are in demand. New programs are helping to train them

Story originally published February, 2026 via The Buffalo News

Northland Workforce Training Center has added an automotive technician training program to its lineup to meet the strong demand for workers with those skills.

Erie Community College is upgrading its auto tech training center in Orchard Park.

As auto dealerships look to hire more technicians, local training programs are stepping up to meet the demand. The state Labor Department projects that between 2022 and 2032, employment for automotive service technicians and mechanics will increase by 6.4% in Western New York.

“What industry needs right now, coming out of the gate, are highly skilled, lifelong learners,” said Vincent LaVerdi, automotive technology department chair at SUNY Erie Community College. “They have to understand when they’re coming out into the field, that they’re always going to have to continuously learn and go to school and train.”

Northland partnered with ECC on the training program at its complex. West Herr Automotive Group and Northtown Automotive Cos. were instrumental in the project. West Herr designed the layout, while Northtown donated vehicles for students to work on, and provided input on the equipment to outfit the lab with. 

LaVerdi said Northland is an ideal location for attracting students who are looking for a training opportunity within the city.

“Strategically, we thought that it was always a great idea to be somewhere in the City of Buffalo, and then to be offered that space in Northland is just kind of a cherry on top, because it’s such a beautiful facility,” LaVerdi said. “It’s so well staffed. They have a lot of counselors, and it’s just a great fit for us as an automotive program.”

Stephen Tucker, president and CEO of the Northland Workforce Training Center, said the auto tech program “has been extremely well received by both students and employer partners.”

In January 2025, 30 auto tech students enrolled at Northland, Tucker said. Twenty five of them, or 83%, graduated in August, and 21 of them, or 84%, are currently employed. 

“We currently have three full cohorts totaling 45 students enrolled, and a waiting list,” Tucker said. “These outcomes reflect both the quality of the training and the strength of our employer partnerships.”

The program also supports Northland’s commitment to equity and access, he said. During Northland’s fall 2024/spring 2025 academic year, minority students represented 62% of Northland’s student population across all its training programs.

ECC’s Vehicle Technical Training Center in Orchard Park is set for significant improvements, boosted by a $1 million donation from West Herr. The dealer group’s contribution will support the consolidation, remodeling and modernization of the center. The full cost of the project is being determined.

The project will include upgrades to classrooms and labs, and will house the auto collision program, which is being relocated from ECC’s original South Campus.

The upgrades are in the planning stages, LaVerdi said. “It’s really just getting a flow for how productive can we make this training center without any wasted space, and modernize it.”

ECC also offers auto tech training at two other area locations, at dealer facilities. Across its four locations, ECC started with about 260 students enrolled in auto tech training in the fall.

“We almost doubled our enrollment in the past few years,” LaVerdi said.

The program is seeing about an 85% completion rate, he said. Students are able to stack credentials they earn, enhancing their employment prospects and income potential as they learn. 

“Our completion rates are great, our employment rates are great,” LaVerdi said. “We’re actually seeing the continuing education model work.”

The majority of the students who complete the training take jobs with dealers. Others go to work for employers, including independent repair shops, chain repair shops, the state Department of Transportation and the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority.

The training programs help fill the gap created when older technicians retire.

“These vehicles get more technical every year, and we need to fill the jobs of the retirees that were pretty technical people, with people that are even more technical,” LaVerdi said.