College of the Desert, California

At NC3, we have the honor of working with schools that are truly dedicated to changing the lives of students in Career and Technical Education daily. We think it’s time to highlight those schools and give them the recognition they so rightfully deserve.

Introducing NC3’s School on the Rise, a monthly achievement award granted to schools that have shown consistent growth in issued certifications since joining the NC3 network.

It’s with great pleasure that we announce this month’s NC3 “School on the Rise” recipient, College of the Desert.

College of the Desert, in Palm Desert, California, is a community college that enrolls an average of 1,000 students in their Automotive Technology Program each year. Since 2018, they’ve increased their number of issued certifications by a staggering 625%!

 We had the pleasure of speaking with Douglas Redman, Associate Professor of Automotive and Advanced Transportation, and Julius Varga, Automotive Instructor. They were kind enough to give us some insight into the success of their Automotive Technology Program, noting the significance of NC3 Certifications within their programs.

Douglas stated, “The industry is starting to recognize the value of NC3 Certifications. They are so valuable to the students because they can use any or all certifications to include in their resumes. Even graduates of College of the Desert come back to our school to gain certifications. Employers won’t hire them without having experience using certain equipment.” Julius adds, “NC3 certifications allow students to get their hands on relevant, state of the art equipment. Working with Snap-on and having current equipment and technology is invaluable to the students. The kits offer students real-world skills.”

College of the Desert is an NC3 Leadership School that currently offers 15 NC3 & Snap-on certifications, and is planning to offer more!

When asked what makes College of the Desert stand out amongst other schools in the same region, Douglas states, “What I love most is our team of faculty. Our instructors are highly dedicated. They go above and beyond for their students.” In short, none of the success at College of the Desert would be possible without the instructors in the Automotive Technology Program. It truly does take passion and devotion to drive lasting success in technical education!

Congratulations, College of the Desert!

Stay tuned for our next School on the Rise recipient in February 2020!

Questions about NC3’s School on the Rise? Please contact, Erika Staackmann, Customer Success Coordinator, 847.533.6985, Erika.Staackmann@nc3.net