D/FW’s Universal Technical Institute: You Only Live Once

UTI in Dallas with hands on learning.

In an election cycle you’d expect to hear the oversized – and over-inflated – appeals to an undersized middle class, although I don’t think anyone anticipated hearing those appeals to this particular extent. But then, few of us expected to hear so much from either Vermont senator Bernie Sanders or one Donald J. Trump. But for all the ‘schill’ and shrill, free tuition and making America great (again), little hope or hype has been given to vocational training. And that, just in time for November, is where Irving, Texas’ Universal Technical Institute could enter the picture – and perhaps your picture.

You don’t, of course, need an economics degree to know the best way out of poverty is a job, and the fastest ticket out of reduced circumstances is a better job. With its 97,000 square feet, some sixty staff members and the ability to train 850 students at a time, the Universal Technical Institute offers students – both young and not-so-very-young – the curriculum, via both text and tools, to obtain the training and get the job. This isn’t, to be sure, an MBA from SMU, and the ratio of male undergrads to co-eds is, like, d-i-s-m-a-l, but for those with an interest in working with their hands and eating from something other than a dollar menu, UTI offers its students a very real opportunity to work their way – as God and FDR intended – into the middle class.

As seen from 635 in Irving, the UTI facility doesn’t look that much different from any number of office buildings dotting the freeway between D/FW Airport and Mesquite’s rodeo complex. The parking lot, of course, has a few giveaways, including a lowered G35 coupe, lifted Wrangler Unlimited, a newish Veloster Turbo and – not incidentally – a way used (or used up) Mitsu 3000 GT. As arranged by UTI’s media team, we enjoyed a walk-thru of the facility with UTI president Jesus Miranda and education manager Kevin Renner.

Well into his second decade with UTI, Miranda started in data entry at UTI’s Arizona campus and from there – notably – secured a position assisting UTI graduates with employment; that, after all, is why he’s here – and why his students are here. He has been at the Dallas-area campus since its opening in 2010.

Renner’s background is more varied, having received his automotive start with a dealership group in Lubbock. When that company opened two dealerships in Rockwall, his background in parts and service management led him to the role of service director, a position he held until 2004. After a detour in the restaurant biz Kevin joined UTI in 2010, became a technical team leader in 2012 and was appointed to his current role in 2015.

As you’d expect in an article for txGarage, UTI’s core programs are Automotive, Diesel and Automotive/Diesel. In Automotive, UTI’s program teaches students how to diagnose, maintain and repair domestic and foreign automobiles. In its diesel curriculum students receive the basic knowledge to diagnose malfunctions in both mechanical and electrical systems, and – not incidentally – make repairs on diesel engines, commercial vehicles and heavy equipment. The combined program – which obviously requires a longer enrollment – gives UTI graduates the flexibility to qualify for positions in both industries.

There is also what UTI describes as a blended learning curriculum, offering more convenience and training flexibility for its students. For those envisioning an oil change via their laptop, know that the new ‘model’ features hands-on experience and classroom instruction, both of which are supplemented by online learning. And this – as you’d guess – is a similar approach to that used by many of the industry’s top employers.

Within any discussion of higher learning, there is also the inevitable mention of costs. Before going numerical, know that UTI has in its affordability arsenal an entire array of scholarships and tuition assistance programs, in addition to tuition reimbursement from potential employers. Figure roughly $20K to $30K for 45-51 weeks of hands-on training, which is more than community college, but way less than the aforementioned SMU. And if your eventual earnings go from the $10/hour you’re making now to roughly three times that figure (an easily achievable target within a short period of steady employment and periodic promotions), that increase can more easily repay a student loan than many 4-year undergrad degrees might.

We are probably, early in 2016, some years away from free tuition for all. But with the help of vocational programs such as those offered by UTI, you needn’t wait for a beneficent Congress (as if…) to obtain competitive compensation in a satisfying career. And if enough young people make that call, America could be great again.