Universal Technical Institute (NYSE: UTI), the leading provider of post-secondary education for students seeking careers as professional automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine technicians, and Roush Yates Engines, one of the motorsports industry's leading manufacturers of performance engines, are partnering to develop a new Computerized Numerical Controls (CNC) program and to enhance UTI's specialized Power and Performance courses.
CNC Machining
As part of its strategy to add new programs that complement core offerings and train students for fields where there is strong demand for skilled technicians, UTI will partner withRoush Yates to develop a comprehensive Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machining and Manufacturing Technology program. The program will build on the curriculum currently in development by Roush Yates. This program will prepare students to succeed as entry-level CNC machinists, and position UTI to meet broad and growing industry demand.
Starting in 2016, following receipt of state approval and accreditation, UTI intends to offer its new CNC Machining program in Mooresville, North Carolina, home to both Roush Yates and UTI's NASCAR Tech campus. Following a successful implementation in Mooresville, the company plans to expand the CNC program to additional markets.
UTI is offering the program in response to strong demand for skilled CNC machinists, who produce precision parts used in high-performance engines and a wide variety of trucks, motorcycles, cars, boats, but also in industrial applications, aerospace components and medical and surgical equipment. Across these industries, employers are reporting that they simply do not have enough skilled CNC machinists to meet their needs.
"We are excited to partner with a company that has hired our graduates for years and is one of the most respected organizations in motorsports," said Kim McWaters, chairman and CEO at Universal Technical Institute. "By building on Roush Yates' substantial and specific expertise, and applying our 50 years of experience training professional technicians, UTI can give students the sophisticated, high-tech training CNC machining requires, and supply skilled CNC machinists to all kinds of industries."
Power and Performance.
In addition, Roush Yates will enhance the Power and Performance training courses currently offered at UTI campuses nationwide. This series of three, three-week courses (9 weeks total) gives students specialized training in designing, building and modifying high-performance engines. The popular series is a capstone to UTI's core automotive training, and covers topics such as cylinder head preparation, camshaft technology, engine assembly, and working in a zero-defect environment, giving students skills they can put to work in the motorsports industry, or as service technicians for leading auto manufacturers.
In 2015, Roush Yates Engines and Ford Performance made history by capturing all four races at Daytona International Speedway including the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ Daytona 500, NASCAR XFINITY Series™ Alert Today Florida 300, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™ NextEra Energy Resources 250 and the Rolex 24 At Daytona for the TUDOR United Sports Car Championship. Not only does the company's cutting-edge technology win on race tracks, it ultimately makes it into the automobiles we drive today and benefits the more than 30 industry-leading manufacturers -- including companies like Ford, Toyota, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz -- with which UTI has training partnerships.
"Our agreement with Roush Yates will give our students access to technology right out of the leading shop in motorsports, making our students more attractive to potential employers," McWaters said. "Whether or not our students pursue a career in high-performance engines, they'll have the high-tech skills they need to be successful throughout the transportation industry, where demand for trained technicians far outstrips supply."
UTI's partnership with Roush Yates demonstrates the important role the company plays in helping close America's middle skills gap, and its commitment to continually expanding and improving the advanced training that can help students find stable, good-paying jobs and build rewarding careers.
"Partnering with a 50-year veteran technical educator who has a national footprint and the operational know how to deliver the CNC curriculum lets us provide what students and the manufacturing industry need," said Doug Yates, CEO at Roush Yates Engines. "We're thrilled to partner with UTI to develop a leading CNC Machining Program in Mooresville, and to enhance UTI's Power and Performance program. Together, Roush Yates and UTI will provide real-world industry training to the next generation of hands-on learners, and deliver the technicians we all need to be successful."
About Universal Technical Institute, Inc.:
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE: UTI) is the leading provider of post-secondary education for students seeking careers as professional automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine technicians. With more than 190,000 graduates in its 50-year history, UTI offers undergraduate degree and diploma programs at 11 campuses across the United States, as well as manufacturer-specific training programs at dedicated training centers. Through its campus-based school system, UTI provides specialized post-secondary education programs under the banner of several well-known brands, including Universal Technical Institute (UTI), Motorcycle Mechanics Institute and Marine Mechanics Institute (MMI) and NASCAR Technical Institute (NASCAR Tech).
About Roush Yates:
In 2004, Jack Roush Sr. and Robert Yates combined their FORD engine programs to form Roush Yates Engines. This decision was supported by FORD Performance and Roush Yatesis led by CEO Doug Yates. The joining of forces has proven to be a winning formula. The power of these three engine builders turned into immediate success with the winning of the 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship and 19 Sprint Cup race wins in their first year and a half. Roush Yates achieved its 100th Sprint Cup Series win by capturing the Daytona 500 in 2015. Roush Yates has a staff of over 180 employees at four locations including Roush Yates Engines, Roush Yates Performance Engine Group, Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions and Roush Yates Performance Products.
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