It’s Graduation Day with BMW

Salvador Diaz and Rowena Chan, faculty and staff at Pasadena City College, were able to participate in the 32nd class of the BMW Service Technician Education Program graduation.  This was a group of only 12 students, 4 of whom were PCC Auto Tech Graduates from Spring 2019.

“We are proud of their commitment to further their training and acknowledge all the hard work,” said Wendy Lucko, an Auto Technology Faculty Member.  “A special thank you goes to the PCC Foundation and its community partners that are helping our program move ahead.  The faculty here are very appreciative.”

The BMW Automotive Service Technician Education Program (STEP) is a 16-week, BMW-specific technician education course designed to prepare students for a career with BMW. The application process is open to graduates of post-secondary automotive schools (trade school or college) to further their knowledge with a BMW technical education.

The BMW Automotive STEP program is free to all students, provided a job as a technician is obtained at an authorized BMW dealership located in the United States within 30 days after graduation. Students are responsible for housing, food and program entry drug screen costs.

BMW STEP provides students with outstanding workshop-based, hands-on training and connects them upon graduation with multiple authorized BMW centers for career opportunities. Graduates are in high demand across the country, armed with an exclusive skill-set to work on vehicles considered to be among the most advanced in the industry.

This is not PCC’s first year of participation in the program.  Professor Lucko stated that PCC students have been enrolled in STEP since 2006.  Spring 2019 was the largest class of PCC students together – 1/3 of these graduates were PCC alumi.

The students participating in the graduation were Hagpop Kalbaklian, Edwin Martinez, Evan Sanders, and Zheng Zhu.