For Immediate Release
August 20, 2019

Automotive Technology Program Graduates Nine Inaugural Tesla START Technicians

Suffolk County Community College Tesla START Graduates: Dustin Miller (East Hampton), Changling Zhang, Brandon Boyer (Harrison, NY), Nicholas Calderon, Mateo Salazar (Hampton Bays) , Gilbert Correa, Christian Leonardo (West Babylon), Kevin Mejia (Uniondale), Orlando Collazo (Bellport).

Suffolk County Community College’s Automotive Technology Program – the only program in the northeast certified to train Tesla START technicians – will graduate 9 inaugural students at a ceremony on Thursday, August 22, at 10 a.m., Suffolk County Community College Automotive Technology Building, Selden, NY.

Tesla START is a 12-week training program designed to provide students with the skills necessary to work at a Tesla Service Center and learn about Tesla’s unique approach to customer service. The program is currently only offered at a handful of schools throughout the US, including California, Washington, North Carolina, Florida and now New York.

Suffolk County Community College is the only college in the northeast to offer the state-of-the-art Tesla technician training.

Suffolk County Community College offers an A.A.S. degree in Automotive Technology on its Ammerman Campus in Selden, New York. It is a NATEF certified program that is designed to prepare students for employment as automobile technicians and is intended for those who seek professional careers as employees of automotive service facilities.

Suffolk offers several automotive programs. All programs have academic classes, as well as automotive classes, that fulfill requirements to obtain an A.A.S. degree.

The programs offered are:

      Honda PACT

      Toyota T-TEN

      General Motors ASEP program

      General Automotive ATAC I & ATAC II programs

      Subaru University automotive manufacturer’s training program

      Nissan Technician Training Academy

      Chrysler-Fiat training certification

Today's automobiles are equipped with complex computer and electronic systems and technicians need to be highly trained, skilled professionals who are competent in math, science and computer technology. Communication and management skills are equally important for success in the field.