Advanced Transportation & Manufacuring pathway<\/a>. It offers several associate of science degrees, including one in automotive and related technology, and another in collision repair. As a baseline, tuition is $46 per unit, and earning an associate\u2019s degree can cost about $2,000 to $3,500, depending on the coursework. Students can apply for financial assistance through programs and scholarships. <\/p>\nGuerra, who has worked at Trade-Tech for 20 years, said he\u2019s run into past students at repair shops and service centers in L.A. \u201cWe get to see students come in here at square one … and then [they] are the people in charge\u201d at automotive facilities, he said. \u201cThat for me is the most rewarding part of this job.\u201d <\/p>\n
Collegial car vibes<\/p>\n
For many of the program\u2019s students, the schooling offers a chance to professionalize their passion. And, on occasion, show off their rides. <\/p>\n
On one of the last days of the fall semester, students brought their own cars to the shop. They are permitted to do so when the schedule allows and the work aligns with what is being taught. Some students \u2014 like the owner of a pristine 1960s Chevrolet Impala \u2014 entertained a crowd of oglers with their immaculate engine bays and pristine paint jobs. <\/p>\n
Others, like Nelson Raymundo, were taking advantage of some free time to work on their cars.<\/p>\n
Raymundo, 21, got into cars during middle school. Around then, his father sold an inoperable Dodge Dart. He had wanted to work on the vintage ride and was disappointed to see it go.<\/p>\n
Raymundo, who grew up in West L.A., resolved to learn about car mechanics: \u201cI had no knowledge. I was bummed out. So I was like, \u2018You know what? I want to get in here, work in cars, and fix it.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n
He enrolled in the Trade-Tech program in fall 2023 and has taken classes on brakes, suspension and engine theory, among other topics. On one of the final days of the semester, Raymundo peered into his Infiniti J30\u2019s engine bay, searching for the issue that had troubled the car. <\/p>\n
![\"Students](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1767704957_980_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Students stand behind diesel engines that they worked on as part of the automotive program at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College.<\/p>\n
It was another of his dad\u2019s old rides, and had been in the family for more than 30 years. Before long, he was confidently diagnosing the vehicle\u2019s issue: a loose throttle body cable.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust a basic visual inspection,\u201d he explained. \u201c… I feel a little bit accomplished.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nearby, Ricardo Hernandez was working on his Audi S3. He was taking a class on air conditioning systems, and his vehicle\u2019s AC needed to be recharged. <\/p>\n
\u201cI decided to take advantage of it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As visitors checked out the cars \u2014 some working, others not \u2014 the shop felt like more than just a classroom. Corona, the Volkswagen dealership technician, recalled that sort of vibe from her time at Trade-Tech.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was more like family,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The workers\u2019 uniforms are smudged with stains earned underneath a car, wrench in hand. Their repair garage teems…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":496536,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[223321,223323,1582,276,2332,284,16949,223325,223322,8042,2961,224,5337,223326,223324,5996,15689,6620,75016,8066],"class_list":{"0":"post-496535","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-auto-program","9":"tag-automotive-program","10":"tag-ca","11":"tag-california","12":"tag-car","13":"tag-electric-vehicle","14":"tag-fall","15":"tag-independent-shop","16":"tag-jess-guerra","17":"tag-job","18":"tag-la","19":"tag-los-angeles","20":"tag-losangeles","21":"tag-model-year","22":"tag-nelson-raymundo","23":"tag-part","24":"tag-student","25":"tag-time","26":"tag-trade-tech","27":"tag-work"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115848319428027924","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=496535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496535\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/496536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=496535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=496535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=496535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}