BLOOMINGDALE — A new crop of auto service tech students at Jefferson County Joint Vocational School are obtaining specialized training which could benefit them on the job.

Instructor Ron Reasoner said 11 students are currently involved in the Toyota T-TEN (Technician Training and Education Network) program, which offers career-education students a chance to train on maintaining Toyota automobiles and obtain certification that would then give them a distinct advantage when seeking employment.

“This is our second year,” said Reasoner. “Last year, TEAM Automotive of Steubenville approached us with a district representative for the T-TEN program and asked if we wanted to get involved. We said yes because of the benefits. I had made it voluntary last year, but this year I enrolled everybody in my class. Some have completed the first module and others are well underway.”

Participants must complete nine online modules for what Toyota officials say is a “state-of-the-art, hands-on automotive diagnosis and repair training” with an emphasis on skills to succeed in the automotive industry.

“One module is an introduction to Toyota to navigate through their website and learn key terms and acronyms and modules two through nine are the nuts-and-bolts of the maintenance program,” Reasoner added. “I’d like to have this program done by the next nine weeks.

Participants can also keep their user name from the platform when they become technicians to access Toyota’s website for any information they would need to repair vehicles, from electrical schematics to diagnostic procedures. Reasoner said one benefit of the certification allows the student to perform general maintenance and warranty repairs upon Toyota vehicles. It is an entry-level position but students holding the certification have an advantage when seeking work. He yielded some success with the inaugural effort when three students completed the process and two of them subsequently gained employment as TEAM technicians.

Additionally, students could move on for more advanced training through T-TEN when they head to post-secondary schooling such as Stark State College, which offers the program and is taught by Toyota instructors.

Current students Aidyn Lawson and B.J. Fallon are taking part in the program and said they have been learning a lot along the way.

“It (defines) what Toyota stands for and it’s principles and is very customer-focused,” said Lawson, who attends Buckeye Local High School.

“I really like it,” added Fallon, who is a student at Catholic Central High School. “I like how it gets you involved right away. It will really help me because I have a Toyota and I can understand more about my car. I will also help me in the future with getting a job.”