The Universal Technical Institute (UTI) has opened its new 108,000-square-foot, state-of-the-industry Bloomfield campus. The campus marks the company’s first location in the tri-state area and its 13th campus nationwide.
As the region’s strong demand for skilled transportation service technicians continues to grow, the campus will train students to succeed in these high-tech, well-paying jobs, which offer ample opportunities to build rewarding, long-term careers.
“This school is important not just for Bloomfield, not just for Essex County, but it is really important for Northern New Jersey and all of the state,” said Carlos Pomares, Essex County freeholder. “This highly skilled training is not available everywhere, and we have a very dense population with a million cars on the road, so we are very excited for the resources UTI brings to the community both in terms of job opportunities and for New Jersey businesses.”
Overall, the campus represents a more than $11 million investment by UTI in the region. It has the capacity to train up to 800 students each year in Automotive and Diesel Technology. Students can be ready to work in as little as 11 months in the 45-week diesel program and graduate from the core automotive program in just 51 weeks. A soon-to-be-announced manufacturer-specific advanced training program will also be offered.
The campus will predominantly serve a commuter population, allowing students to access UTI’s quality education without leaving home. That, combined with a flexible curriculum that helps students work classroom time into their work and family schedules, will make it easier and more affordable to attend UTI.
“Our employer and industry partners are telling us that they can’t find enough skilled technicians to meet their demand, especially in a transportation hub like the New York metropolitan area,” said UTI-Bloomfield Campus President Steve McElfresh. “From a community perspective, these are fantastic career opportunities that allow graduates to support themselves and their families, and we are excited to provide their first few steps.”
Industry demand for trained transportation technicians continues to accelerate. Most recently, the federal government tripled its estimate for the number of transportation technicians needed nationwide by 2026. According to projections by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be more than 1.2 million job openings in the automotive, diesel and collision repair industries by that time. To help reach that total, the transportation industry will have to fill more than 120,000 technician job openings annually on average.
