The College of Automotive Management, which for a decade has been training individuals pursing management careers in the automotive, financial and related services industries at its Santa Ana, Calif. site, has announced the opening of its first satellite location in Carlsbad, Calif.

Situated within National University, just off Palomar Airport Road and Interstate 5 in the Carlsbad Pacific Center, the College of Automotive Management – Carlsbad has scheduled its first class to begin July 28.

“We have been training and placing individuals from San Diego County for years,” says Eric Andersen, College of Automotive Management president and CEO. “In the past, they’ve had to travel to Santa Ana to complete the four-week training. That added the burden of additional expenses for transportation or housing. Now, we’re bringing the education to them.”

According to the College of Automotive Management, more than 20 San Diego area car dealerships and finance companies have hired College of Automotive graduates in such key dealership positions as finance and insurance manager, Internet sales manager, and car sales, and such important financial positions as loan underwriter, loan processor/verifier and corporate sales representative.

The classroom training at the new Carlsbad location will be limited to 12 students per month, with class in session Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. till 5:30 p.m. for four consecutive weeks. Those students will be immersed in learning the automotive car-buying process, with a focus on the F&I department.

Since the loan underwriting portion of the course is taught from a financial perspective, it prepares graduates to enter both the automotive and financial loan arenas. Graduates of the program have been hired by prestigious automotive, motorcycle and RV dealerships, as well as banks, credit unions and even mortgage lenders.

“Placement is a critical factor,” says Andersen, “and we offer lifetime placement assistance. For 2002, we experienced an 83 percent placement rate, which is high by industry standards. We constantly strive to improve our placement figures, and have worked diligently to form relationships with potential employers in San Diego County to pave the way for our Carlsbad graduates.”

Dean Miller, the College of Automotive Management’s director of education, will personally teach the classes at the Carlsbad location. Miller lives in Vista.

“I’m looking forward to teaching F&I management to a new population base,” he says. “I expect we’ll be enrolling a greater percentage of military personnel preparing to embark on their post-military careers. I’m sure they’ll find our program to be satisfying and challenging, and enjoy the benefits of establishing a new career path that is highly respected and financially attractive.”

Students who plan to pursue an Associate of Arts or Bachelor of Arts degree can transfer up to 28 Educational Credit Units earned at the College of Automotive Management to any of the degree programs offered at Northwood University, one of the nation's top business schools. Northwood offers residence and correspondence degree programs in Automotive Marketing and Management as well as other business disciplines.

For information on enrolling at the College of Automotive Management’s Carlsbad or Santa Ana locations, call (800) 255-9110 or visit the school’s Web site at www.collegeofautomotive.com.