Mercedes-Benz teams with technical college on training program

Mercedes-Benz USA is looking to ensure that dealerships have the technical talent they require through an educational partnership.

The automaker has linked with Gwinnett Technical College on the Mercedes-Benz Technical Training Program, a two-year program that offers hands-on learning. With this initiative, Mercedes-Benz is not only providing students with skills, but opening up a new channel for recruitment.

Mercedes master class
Mercedes-Benz has a need for qualified technicians to staff its dealership service centers, partly due to the increased demands of these workers with more complex vehicles.

For this program, Mercedes is donating training equipment as well as six vehicles to the college. It has also renovated and outfitted a classroom and tech laboratory for Gwinnett Tech's Automotive Technology Program at its campus in Lawrenceville, GA.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Oct. 11

"The partnership between Mercedes-Benz and Gwinnett Technical College will serve as a model that we will replicate in other local markets around the country," said Christian Treiber, vice president, customer services for MBUSA. "We want to provide a natural navigation point for the next generation of automotive technicians, and pave the path into the Mercedes-Benz family.

"Long gone are the days of the oil stained mechanic wrenching away in a greasy workshop,” he said. “Technicians need training and access to specialized diagnostic tools to keep today's cars operating safely and efficiently."

While this partnership is understood to be first of its kind for an automotive brand, other sectors of the luxury industry have taken this approach to ensure that key roles are filled.

For instance, Yoox Net-A-Porter Group is partnering with Bologna Business School to launch a Center for Digital Business Education, combining their collective ecommerce expertise to help train managerial candidates for an increasingly digital world.

The first managerial education program focusing specifically on digital business will offer master's degree programs aimed at both new graduates and those with some years of on-the-job experience. Luxury brands have identified technology as a key area where finding qualified talent is especially hard, making this initiative a means to ensure that both Yoox Net-A-Porter and other business navigate the digital shift (see story).